So, yeah, here ya' go.
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Sheldon likes having friends. It was something he never had growing up. He was bullied for simply being different, for being brilliant. Once he entered college he thought to fit in he had to assimilate to the attributes of others to be accepted. It ended disastrously when one of his 'friends' humiliated him in front of the class. He later learned they were pretending to be nice to him just to hurt him. It was that moment that he decided to never change himself for the friendship or acceptance of others, and that any alterations he made to his own personality or boundaries was because it would also benefit him.
Then he met Leonard. Although he teased him about his idiosyncrasies, he seemed to genuinely want to be his friend. Then came Howard and Raj and he thought he had formed the beloved connection of friendship and companionship that other people search for, deeming Leonard his best friend. But that only lasted for so long. Leonard longed to be the alpha of the group when he was a natural beta. When he started to date Penny, he thought it elevated his status in their social circle. Things started to change. Leonard started to change. He whined incisively more than usual and did anything to try and alter their usual routine to impress Penny so that he could achieve coitus.
Sheldon allowed it. He knew their relationship was one that would burn like an ember and eventually die out, smothered by Leonard's neediness and Penny's desire for someone to encourage and challenge her. And it did, just as he predicted. He thought then that the paradigm of their social circle would go back to normal with the exception of Penny of course. Only he didn't factor in that Penny would become a dear friend to him. She took care of him when he was sick, sung soft kitty to him, and made his favorite meal. He called Leonard his best friend. They've been friends for five years now. But, when he added up the pros and cons he found Penny to be a better friend of them all. Sure, she was chaotic, messy, believed in hokum, didn't have a PhD, and made fun of him, too, but she never asked him to change who he was, never sabotaged his work, never slipped drugs in his drink. She never made him feel like a bug that needed to be exterminated.
So when Leonard started dating Priya and he told Sheldon to stop spending so much time with Penny, stating that he's his best friend and he should have his back, he found he felt very uncomfortable. After all, he considered Penny to be his friend too. As of late, he'd call her his best friend before he did Leonard. He considered Leonard's plight for a month only to find himself alone on a Friday night because Howard was with Bernadette, Raj was at the movies with Stuart, and Leonard was with Priya, and he had no plans of spending any time with his 'girlfriend' Amy. They were supposed to be eating Chinese food and having vintage video game night. Instead he was sitting in his spot nursing a cup of now cold honey herbal tea. He heard steps coming up the stairs and the door of 4B open and close signaling Penny was home from work. He found himself up and at the door before the movement registered, surprising himself. It was an odd feeling. He didn't feel lonely, rather he preferred her company. In a lot of ways Penny's cornhusker ways reminded him of home. He'd never admit that to her. He didn't have to pretend with Penny. She accepted him for who he is, regardless of how weird she thinks (and often states) he can be.
So he finds himself with an important decision to make. Should he continue to be loyal to Leonard even though he believes he no longer has reasons to be loyal to him or should he continue his friendship with Penny? Above all else, he's tired of compromising himself for others. He's tired of doing things he doesn't want to do, tired of a relationship he never asked for, tired of being expect to uphold the standards of friendship without them returning the favor. He's still waiting to be accepted for who he is.
His decision is made quickly and as he unplugs his Nintendo 64 and grabs the order menu for Golden Dragon he feels not a shred of remorse.
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A short teaser if you will... Don't know where I'm going with this. I'll see you later.