I own nothing. This is my first fic after years of being just a reader. I felt that more Penny/Leonard was needed in the world. While I am intrigued by the S/P ship I just just can't ever see it working, Sheldon would need someone who is more understanding that challenging. I never can seem to get the two antagonists being in love. It's why I am not a Ron/Hermione ship follower either. So off we go for some L/P happy fluff.
Leonard was silent on the ride back to the apartment. The guys tried to start a conversation but it just trailed off awkwardly, even Howard didn't want to say anything along his usual lines of inappropriateness.
"You know, I believe that social convention states this is the time I say, I told you so!" stated Sheldon.
Leonard glared at Sheldon. "I am sorry Sheldon if I am not in the mood to help you continue your investigation into social behavior"
"There is no social behavior it is just inevitable," said Sheldon in that tone of voice that indicated he was about to launch into a lecture.
"This should be good," whispered Howard to Raj.
"Similar to your behavior at work you lack the fortitude, discipline, and desire to fight for what you seek," Sheldon smirked as he said it.
Leonard's brow furrowed as he took in Sheldon's words.
"What do you mean?" he asked Sheldon.
"You were inevitably going to commit some faux pas in regards to your relationship with Penny; history states that every relationship will experience this. What would be the breaking point of your relationship was not this occurrence. It was what you would do after it; you will sulk, play awful music loudly for days and in general disrupt my schedule."
"Gee," said Leonard, "So sorry that I am going to interrupt your life."
"This is one point where Howard actually has a better strength in his relationship with Bernadette that you do with Penny," said Sheldon.
"He actually screwed up a number of times when the first began to date, and let's no forget when he tried to get her to engage in coitus. However, he went after her, he made sure she knew that he was willing to embarrass himself, and to fight for her."
"Wow," said Raj, "Sheldon making sense speaking of an actual relationship. Now I am definitely the lamest and least likely to get a girl out of anyone in this group"
"You Leonard will not fight for Penny, and while I believe she does for some strange reason find you an acceptable mate, will be disappointed that you do not come to her. Therefore, my having to deal with you bringing home a cat," muttered Sheldon.
Leonard didn't respond and when they arrived back at the apartment he went straight to his room.
Sheldon stared at his board and thought to himself, "Well better get to work while I can before that damn cat will show up."
Leonard rooted through his music collection in his room as he went through his typical break-up routine. However with Penny this was going to be harder. His room showed the signs of their intertwined life. He glanced at her side of the bed, "Her side," he thought. Their lives were so shared that she had stuff in his room, she had clothes in his closet.
Unlike the time when Stephanie had been moving in, Leonard knew things were coming in and instead of fighting it had moved things, boxed up figures to make room for her. He could care less about them he just wanted her to be comfortable.
This relationship was different, what had started out as a simple quest for a girl way to attractive for him, had turned into someone he wanted in his life. He sat on her side of the bed and looked at a framed picture of them. Sheldon's words echoed in his head. Why wasn't he fighting for Penny?
"She doesn't love me though," he thought to himself.
"Do you know that?" another voice in his head argued.
"Knowing what you know of her past relationships and what your mother has stated about her father issues, she could just be scared of an emotion she might not understand," the voice continued on.
"Based on how your upbringing with your family was, I am amazed you can even say it to another person," the voice mocked him.
Leonard looked at the picture in his hand, and looked around his room at the marks she had left there.
Facing an actual rejection from Penny know couldn't hurt any worse. He was not going to let the door close on this relationship, as it had on so many others. Penny was worth it. Penny was worth more than anything he had attempted in his life. She was a woman who cared for him, tried to better herself for him and instead of pitying him, cheered him in everything he did. She was no longer an object of his lust. She was his life, he loved her and if he wanted to show her that he would fight for their relationship, he would fight for her.
Leonard burst out of his room and hurried to the door to the apartment.
Sheldon followed him with his eyes. "Hmm," he thought, "Didn't know Leonard had the courage. Still seems like a lot to go through simply for coitus."
Leonard crossed the hallway to Penny's apartment. He knocked on the door, calling out her name.
"Penny, I know you might not want to see me right now but I want to talk to you" he called through the still closed door.
"Leonard what part of I can't do this didn't make sense," she asked from her position curled up with a tissue from her couch.
"Penny, I know I pressured you for an answer and I am sorry that I pushed you so far, because for right now it doesn't matter"
"What I said was true and it was yours to keep, you have my love and for me that really is enough for now"
"Penny, I grew up not knowing love, it was not an emotion expressed in my house. You are the first woman I have ever told her I loved and that includes my own mother."
"I said it because you are worth loving, you are worth fighting for, and you are worth anything I could ever do in my life. I could give up my research even if it would solve all the problems of the universe for you. Because it would be for you and I feel right now that you will be the most important thing I do in my life."
Penny was speechless from the other side of the door. Kurt had told her he loved her all the time and it had crushed her when he had done all the things he had. Leonard's words from that night had echoed in her head and she thought back to all the times she had heard it.
This however, this was different Leonard hadn't just told her that he loved her, he had just gone on to tell her why he did, and explained what it had done to him. He was willing to give up his world for her, wait he already had, she was now his world. She realized that he was hers as well. The guys were her friends, she was part of the group and she was part of Leonard.
He treated her like no other man, while not understanding half the things she said and babbling much of the time, he supported her at every point. He laughed with her. He didn't talk down to her. She always wanted to improve herself for him, even knowing he wouldn't care what she did.
Then it dawned on her. That was her being in love with him. She loved everything about him, that he makes her smile, makes her laugh, and holds her when she is suffering. He does it because he loves her and she loves him because unlike any other guy, he thinks of her, not just her body.
She smiled, "Well at least just not my body," she though.
"Penny, when you ready to talk, I will be here, even if it is to tell me no. I just had to tell you what I really felt because you are worth it," Leonard stated.
She heard him turn from her door and start shuffling back to his place. He had showed her he was willing to fight for her, now it was time for her to show him she was willing to fight for him as well.
"Leonard wait," called out Penny, as she rushed to open her door.
Leonard turned to look at her; he noticed the tears in her eyes and knew she had been crying.
"I know that it was hard for you to say what you did, honey. I know what your childhood was like," she said.
"I know that I made you crazy and almost tore us apart" she cried as she said it.
"Penny, its okay……wait almost tore us apart?" questioned Leonard.
"Yes, honey almost, because I will not let this go without a fight and I will most certainly let a little weasel like Will Wheaton influence the best part of my life. You Leonard, you are my life, you have taken me to a place no other man has, you have taken me to a place where I can understand love," her tears were happy now.
"Leonard, I love you, I love you because you have shown me what love is and brought it out in me."
"No one has ever done that, no one has expressed how they feel about me, you told me that you loved me and then you showed it."
Leonard just stood there looking stunned, she loved him. She really said she loved him. He didn't know what to do so he walked over to her and pulled her to him. Into an embrace that expressed the depth of his need for her. He smelled her scent and a goofy grin settled on to his face.
She saw that smile, the one she loved so much, his genuine happy smile, it was her smile, the one he had just for her. He just held her and she felt safe, she felt love, and she felt home in that embrace.
"You know this in no way improves your chances to win a Nobel Prize over me," said Sheldon from the open doorway where he had witnessed their exchange.
Leonard looked at Penny; he saw their successes and failures, their children and their wedding day. "You know what Sheldon, I am okay with that, some things are more important, but I will say thank you for convincing me what was worth fighting for."
"Whatever," said Sheldon as he turned away, "At least I don't have to deal with a cat"
Penny and Leonard stood there for a minute more before they turned and walked back to her apartment, to their life, and to their future.
"Yup," Leonard thought, "Defiantly worth fighting for"