Hello there, beautiful humans! So, I've decided to begin a SheldonxLeonard fanfiction! *throws confetti everywhere*
Alright so I suck at descriptions, so what I really wanted to write was:
"Leonard has been best friends with Sheldon for nearly eight years, and in all that time, Sheldon's been nearly robotic, seeming to lack any emotion or deep desires. While visiting with Sheldon's family over the holidays, an unexpected turn of events happens and Leonard learns more about his friend's past, his life and his strange ways than he'd ever imagined. As this happens Sheldon's emotions begin to unravel despite his undying need to keep them hidden away, a fear welling up inside that he may not be able to keep the truth hidden, and that he and his family may never recover from the result. He doesn't know how much longer he can stay this way, bottling it all up and hiding. But will it be worth it in the end for everyone to know? Or should Sheldon allow secrets to stay secrets?"
But clearly that was too long to be a description. Yeah so hopefully this goes well? Honestly, I'm still kinda new to the show, but I've done my research and I believe that this might just not suck! Alright, let's just do this. It's happening, this is happening...
"Mother I realize that I swore to you to attend church at least once during the year... Yes I understand it's for father, though it happened ten years ago I don't see why there's still one requested every year. No... No mother it was ten years ago. I was twenty-three when he died, remember...? Two-thousand and three... No... No... Yes mother I realize it's nearly Christmas..."
Christmas was in two and a half weeks, and Leonard, without girlfriend and a member of a Christmasless family, would have no one to celebrate with. Bummer. He half-listened to what his roommate, who paced from the kitchen to the couch and back into the kitchen, was saying as his eyes followed Babylon 5. He was trying to take advantage of Sheldon's distraction as he knew he'd be told to turn it off. Leonard didn't understand why Sheldon was so opposed to Babylon 5 - it wasn't that bad - sure it wasn't Firefly but it could have been worse.
"Fine, yes mother I'll - Leonard turn that off... no mother not you Leonard's merely... Yes... yes... Fine, I suppose I have no choice. Yes... Yes, very well. Goodbye, mother."
Sheldon huffed a bit as he hung up the phone, sitting down in his spot. He looked at Leonard for a moment, and the spectacled man waited for him to make a snide remark about Babylon 5. But to his surprise Sheldon remained silent as he turned his attention back to the television, turning it on and changing the channel.
They were quiet for quite some time, Leonard not exactly concerned so much as curious, "Is everything alright?" He finally asked, looking at his friend.
Sheldon sent Leonard a sideways glance before turning his gaze back to the screen, where a Christmas-related commercial for Target was followed the Geico commercial where a talking camel happily screamed about 'HUMP DAYYY!' "That's a fairly vague question," Sheldon said, "You would need to define alright. Do you mean my physical status? Mental? Emotional? Are you asking about these things in a long-term or in a temporary sense?"
Leonard twitched, his voice slightly rising in mild frustration, "I just wanted to know if everything was okay with your mother..."
"Oh! ...No. No that's an issue," Sheldon started, turning a bit to face him "As you know I made a promise to my mother quite a while ago that I would attend church once a year. Well, as two thousand and thirteen draws to a close and I still have not attended she's asked me to come and visit down in Galveston not only for Christmas but also to attend a mass that's being said in the repose of the soul of my father on December twenty-third. But as a result of arriving before the family goes to Christmas mass I will surely be dragged along to that two days later. This will not only result in my attending mass twice in one year but it will likely fail to nullify the obligation to attend next year and potentially even have me forced into attending the New Year's mass." He sighed again at the thought.
"Well why does it matter?" Leonard asked, muting the television, "I mean, just because you don't believe in what your family does doesn't mean that you need to let it bother you, right?"
The taller man rolled his eyes at him, "Leonard, your family isn't religious. You were never forced against your will to attend a mass."
That much was true. Leonard rarely stepped into churches, and while he was familiar with scripture had never been forced to read it and study it and write about it as Sheldon had as a child. When he was young his family had never even celebrated Christmas...or his birthday... due to his parents wish to study the holidays for their 'anthropological and sociological implications on society.' In a sense, Leonard both pitied and envied Sheldon.
"Well, why don't I go with you?" He finally asked. Seeing the blue-eyed man's eyebrows rise he added "I mean my family doesn't celebrate it, and Penny and I broke it off, so I won't be expected anywhere...?"
Oh, that's right, Leonard and Penny had broken up again, hadn't they? Sheldon sometimes had trouble keeping track of the two of them, on again, off again, on again, off again... It was irritating, really. But regardless of their relationship status Penny was always around, a seemingly eternal friend to the both of them. Somehow.
"Well, I suppose it would make it slightly more bearable with someone who isn't a close-minded religious nut."
"I don't see why we need to take a plane..."
"Because it's a lot easier, cheaper and faster to get from LAX to Scholes International than to take two trains and a bus." Leonard replied as he stood by the couch, closing up his suitcase. It was only four in the morning, their flight leaving for Texas at seven. He and Sheldon would be in Galveston for nearly two weeks, staying from December twenty-second until January second, and as Sheldon had feared they would likely end up in three masses rather than just one. Leonard didn't mind it very much, but he felt a bit bad for Sheldon. He'd even felt bad when he'd talked him into agreeing to fly. "You've got your carry-on and your suitcase packed?"
"Yes."
During the course of the two weeks since they'd agreed to go together, Leonard had noticed a few things changing: for one, Sheldon seemed far more nervous than he had before, even the focus on his work suffering a bit. He looked tired. Not insomniac tired, but nightmare-driven cold-sweat tired. He seemed to become even thinner over the last two weeks as well, though Leonard had only noticed that in the last few days. "Are you sure everything's alright, Sheldon?"
"Again with the vague questions Leonard, do you-"
"Nevermind."
They were quiet as they made their way down the stairs and to Leonard's car. "Are you at least looking forward to seeing your family?" Leonard asked.
Sheldon didn't really give much of a response to that, and merely shrugged his shoulders. An unusual response, but Leonard supposed that there really wasn't a clear answer to the question was there?
The silence continued to resonate for an uncomfortable length of time. Normally Leonard didn't mind the quiet with Sheldon, but for some reason this morning it was just bad. Maybe it was the fact that it was still dark so he felt like he should still be asleep, or because they hadn't eaten anything so the schedule was thrown off, with Leonard somehow getting some of Sheldon's anxiety. He sighed softly, turning the car radio on.
Sheldon flinched a bit, as normally he didn't listen to music, especially popular music, but he didn't say a word. At least not until he began critiquing overly-catchy, repetitive pop music he'd never bothered to listen to until now.
As it was late in December, the host of the radio show was talking about all the significant songs of the year. 'The most catchy (which annoyed Sheldon)', 'The worst', 'The best break-up song', et cetera et cetera.
Sheldon was in the middle of criticizing Zedd's inaccuracy, saying that one wouldn't need a remedy for a tragedy and would need one for something along the lines of laryngitis, not paying any attention as the song ended, the radio host saying something about how Macklemore's 'Same Love' wasn't technically from two-thousand and thirteen, but how to became even more meaningful during the year.
When I was in the third grade, I thought that I was gay, cause I could draw, my uncle was and I kept my room straight...
"Hmm?" Leonard looked over in confusion as Sheldon had suddenly fallen silent. The taller man sat there, staring forward, his expression almost fearful - this alarmed Leonard and he panicked before realizing there was nothing in front of them - Sheldon remained quiet, though the discomfort in the air seemed to increase by the second.
America the brave still fears what we don't know. And "God loves all his children," is somehow forgotten but we paraphrase a book written thirty-five hundred years ago.
Before the chorus could play out Sheldon reached over and turned it off.
"What's the matter?" Leonard asked, his tone obviously concerned.
"Hmm?" Sheldon turned and looked at him for a moment, before his stare went turned back to the road, "Oh. Well, he said that the song wasn't from this year, so it's irrelevant." He spoke a little too quickly, but Leonard didn't think too much about it. Sheldon's sexuality was something he and the others had given up on figuring out a long time ago, and with his relationship with Amy, Leonard was sure Sheldon was straight, so he believed him. The year the song was written seemed to be something that could easily bother Sheldon, and so Leonard just nodded it off.
But even so he could tell something wasn't right. Sheldon didn't turn the radio back on and they rode quietly to the airport. Once there he stood a bit too straight, looking even taller than he was before. His eyes stared forward, almost completely unblinking and in absolute focus, and didn't say a single word to Leonard up until they boarded the plane. Leonard looked up at his best friend, wondering what he was thinking about. The plane? Their bags? Christmas? The masses? His father?
"Hey," he said after the time they'd spent waiting. He laid a hand on Sheldon's shoulder gently, "The gate's open. Let's go," to his surprise Sheldon seemed to tense up ten times as much at the physical contact, backing away slightly and only nodding. He'd known Sheldon for nearly eight years, and while now he wasn't exactly showing emotion, he'd never seen Sheldon act this way...
It almost frightened Leonard, and he wondered what was wrong.
...Well... That was a chapter. A crappy chapter, but a chapter. I tried..? Yep. I tried. You hated it? Yep. You hated it. You hate Same Love and are pissed that I referenced it? Yep. Oh well. Maybe like...two people liked it and will keep reading. I'm not sure when I'll get to a new chapter but here's to trying! We need more Shelnard out in the world, and hopefully this will eventually turn into a good one. I hope I got them down alright, as their personalities are a bit tough. So...leave a review maybe? Possibly? Who knows?
Oh and if you didn't get the Zedd reference it was for the song 'Clarity.'