Penny grumbled as the heat prevented her from sleeping. Atleast Leonard had passed out on the couch, the last thing she needed was another sweaty person making her even more hot as she tossed and turned in the search for sleep. Suddenly her phone played softly from the night stand. Glancing at the 2.15 am display on her alarm clock she reached for the phone in confusion.
Moonpie
"Hello?" she asked curiously.
"Hello Penny." Came a soft familiar reply.
"It's quarter past two in the morning Sheldon. You're normally having a REM thingy by now?" Penny questioned.
"A REM sleep cycle." Sheldon clarified softly.
"Can't sleep either huh?" Penny asked.
"I just…needed to hear a friendly voice for a moment." Sheldon replied after a moment. Penny propped herself up on the pillows feeling a little more concerned.
"Sweetie? Anything wrong?" she asked anxiously.
"For the first time in my life Penny…I've found I'm not happy with my own company." Sheldon replied after a moment.
"You're lonely? Well why don't you come back home?" she suggested.
"No. I'm not ready to come home. I just…needed to hear a voice. I assumed you would be the most likely of our social group to be awake at this time of the morning, given your penchant for alcohol and late night infomercials." Sheldon replied. Penny frowned. She'd cut right down on her drinking and she hadn't ordered anything for atleast a week!
"Hey, if you're going to insult me I'm hanging up. It's late you know." Penny warned.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have disturbed you. I'll go." Sheldon replied.
"Sheldon?" Penny asked quickly before he hung up.
"Yes Penny?" he replied.
"You don't sound happy. What's wrong? It sounds like something has happened." Penny replied gently.
"A lot of things have happened. You can't expect time to be suspended." Sheldon replied. Penny frowned again and considered hitting the end call button. It was late and she didn't need this shit!
"Well Sheldon…if I can't do anything I'm gonna try and get to sleep." She said finally.
"Very well. Goodnight Penny." Sheldon replied and abruptly ended the call. Penny sighed and put the phone back on the night stand.
For God sake, how can it be this hot? I've got to save up for air conditioning, I'm going to melt into a liquid like this! Ha, Sheldon would kill me if he heard me say that. I'd get a 20 minute lecture on how humans can't turn into a complete liquid despite water being a high percentage of their makeup. Oh Sheldon. You really didn't seem happy. Ugh, why was I rude to him on the phone?
Penny turned over again and punched the pillow beneath her in an attempt to make it more comfortable.
"Hey! You awake?" came a familiar voice. Penny glanced up to see Leonard standing in the doorway grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"Don't even think about it! It's too hot!" Penny muttered.
"Aww c'mon!" Leonard whined as he stumbled towards the bed. For once he had been the irresponsible one with alcohol and while she had settled for a single glass of red, he had polished off most of her supply.
"I mean it Leonard! You so much as lay a hand below my waist I will punch you." Penny mumbled.
"There's lots of stuff I can do above the waist?" he grinned.
"Leonard!" Penny warned.
"Hey, I'm hot too, you don't hear me complaining about it!" Leonard argued.
"You're so wasted you can barely tell it's above normal temperature!" Penny argued.
"What's got you so grumpy for anyway?" Leonard asked as he landed with a thump on the bed beside her.
"Sheldon just called me." Penny replied.
"Ah. Question asked question answered. He can make anyone grumpy." Leonard chuckled.
"That's not funny Leonard. He sounded…upset. I'm worried about him." Penny whispered.
"Penny, come on. He's probably upset because he's missed his favourite TV show or something." Leonard replied.
"How can you be so unfeeling?" Penny asked.
"It's quarter past two in the morning, my fiancée won't have sex with me, and I'm pretty sure I'm about to throw up." Leonard replied as he clambered off the bed. Penny grimaced as Leonard walked straight into the chest of drawers.
"Don't you dare be sick on my furniture!" she warned. Leonard groaned and stumbled into the en-suite bathroom. Penny reached for her phone and did a video call. It was finally answered.
"Hey you. I just wanted to make sure you're…woah!" Penny cried when she saw the face come up.
"I thought you were going to attempt sleep?" Sheldon asked.
"Sheldon, your whole face is covered in bruises!" Penny cried.
"I had a run in with a local who decided the spot beneath the bridge was his." Sheldon explained. Penny gasped.
"You're sleeping on the streets?" she asked.
"I didn't know where else to go." Sheldon replied.
"Well for god sake, book into a hotel!" Penny cried.
"A hotel? Do you have any idea how infrequently they clean the rooms there?" Sheldon asked. Penny rubbed her forehead in frustration.
"Are you telling me you've been sleeping on the streets all this time because you don't trust the maid to clean a room?" Penny asked.
"Penny, I hear strange sounds." Sheldon replied ignoring her question. Penny glanced towards the bathroom door.
"Leonard had too much to drink." Penny sighed.
"Interesting. I always had you down as the alcoholic of the relationship." Sheldon mused aloud.
"Hey, I am not an alcoholic! I've cut my drinking right down! I had one glass of wine tonight!" Penny replied.
"Well done Penny. I am suitably impressed." Sheldon replied.
"Sheldon, come on, will you please come home?" Penny asked.
"I'm not ready. I still need time by myself." Sheldon replied.
"No you don't, you told me yourself you're lonely." Penny argued.
"One call to seek a friendly voice and suddenly I'm lonely?" Sheldon scoffed.
"Sheldon, I'm worried about you. Even more now I've seen the state you're in. Won't you atleast tell me where you are so I can come and see you? I promise I won't tell anyone else…it'll just be me. I won't overwhelm you I promise!" Penny reasoned.