You aren't afraid of Green Eyed Monsters are you? Cause they are everywhere! And such ugly things so prepare for internal angst Leonard. Also I finally fulfill my dream of seeing Penny use Amy as her own Barbie doll.
Envy
Leonard wasn't jealous of his roommate. He was happy for the guy. And the fact he was staring at his white board in the living room at 2 in the morning had nothing to do with Sheldon's success. Just like his grades and test scores were in no way an attempt to compete with his siblings and gain some attention as the middle child. He didn't go to grad school to be better than anybody. Leonard Hofstadter was merely being the best version of himself that he could be. Never was he bitter about being shot down by girls in his class in favor of the boys on the football team, the basketball team. It was their loss. What did he care if it took Penny close to 3 years to say "I love you" after he had said it, at the same time Amy worshipped the ground Sheldon walked on? And DAMMIT how did he get back to Sheldon? No he would focus on work and all his achievements would be deserved. If they just so happen to exceed the notoriety of certain other persons who live in his apartment so be it.
Penny waited outside the fitting room examining the suits she had picked out for Sheldon. With any luck she could talk Amy into burning that God awful plaid monstrosity in his closet. It must be so easy for guys, to go shopping, get dressed, it must take so little thought. Women should be so fortunate. Maybe the fashion industry just gives men little to think about for good reason. Still it doesn't explain how a man brilliant enough to win a Nobel prize could get it so wrong. Or his equally brilliant girlfriend for that matter. "How you doing in there?"
"I think this is it, but…" came Amy's voice through the door.
"C'mon let me see!" Penny burst in to admire her handiwork and found herself more than pleased with it. "Oh this is it." Amy had worn contacts and had her hair blown out on Penny's orders. At her vigorous suggestion Amy had worn a gown in gold to suit her skin tone, simple, meant to showcase the woman not become a distraction. And what a showcase, Amy stood a little straighter, her curves no longer disguised. Penny bit her lip and nodded in approval.
"So we're going with this?"
"Why not, something wrong with it?" Penny didn't understand her friend's hesitation. She circled Amy like an art connoisseur.
"Nothing's wrong. I just don't think it's fair." Amy drew back from being inspected like a piece of meat but Penny's scrutiny was thorough.
"What's not fair?"
"I can look like this and Sheldon doesn't give me so much as a 'How do you do'. You whistle and…" *snap* "Your body's wish is Leonard's command."
"Okay one, if anybody's granting wishes, it's me. And besides this isn't for Sheldon."
"It's not?"
"No. This is for all the other scientists watching." Penny laid one hand on her friend's shoulder and made a sweeping gesture with the other, slowly to reveal the big picture. "They'll sit there thinking, 'Damn that Dr. Cooper. He gets to leave with the top prize in his field and all of this'." She gestured up down and all around to indicate Amy's flattered figure. " 'I hate that guy!' See what I mean?"
"You have some kind of stake in Sheldon being admired by his peers?"
"What? No. He's just easier to deal with when he's making other braniacs feel bad about themselves."
"Penny do you feel threatened by his intellectual superiority? If so I'm sure that insecurity has existed long before you met your current social clique." Amy's observations met with a familiar sardonic tone.
"Well I don't. On an unrelated note we're burning every copy of Beverley's book we find after this."
