The Paradigm Alteration
Chapter Eleven
Penny forced her legs to climb stair after stair as she made her way back up to her apartment. Her shift was supposed to end at five, but at three her boss had cut her shift short. They were overstaffed at the restaurant, and there was a decrease in the usual amount of customers for a Saturday. Penny had begged and pleaded with her manager to let her stay, but there was no convincing her.
Well, there's one more reason why I need a new job.
Penny climbed the last step and made her way over to her door. Once inside, she quickly made her way into the dark bedroom. Stripping off her work clothes, she changed into a casual shirt and sweatpants. After throwing her hair back into a neater ponytail, she placed a headband over top and walked out of her apartment.
Sighing as she reached the door to 4A, she opened it without even knocking. Sheldon and Leonard were seated on the couch and chair, respectively, poring over their laptops.
"Hey," she called out, wearily making her way over to the couch and sitting down next to Sheldon.
"You're home early," Leonard glanced up and frowned in confusion.
"They cut my shift short," Penny explained, leaning back into the couch and turning her head so that she could see Sheldon's screen. She frowned. "What are you guys doing?"
"Paintball strategy," Sheldon replied out of the corner of his mouth, still staring at the screen in front of him.
"Oh," Penny remarked. "Are you guys going tomorrow?"
"Yes," Leonard replied with a sigh. "I kind of thought we'd forgo the meeting considering we skipped on Thursday," he grumbled under his breath.
"Forgo the meeting?" Sheldon looked up over his screen at Leonard as if he were insane. "What would paintball be if not for a meticulous plan of attack and perfected execution?"
"Fun?" Leonard offered curtly, the corners of his mouth turning down in annoyance.
"I find nothing 'fun' about engaging in a paintball battle with no possible plan for victory," Sheldon countered, looking back down at his screen.
A long pause settled over the group. "Okay then," Penny broke the silence and stood up from the couch. "That sounds fantastic, but I'm hungry. What's the plan for tonight?" She asked, not entirely sure what Sheldon's schedule for Saturday night was. Usually she went out on the weekends, and therefore never really joined them on a Saturday night. "Other than laundry," she quickly added, pointing a finger in Sheldon's direction.
Sheldon let out a breath, and she knew he was just about to berate her for not remembering that Saturday night was laundry night. She laughed easily. "Like I could forget," she commented before he could even say anything. How could she possibly forget ruining his laundry night, only to find her undergarments hanging high above the street an hour later, courtesy of one Sheldon Lee Cooper.
"It's a quarter to four," Sheldon remarked instead.
"Yeah, and?" Penny asked, knowing that a very typical Sheldon explanation was about to head her way.
"And," Sheldon stressed, "We do not eat this early."
"We?" Penny pulled a face. "You speaking on behalf of your ego now as well?"
Sheldon raised his face toward Penny, annoyance clearly set behind his typical dead-pan expression. She tried to stare him down, but Sheldon was clearly a pro. After ten seconds had passed, Penny made a funny face.
Sheldon was clearly not impressed.
Penny sighed. "Oh, fine," She grumbled and fell back into her spot on the couch, bouncing as she did so. "I'll just wait." She continued, noticing that she had landed sideways towards Sheldon, but hadn't bothered to straighten herself up.
Sheldon cleared his throat, glanced down to her shoulder, which was pressed heavily against his arm, and then went back to his computer screen.
Encouraged by the fact that he hadn't insisted that she move, Penny decided to give in to her impulses and rested her head against his shoulder. After thinking about what had happened this morning all throughout her work shift, Penny still couldn't rationalize why she was acting the way she was around Sheldon. Antagonizing Sheldon was second nature to her, but...antagonizing him in a way that could be perceived as flirting?
It wasn't flirting, she knew, but it sure seemed oddly reminiscent to the way she acted around men she was attracted to. The touching, the teasing, the constant focusing of attention...it was all so confusing to her. One part of her mind kept reminding her that it could possibly be that she was attracted to Sheldon. The other, more rational part of her mind justified it as pent-up frustration from not dating in quite a while. When she thought about it, it really made sense. She couldn't focus her attention on Leonard, as they had parted ways quite a while ago. Raj couldn't speak to other women, and Howard...well, if she gave Howard any indication she was even slightly interested in a relationship, he'd probably whip out a bottle of alcohol and a large box of condoms.
Sheldon was really the safe choice. There wasn't any possibility of a future with him. Hell, she couldn't even quite figure out what his 'deal' was. It only made sense that she was leaning toward him unconsciously.
And figuratively.
She felt the warmth of his shoulder on her cheek and she closed her eyes slightly. She hadn't had any physical contact with another person since she had gone on a trio of unfortunate dates several months ago. That had to be the reason why she felt so at peace leaning there on the couch.
Opening her eyes, she glanced over Sheldon's computer screen and froze slightly. Leonard was staring at her with one eyebrow furrowed. Matching his stare, she could only guess as to what was going on inside his head.
"Penny, could I speak to you for a moment?" Leonard finally leaned back and moved his laptop to the coffee table.
"Now?" She asked, slightly disappointed that she was losing the warmth in her side.
"Yes, now," he added, a bit forcefully.
Penny frowned. "Okay," she said slowly, standing up and moving to follow him down the hallway. He opened the door to his room, a bit too hard, and stepped back to allow her to pass before him. She glared at him as she walked into the room. What was his problem?
"Okay," He started once the door was shut behind him. "What...How...What?" He asked, his hands outstretched as if waiting for an explanation to fall into them. Confusion masked his face, and he could only stare at her from behind his glasses, at a loss for words.
"What?" She asked, taking a seat at the edge of his bed.
"What was that?" He threw an arm out toward the bedroom door.
"What was what?" She frowned. What was he so upset about?
"You...he...Sheldon!" Leonard finally cried. "Leaning...on the...shoulder...and he...didn't even say anything!" He finally exploded with words.
Penny sighed and took in the baffled and slightly hurt expression on his face. "I don't know, Leonard," she shook her head.
"What do you mean you don't know?" He cried. "You have to know! I mean...you were there!"
"What do you want from me? I really don't know," She threw her hands out. "I leaned. He didn't protest. I stayed where I was. I'm damn lazy, you know that." She scoffed, all at once feeling very uncomfortable with the conversation.
Leonard took in a deep sigh, then closed his eyes. He rubbed his forehead and there was a long pause for several minutes as he collected his thoughts. "Is there...no...no, there can't be," he shook his head and rubbed his eyes under his glasses.
"Can't be what?" Penny asked, crossing her arms over her chest. What was his problem?
"There's nothing going on between you and Sheldon," he stated simply.
"Okay, there isn't," she shrugged, raising an eyebrow. "Are you done interrogating my every action with other men?" Frustration quickly built up in her chest. "Because quite honestly, I feel like we're back in a relationship," she bit out, knowing that it would cause an issue between them. At this point, she really didn't care.
Leonard was a sweetheart. He was incredibly nice, thoughtful, and adorably perfect at times. However, he had an annoying habit of analyzing her every move and acting as if he seemed to own a part of her that he had 'invested' in. She couldn't take that kind of thinking back then, and she certainly wasn't going to put up with it now.
"Penny," he trailed off, arms falling to his sides. He sighed, and she could see the hurt in his eyes.
"Leonard," she shook her head. "I love you to death, but you have to let this go. You have to let me go," she insisted, pleading with her eyes. "We tried, we really did, and it was great. It just wasn't...everything," she tried to explain. "Something was missing..."
"For you," he cut her off slightly.
"Yes, for me, Leonard," she insisted. "You can't have a successful relationship if only one person is fulfilled by it." She shook her head. "Now, tell me honestly...did you really drag me in here because I happened to sit a little too close to Sheldon?"
Leonard pursed his lips and turned his head to the floor. "No," he quietly admitted.
"You would have been upset if I had been sitting too close to anybody," Penny continued. "I mean, come on," she laughed. "Do you really think that something is happening between me and Sheldon?"
Leonard felt a reluctant half-smile creep up on his face. "Yeah, I guess I overreacted," he nodded slowly. "I mean, it is Sheldon."
"Exactly," Penny stood up and hugged Leonard lightly. "Now please...can we just move past all of this? I thought we already were."
"No, you're right," he replied without looking at her, and she could tell that it wasn't over. She had a feeling it was going to take him a bit longer to get over the fact that she wasn't his any longer. "I'm sorry," he gave her a sheepish look.
"We're okay," she told him, smiling. Then she narrowed her eyes and jabbed a finger into his shoulder. "Now get over it so we can continue being friends."
"Will do," he gave her an unconvincing smile and opened his bedroom door. "I'm...I'm just going to head over to Raj's place," he said as she walked past him. She couldn't quite blame him for wanting to get away from her after that conversation. Honestly, she was feeling the need for space as well. "Make an excuse for me," he added, nodding his head in the direction of the living room as he strode quickly down the hallway and toward the front door.
"Oh, Leonard, you're back. Listen, I made a few changes,-wait, where are you going?" Sheldon's eyes widened as the door shut in the middle of his sentence. "Where is he going?" Sheldon turned toward Penny and she felt herself smile at his lost and alarmed expression.
"He's going to get Raj and Howard," she lied easily. "He doesn't want to explain the plan twice."
"Oh, good," Sheldon replied, moving his laptop to the coffee table. "He's finally come to his senses." He stood up slowly and walked into the kitchen.
Penny shook her head and smiled to herself. "I hope so," she mumbled to herself before following him into the kitchen. It was high time Leonard returned to being the friend...and not the ex-boyfriend. "So! What's the meal plan?"
"Penny," he said in a voice that sounded too much like a warning for her taste. "It's only four in the evening," he reminded her as he grabbed a glass from the cupboard.
"So?" She scoffed. "By the time dinner is ready, it'll be close to five," she pointed out. "Come on, I'm just trying to figure out what we'll be eating later." She pleaded with him. "If it's something good, I'll wait. If not, I'll raid your fridge and make my own dinner."
Sheldon frowned as he grabbed a drink from the fridge and poured it into his glass. "I have no immediate plans," he said finally, putting the container back in the fridge and carrying his glass to the couch.
"Like you expect me to believe that?" Penny scoffed. "Come on," she repeated as she walked over and stood in front of him as he sat down. "What's the plan for dinner?"
"Penny," he warned her again, putting down his drink on his coaster.
"Sheldon," she repeated, leaning her face down and placing her hands on her hips.
"If this is some sort of intimidation on your part, I can assure you that it is proving ineffective," he drawled easily, not one to back down from his position.
"Oh really?" She suddenly leaned in closer, bumping noses with him and smiling as he immediately jerked his head back slightly, eyes wide. "You sure about that?"
His face muscles and lips began twitching, but he managed to stare right back at her, a firm expression in his eyes. "Quite sure," he finally said, albeit a bit unconvincingly.
"Huh," she finally took pity on him and leaned back, watching as the twitching died down and an arrogant expression took its place. His eyebrow raised slightly and he reached over for his glass, taking a sip before placing it back down.
She shrugged and flopped down next to him once more. Not really caring to debate the reason why, she simply leaned over and mashed her cheek against his shoulder once more. "You can take the fun out of anything, you know that?" She turned her head slightly and watched as he dug his hands into the khaki material above his knees, grasping it tight.
"I was not aware that acts of intimidation were 'fun'," he replied, his voice a bit strained.
She waited for the inevitable comment about her placement on his shoulder, and how she was touching him when he preferred to not engage in any physical contact with others. After a few minutes, she realized it wasn't coming. Smiling, and not quite understanding the reason why, she closed her eyes and ignored the grumblings of her stomach.
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A/N: Sorry it took so long for an update, guys. I had a horrible case of writer's block with this chapter. Couldn't shake it and had to force my way through it. Oh well.
Hint for next chapter: Paintball. ;D
Reviews are tiny little writer hugs. :3
