The Music Metamorphosis

Song: "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" – The Lion King

He wore the suit.

It was the suit that had caused Penny's mouth to drop with surprise and delight – and, more importantly, she had picked it out.

He had bought a bouquet of white roses and tiger lilies, risking allergies because he knew Penny would love both the colors and the fragrance of the bouquet. He had searched online and found a vase with a Hello Kitty pattern that he had shipped overnight.

He stepped into the living room. Howard and Raj were seated in the customary spots, but Leonard was nowhere to be found. He had been making himself scarce whenever he knew Sheldon was in the apartment, unaware that Sheldon knew why his roommate was avoiding him. But Howard and Raj were still there, apparently unwilling to go home. They were bickering about how much Howard had been working this month, sounding more and more like an old married couple by the day.

They'd acknowledge their feelings for each other eventually.

"How do I look?"

The argument stopped abruptly as the two scientists got a look at their friend. They had seen him in the suit during his ill-fated speech, but never like this – giddy with anticipation, an actual smile on his face. Sheldon looked uncharacteristically pleasant, and they embraced the change.

"You look great, buddy!" Howard exclaimed, all sincerity.

"Agreed – you look like a normal person, not the sweaty mess Leonard becomes," Raj added.

"Then I have achieved my goal." Sheldon started for the door, but halted at Howard's next question.

"So where are you and Penny going on this date?"

They, surprisingly, had not been at all shocked when Sheldon relayed the conversation between his roommate and their neighbor to his friend a few days earlier; he had come to them, with no other alternative, for advice. Nor were they surprised to learn of his feelings. Howard informed him that they had been taking bets to see when he would realize it. Raj had won, saying that Penny would make the first move – but Howard still bitterly maintained that this was a technicality, as Penny's move was supposed to be a secret.

"She doesn't know we're going on one."

"Wait, dude – you haven't told her?" Raj gave him a look of incredulous concern.

"Why should I? I am well aware of the feelings she admitted to Leonard, and I reciprocate the said feelings."

"But you don't know her plans for tonight – whether she has to work, if she is out with friends, or if she has a date," Howard warned.

"Oh, I know she doesn't have any of those things. She doesn't work on Thursdays, her friends have established a pattern of only going out with her on Fridays and every other Wednesday."

"And the other guy? Just because she was able to admit her feelings to Leonard doesn't mean she is willing to admit them to you," Raj countered.

"Which is why I am going to change the paradigm. I am going to admit mine for her, effectively making myself vulnerable in hopes of her reciprocating and revealing that knowledge. Plus, as Meemaw would say, 'The cow gives better milk when given oats first.'"

"Huh?"

Sheldon indicated the flowers in hi hand. "A gift. An offering, if you will, that will serve to soften her."

"Ah. Well, good luck."

"Thank you."

And with that, the tall, lanky physicist strode out of the apartment – and crashed into Penny, who was standing in front of the door.

Sheldon barely managed to keep a hold on the vase and its contents, but he righted himself with as much grace as he could muster. Penny stumble, and with his free hand Sheldon caught her arm, the action of coming to her aid instinctive.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice soft. "I apologize for not being more careful."

"Oh, Sheldon, sweetie, it isn't your fault – you couldn't have known I was right outside the door." She looked up at him, and then took a step back. "Wow, where are you going all snazzy looking?"

"I could pose the same question to you."

For Penny was, just as Sheldon, dressed to the nines. She was wearing a pale pink dress with lace on the bodice; the color brought out her eyes beautifully. Her hair was loose and curly, with only a gold barrette on the side to keep her bangs out of the way. Gold stiletto pumps and a gold clutch completed her ensemble.

Sheldon's heart sank so low he was sure it had left his body and hit the Earth's core. She was obviously dressed so nicely because she was going out on a date. He felt a lump in his throat develop and what could be described as a black hole in his stomach form. Tears came unbidden to his eyes for the first time since he was eight years old.

"You look beautiful," he whispered, struggling to keep his voice level. He would not break. He was Vulcan – he had no emotions. He just had to keep repeating that.

"Sheldon?"

Penny was startled by the emotions playing out on his face: rejection, heartbreak, desolation, and resignation. She glanced at the vase and flowers in his hand. Her own voice quavered as her heart shattered – Sheldon was obviously going out on a date with that girl Howard and Raj had found for him on the dating website, and judging by the way he was dressed, it was getting serious.

"Who are the flowers for?" she murmured, trying desperately to hold herself together until she could run back into her apartment and cry for a week. Or a month.

"They're for you," he said so softly that she almost didn't hear him.

"For me?"

He locked eyes with her, and he seemed to steel his resolve and his face became more and more stoic.

"Yes – they are aesthetically pleasing, just as you are. They are fragrant; the scent of the bouquet was meant to match the scent of your hair after it has been shampooed- a scent I have found intoxicating. They are in a vase that both caters to function – it will keep the flowers alive for longer than they would otherwise – and your tastes." He indicated the Hello Kitty pattern.

Penny felt a sharp sense of relief. "Sheldon, sweetie, was that your way of telling me you bought me flowers?"

"Yes. I had intended them to be the symbolic gift that precedes an evening out – a date – but it seems as if my effort has been in vain." He turned to go back into his apartment.

Incredulous, Penny grabbed his free arm and whirled him around to face her. "What? Why?"

"You appear to already have plans of a romantic nature tonight. This, therefore, renders both the gift and the confession that was to follow moot."

"What confession?" She stepped closer to him, the hope in her tone lingering between them.

"Penny, it no longer matters."

"Yes, it does. I don't have a date tonight. I was outside your door trying to find the courage to knock when you came out. I wanted to – to see if you wanted to do something. Tonight."

"So you were essentially performing the same actions I was: you dressed up to ask me on a date, without knowing my plans?"

She smiled brightly up at him, her eyes twinkling, and stepped closer still; there was barely an inch between them.

"Quite the coincidence, huh?"

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Law of large numbers, you mean."

"Whatever. All that matters is that we both want the same thing and we were too afraid to work this out earlier."

"Quite true. So, this particular social-slash-romantic situation calls for not only a gift and a confession, but courage?"

She nodded, her heart lifting and soaring.

"Right. Well, then."

He stepped back from her and bent down, placing the vase and flowers on the floor. He stood up, regarded her for a minute, and then tentatively reached out a hand. She looked on, holding her breath, as he slowly and jerkily wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her flush against him.

"How was that for courage?" he drawled, his eyes meeting hers again, the azure meeting the emerald.

"Okay, so we have the gift and the bravery – what is the confession?"

Sheldon closed his eyes; she leaned her head forward so that her forehead rested on his chest. He remained silent for so long that, despite how comfortable she felt in his arms and his quiet companionship, she felt the need to call him back.

"Sweetie?"

"I overheard you talking to Leonard a few days ago," he began abruptly.

She made an indignant noise and tried to pull away, but he held her tight, now completely comfortable with his level of physical intimacy.

"Please, let me finish. I don't remember the exact day that I knew that my feelings for you had changed. It could have been the day you slipped in the shower. It could have been the day you helped me pick out the suit. It could have been when Wheaton beat us the first time at bowling and I brought you ice cream. It could have been any normal day when I passed you in the hall, discussing Penny Blossoms and your mail and Nebraska."

"You don't remember?"

"That is just the thing, Penny. You have challenged every aspect of every paradigm in my life. You have challenged me, sparred with me, held your own in a battle of wits, and irritated me beyond reason. You are beautiful, observant, quirky and comical. You bring out a side of me that others have never seen, and I hadn't the slightest idea existed. When I take all of this into account, it seems to me that I can't remember because I have been in love with you all along, since the moment I saw you – and I have fallen in love with you every day since."

"Oh, Sheldon, I –"

"I am not done. I watched you embark on two separate ill-fated relationships with Leonard – and when each relationship ended, I felt both victory in that you were once again unattached, and distressed because you were so upset. I resented your intrusion into my life because you altered it so much – but now, I cannot imagine living without you. The few weeks you avoided us were some of the worst in my life. I love you, with all of your idiosyncrasies. I never knew what my life was missing – and now I can't live without it. You have taught me how to feel love, and to feel human. I don't know whether to blame you or thank you. All I am cognizant of right now is that I love you, and I will continue to love you. I understand if you cannot respond in kind, and I will not pressure you to say what you term the 'l-word;' I just wanted you too – "

"I love you, too. I felt my feelings change when you brought me to the hospital. I meant what I said when I was so drugged up – there is so much love in you, you just hide it from everyone. Then you brought me ice cream – I realized you cared not just for my bowling performance, but also for my feelings. I knew I loved you when we ate dinner at my apartment together. It has never been so easy for me to say it, because it has never felt this true."

He adjusted so that he held her at arm's length, his eyes boring into hers.

"Sarcasm?"

She looked back. "Never."

Slowly, his head approached her own; she smiled as he bent down in order to match her height. His gaze never left her eyes as his lips brushed her own. The kiss was so gentle and fluttering; she surrendered her entire heart in that moment, and any lingering doubts were dispersed. She closed her eyes and deepened the kiss, pulling him towards her by the waist. He responded, slowly, nervously, until she felt him relax. He let out a soft moan when they parted, and it nearly undid her.

"What do you want to do?" she asked him, pulling away from the kiss.

Sheldon's eyes were glazed over and the evidence of how enjoyable he had found their first kiss was between the two of them. He slowly came back into himself – and flushed with realization.

'I am so sorry – that had never happened before."

Penny trailed a hand along his back, letting her nails trace a light pattern. He shivered and closed his eyes, biting back another moan.

"Sheldon, there is nothing to apologize for."

He nodded, slowly. "Okay. What are out options?"

"We could actually go to dinner. Or we could make spaghetti at my place – I have all of the ingredients."

"I think –" He stopped himself. "Actually, I take that back. Penny, you pick what we should do."

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

Sheldon nodded. "I think it is only fair, since I decided that we are now in a relationship."

Penny arched an eyebrow and smirked as she stood back. "A relationship, huh?"

"It is the only logical conclusion when two people reveal that they love each other."

She bent down and picked up the flowers. "I like your logic, Dr. Cooper."

Penny then walked to her apartment, opened her clutch and took out her keys. As she unlocked the door, she beckoned to the physicist across the hall.

"I think we should just stay in tonight," she said with a wink as she walked through the door.

Sheldon, after a quick analysis of some more delicate bodily situations, strode quickly after her. "I came to the same conclusion."