TBBT Fic: Villain
Title: Villain
Author: clumsyghost
Recipient: callmejude
Word Count: 5, 507
Rating: PG-13
Prompt: Leonard realizes he's more "jealous" than "frustrated" when Ramona Nowitzki moves in on Sheldon; Leonard gets in a physical confrontation and Sheldon stands up for him.
“For God’s sake, Howard, did you really have to shoot me so many times?” Leonard grumbled, rubbing his splattered paintball vest warily. His body was going to be so bruised in a few hours, he would resemble a Dalmatian from the neck down. Just what he needed; it wasn’t enough that he was a homunculus, he was going to resemble the rare American Spotted Geek breed of homunculus.
The Jewish man grinned wickedly, bumping his fist with Raj in a manner that would bring shame to Howie Mandel.
“Hey, it’s all your fault, tripping over that tree root and leaving yourself open in plain sight. Also your fault for not having the sense to bring a partner!” Raj nodded in agreement to the other man’s words, also indifferent to Leonard’s complaints. For once, Howard and him had won the match!
At this, Leonard’s frown deepened, unconsciously straightening his posture. “I tried to get Sheldon to come with us, but he’s too busy with his research.” Bitterness was not a pretty flavor, but Leonard felt justified. Not once, not twice, but three times had Sheldon turned down a perfectly good paintball match. The weather was pleasant, the fields relatively free, and of course none of the gang had had plans for the weekend. Except for Sheldon.
“Too busy with Ramona, you mean,” Raj spoke up, shaking his head in disbelief. “Of all of us to get a girlfriend, why him?”
“Perhaps she is documenting foreign alien species,” Howard suggested, fumbling with the strap to his vest.
“Really, Howard? Foreign aliens?” Leonard snapped. If he had been in a little less pain, he might have agreed with his friend, but for now, he simply wanted to get away. Hurrying to remove the rest of his own paintball gear, the shorter physicist made his way back to the car, Raj and Howard chattering closely behind him.
“You sounded like Sheldon there, dude,” Raj smirked. “Anyway, why isn’t she interested in me? I’m a sane foreign alien!”
“How would you talk to her? Sign language?” Howard shot back. The two continued to trade insults back and forth, making for one unusually long car ride as Leonard dropped off his friends at their respective homes.
By the time Leonard was safely back to his own apartment building, the aches and ringing of his ears had soured his mood considerably. With each slow step in the stairwell, dread and resentment twisted his stomach. Was it too much to ask to be able to come home one time without Ramona being present in the apartment?
Apparently it was. As Leonard pushed open the door to 4A, his eyes were immediately drawn to the red-haired form perched in his chair, her open look of idolatry fixated on his roommate.
No matter his feelings, Leonard always tried to be polite, so the sudden loud hello that pierced the air wasn’t meant to be as surprising as it was. Nevertheless, he took some satisfaction at Ramona’s jump. Sheldon, of course, didn’t even flinch.
“Greetings, Leonard. How was paintball?” Ramona questioned, flashing the new arrival a big smile.
“Judging by the amount of paint on his vest and the metaphorical cloud of depression above his short stature, I would guess the game came to a deplorable conclusion for one-third of the original party,” Sheldon answered before Leonard could reply.
Narrowing his eyes, Leonard stared at Sheldon, but his roommate never ceased typing on his laptop. “The major point in that sentence being ‘one-third’ instead of one-half. You should have went! Raj and Howard teamed up on me, and I had no one to cover me…” Dropping his gear by his computer, Leonard ventured into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of juice.
“Cover you? You had absolutely no chance to win from the beginning, why focus on that trivial detail?” Sheldon remarked. A few keystrokes later, Sheldon finally glanced away from the computer screen, eyes bright with ideas.
“I was thinking of modifying our usual tri-fold tactical plan in favor of using a model based on--”
“Shouldn’t you be working on your research, not discussing trivial matters such as paintball?” Ramona’s falsely sweet voice interrupted Sheldon’s train of thought. Leonard raised a brow and made his way over to the couch to take a seat, watching his friend’s reaction carefully. The familiar twitching set in, but Sheldon’s nose crinkled in frustration, and after a few seconds of stewing, the tall physicist silently turned back to his laptop.
“Woah…” Leonard breathed, staring in disbelief. No arguments, no whining, no mention of strikes or revoked friendship contract. Had the body snatchers invaded?
Ramona’s smile tightened as she turned to Leonard, giving him the same firm look she had just used on his roommate. “Now, Leonard… you shouldn’t distract Dr. Cooper while he’s working. He’s fulfilled his obligatory pleasant conversation, but now he has to focus on his research.”
“Fine… I’ll just go hole up in my room like a house arrest victim.” Leonard couldn’t help the snark this time. Being bossed around in his own apartment by anyone other than Sheldon was intolerable.
“If you were under house arrest, that would mean you were a convict serving time under the legal system, not a victim,” Sheldon spoke up. Leonard ignored the remark and Ramona’s resulting glare as he got up from the couch.
That right there was what Leonard had so much trouble dealing with. Sheldon with a girlfriend didn’t make sense, but Sheldon with Ramona Nowitzki was inconceivable.
At first the situation had been amusing; in fact, hours had been spent laughing at his oblivious roommate both behind his back and in front of him. Logical, one-track minded Sheldon did not perceive the real reason behind Ramona’s infatuation. Romantic gestures? Oh no, she was hovering over him because she wanted to encourage his research and brilliant mind! She certainly appealed to his ego, though, with her constant pampering and indulgent charms. Let me fluff your pillow, Dr. Cooper. Would you like me to make you some waffles? You must be so exhausted from stimulating your exceptional brain, Dr. Cooper, may I wash you feet?
It was enough to make Leonard gag.
The real kicker was Sheldon’s tolerance to this female’s behavior. Years of being Sheldon’s roommate had conditioned Leonard to his friend’s bossy ways. Sure, Sheldon sometimes followed his lead in social situations, but almost nothing could convince Sheldon to part from his routine. He should know, he’d tried many times only to be met with failure or in the rare case of success, a completely grumpy Sheldon. Yet, Ramona was successful where he was not; this red-haired female was able to quiet Sheldon’s protests with one look and rearrange his whole lifestyle without so much as one lecture on his rules. At least, from what little interactions Leonard had observed between the two.
Leonard’s patience at the interference lasted nine days, when Sheldon’s reluctant refusal to go to the comic book store for the second week in a row was met with disbelief. No longer was Ramona an amusing part of their lives; indeed, as time progressed, Leonard grew to view the situation as obtrusive and undesirable. Nevertheless, he kept his mouth shut, although he didn’t quite know why. Sheldon certainly didn’t have any qualms about dissing his girlfriend or crushes. Leonard supposed the scientist in him wondered how far Ramona could push Sheldon, because it was very clear that his friend’s submission was making him unhappy.
Even behind the closed door of his room, Leonard could hear Ramona’s cheerful voice making conversation. Oh sure, she could distract Sheldon, but not him? Leonard huffed into a pillow angrily, frowning thoughtfully at himself. He shouldn’t be holding a grudge against his friend’s first girlfriend. Leonard knew that, and he didn’t understand why he was. Ramona’s sense of possessiveness and control of Sheldon was simply out of line, Leonard decided, absentmindedly flicking his bat signal on and off. He had lived with Sheldon all these years, and he was the one that knew his habits best.
Leonard stayed in his room until his grumbling stomach convinced him to venture out for nourishment. Heating up a frozen dinner in the microwave, the shorter physicist silently took his meal back down the hall, purposely ignoring Sheldon’s nonverbal pleading boring a metaphorical hole in his back.
It was dangerously near Sheldon’s bedtime before Leonard caught the sounds of Ramona’s dismissal. Relieved that she was not spending the night in too many ways he didn’t want to think about, Leonard reached for a thick stack of papers on his dresser, carefully aligning the edges so the letters were even. Prize in hand, the shorter man crept towards his roommate’s door, knocking softly.
“Do I have to remind you of the rules again?” Sheldon’s voice is sharp, and Leonard hesitated, hand on the doorknob. So, there had been a discussion. Good; Ramona was still subjected to the same system as everyone else. Leonard could handle equal ground.
“Er, Sheldon… it’s just me. Ramona left ten minutes ago,” Leonard calls out. His reply is met with surprised silence before a tentative “what do you wish to converse about at this hour?” emerged from the room.
Taking that as an invitation although it technically wasn’t, Leonard nudged the door open and slipped inside. Reaching to turn on the lamp, Sheldon sat up and gave Leonard a displeased look, which was also ignored.
“I got your mail. Here,” Leonard tossed the envelopes on the bed. It was mostly three days worth of junk, but there was one piece that Leonard knew Sheldon would be happy about.
“Mail is supposed to be delivered promptly. Legally, you were withholding federal documents from me, Leonard! We have a mail sorting bin, why don’t you ever use it?” Sheldon added. In spite of his words, curiosity got the better of him, and lithe fingers began to flip through the papers.
“As if Ramona would have allowed you a mail break,” Leonard snorted.
“Sarcasm? Oh! A letter from Memaw,” Sheldon’s lips curled into a smile. Prepared for the pleased reaction, Leonard nevertheless felt his own mood lighten. It never took much to make Sheldon happy, but situations had to be near idyllic for an effort to be rewarded with an honest unguarded grin. This was one thing Ramona could not have experienced in so little time with Sheldon, Leonard told himself. Ramona could not have made him so happy as… well… Memaw.
“The chickens are reproducing at a satisfactory rate, and Memaw’s going to send us some blackberry pie in a few weeks,” Sheldon reported, scanning the letter eagerly. There was no protest as the bed dipped suddenly, Leonard perching carefully on the edge, but there was a slight twitch from Sheldon’s left eye.
“That’s nice, I can’t wait. But listen, I wanted to talk to you about something. You know…” Leonard began cautiously, “the point of having a girlfriend isn’t for her to take over your life and dictate what you can and can not do.”
“Finally perceiving how foolish your crush is on Penny?” Sheldon asked. Methodical attention was being bestowed on Memaw’s letter, so Sheldon missed his friend’s disbelieving expression.
“What? No! I’m not talking about me, I’m talking about… you. And Ramona’s control,” Leonard explained.
“Control? She’s only enabling me to reach my highest potential, unlike my friends who are content to stay at the bottom of their respective fields,” Sheldon frowned back at his roommate.
“Whatever. Don’t you miss having fun with your friends? The first few days, it was kind of nice being able to do what we wanted, but I-we… we miss you. Paintball isn’t the same, neither is the arcade, and you never have time to read your comics or play Halo or do anything outside of work and sleep.”
Sheldon hesitated before turning his head. “I will admit that recreational activities do have their appeal….but if that’s the sacrifice it takes to be the best, then I have no choice.” However strong his words, they betrayed a hint of discontent.
“You do have a choice. You’ll go insane if all you do is work. I mean, more insane,” Leonard raised a brow at Sheldon’s disapproving stare. “You need more balance. Ramona is tilting you too far to one side.”
“You wish to tilt me back to the unprofessional Sheldon, then?”
“No,” Leonard sighed. He should have known that Sheldon wouldn’t get it. “I just want you to be happy and… I’d like to be able to hang out with my friend once in a while, that’s all.”
More surprised silence. Piercing blue eyes stared at Leonard’s lowered gaze, perhaps searching for any hint of sarcasm or lying. Finding none, Sheldon contemplated Leonard’s answer then gave a small nod.
“I suppose I should feel grateful that you value my friendship so highly. It is also reassuring that you would admit such things. Yes, now that I consider the implications of my actions, it is obvious that your social group is considerably lacking without my presence. Captain Kirk does require the advice and guidance of Spock, after all.”
Rolling his eyes, Leonard watched as Sheldon’s focus returned to his letter. Silently turning his gaze to the glowing species of fish in their spotless bowl, Leonard was comfortable to remain where he was, awaiting any further news from Memaw.
However, when Sheldon finally spoke again, he bypassed the letter’s contents entirely.
“Leonard?”
“Yeah?”
“You shouldn’t be in my room.”
The next few days passed in the similar manner of the past few weeks, leading Leonard to believe that Sheldon had not truly taken his words into account. Of course, when did Sheldon ever? It wasn’t until Wednesday rolled around again that Sheldon finally put his foot down, his limit at its breaking point.
“I’m going to the comic book store,” Sheldon announced firmly, hitting the minimize button on his Word document. Ramona opened her mouth to interject a comment, but for once Leonard was quicker.
“Great! Let’s go.” Leonard fished his keys out of the bowl, waiting patiently for Sheldon to grab his jacket.
Looking quite put off, the girl hesitated only for a second before snatching up her purse, donning a cheery smile and falling into step behind the taller scientist. Both Leonard and Sheldon turned to stare at the unexpected addition to their party, but neither said a word.
Unfortunately for Ramona, Sheldon’s politeness did not extend to unfamiliar social situations. The whole drive to the comic book store, Leonard had to hold back a wicked smile, bespectacled eyes glancing in the rearview mirror from time to time to catch a glimpse of Ramona’s unhappy frown as she sat alone in the backseat. In the passenger’s seat, Sheldon stared straight ahead, blind to the dejection he had caused.
“At least now you can get the back issues of the comics you wanted,” Ramona spoke up immediately as Leonard eased into a parking space and shut the engine off.
“I already have them,” Sheldon replied. With the click of the buckle, the scientist slid the seatbelt away from his torso and stepped out onto the pavement. Meeting Ramona’s slightly confused face behind the passenger door, Sheldon felt obligated to elaborate.
“Leonard bought them for me.”
“Oh, did he now? I suppose you wasted time reading them didn’t you?” Ramona’s sweetness was back, but the furrowed brow contradicted her pleasantness so much that even Sheldon did not have to ask about her true meaning.
“Compared to graphic novels, reading a comic book does not take up substantial time,” Sheldon hedged impatiently, making his way towards the door. Behind him, Leonard snorted in disbelief. It was true that Sheldon was a quick reader, but studying each and every detail of the panels could occupy his fellow geek for awhile. Leonard was surprised; Sheldon’s response was not quite a lie, but not exactly the truth either. Ramona seemed satisfied with the answer, however, dropping the subject.
“Let’s try to make this quick. Twenty minutes is a long enough break, don’t you think?” Sidling up to Sheldon, Ramona frowned as the object of her affection stepped away, disturbed by her lack of respect for personal space.
Blowing past the awkward couple, Leonard was drawn towards the front of the store, breathing a sigh of relief as he spotted his friends.
“What up, dawg?” Howard called out, his usual attempts to sound cool drastically falling flat.
“Hey guys… Not much. Just enduring Sheldon and the bitch from hell,” Leonard grumbled.
“I don’t see what the big deal is, Leonard. I mean, Howard’s a total douche when he gets a girlfriend. You adapt,” Raj offered. Leonard scowled, thumbing blindly through the bin of comics.
Feigning shock, Howard glanced over to where Sheldon and Ramona stood, the taller lecturing the female on some aspect of a comic. “Oh come on. Leonard didn’t say that Sheldon was the douche. She may be the bitch from hell, but she’s still a bitch. I’d hit that.”
“Well, I think it’s nice that Sheldon has a girlfriend. I’m happy for him,” Raj announced.
“Fine, forget I said anything,” Leonard mumbled, pulling out an issue of Batman and inspecting the cover. Running the tip of his tongue over his lips, Howard managed to tear his gaze away from the female to observe Leonard’s sour expression.
“Wow,” Howard remarked, elbowing Raj in the side. “You are totally jealous.”
“I am not!” Leonard growled, glancing over his shoulder to judge the distance between himself and the odd couple.
“Are too. You’re acting worse than Raj does, and that’s saying a lot,” Howard continued, nodding sagely at his Indian friend. Shrugging, Raj could only agree.
“I can not be the only one to think she’s too bossy!” Leonard argued, returning his friends’ knowing smile with a glare.
“Dude. If she’s bossy, she’s perfect for Sheldon,” Raj remarked.
“Yeah. Maybe she can control him to act like a normal person,” Howard cracked.
Disgusted, Leonard turned away from the bin. Maneuvering around the familiar store, Leonard kept his back to his roommate and Ramona. His friends’ words burned in his mind, a desperate sense of something squeezing his stomach. Jealous, Howard had said. Illogical! He simply missed his friend. The only reason that his mind kept reminding him that he didn’t care half as much when Howard ditched their plans for a girl was that Sheldon was different. Sheldon was his best friend, and it was perfectly normal to want to throw Ramona out of the window when she cuddled up to Sheldon and put her head on his shoulder in order to read the screen bet-
“Leonard. We want ice cream,” a voice spoke up suddenly. Flinching, Leonard jerked to the side, dropping his comic on the floor. Puzzled, Sheldon stared down at his friend, noticing Leonard’s rapid breathing.
“You appear… angry. I considered your allergies; Polly’s Ice Cream shop has a selection of yogurt, remember?” Sheldon added, brow furrowing.
“Why don’t you just walk?” Leonard asked shortly, recovering himself and bending down to retrieve Batman.
“Dangerous intersection,” Sheldon answered promptly.
“Fine. Let me check out,” Leonard grumbled, noticing the receipt sticking out of Sheldon’s own issue. As Stuart rang up his purchase, Leonard watched as Sheldon and Ramona grouped by the door. As usual, the girl was trying to engage Sheldon in conversation, but the man’s tense body language proved that she was not having much success.
“Thanks, Leonard,” Stuart distracted his customer, handing over the bagged purchase. “Have a good rest of the day. See you next week.”
“Yeah, you too, Stuart,” Leonard replied automatically, taking his bag and heading towards the door. Bypassing Raj and Howard, Leonard caught the sound of sniggering, and set his jaw stubbornly.
“Bye Leonard. Have a good time with Sheldon and Ramona!” Raj called out.
“Yeah. Try not to claw her eyes out, green kitty cat!” Howard added. Leonard felt his ears burn, but did not grace their teasing with a reply.
Brushing past the others, Leonard forcibly pushed the door open with more force than necessary. Too busy stewing in anger, the short scientist did not realize he had almost opened the door in someone’s face until a loud curse filled his ears.
“Watch it, would you!” A blond male stood by the door, indignantly rubbing his elbow.
“Sorry,” Leonard mumbled, casting his gaze at the sidewalk. This day was quickly going from bad to worse.
“The standard dimensions of sidewalks enable a pedestrian to walk out of the range of oscillating doors,” Sheldon spoke up, peering at the stranger. “You were walking too close to the buildings,” he added when he received a blank look.
“What the hell is your prob… Ramona?” Blondie interrupted himself, disbelief creeping into his features. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh! H-hey Ben,” Ramona returned evenly, eyes darting to Sheldon then to the stranger who apparently wasn’t all that strange. “I could ask you the same thing…”
“Going to the bike shop to check out the new wheels. You hanging with comic geeks now? Wait a minute…” Ben narrowed his eyes first at Leonard, then at the taller man. “Is one of these dweebs the guy you dumped me for!?”
Oh shit. This could be bad. Numbly processing the news and quickly realizing what trouble they were about to land themselves in, Leonard watched in horror as Sheldon cleared his throat. Lie! Leonard tried to communicate via telepathy, but he knew his silent pleading would only fail, blocked by the huge ego that was Sheldon Cooper. Sheldon would undoubtedly tell the truth; the instinct to get himself beat up was deeply ingrained.
“We’re just colleagues. I mean, Ramona’s a student at the university where we work!” Leonard hastily stated. His heart and fears desperately wanted Sheldon’s agreement more than anything at that moment.
Sheldon was silent.
“That’s right. I’m just helping Dr. Cooper with his work. He’s doing research on…” Ramona began softly.
“On how to be a loser?” The ex cut in, sarcasm dripping from each word. “Seems like he’d already be a expert on that.”
“I am an expert on many things, of which social hierarchies are a studied but impersonal subject,” Sheldon replied hotly. Beside him, Leonard shook his head warily.
“What the hell. Are you a robot? Dumb geeky robot, what the hell do you think you have to offer Ramona?” Ben demanded with a sneer.
Later, Leonard would try to piece together the events that followed this statement, but the surrealness of the situation left disturbing gaps in his memory; he chalked it up to finally reaching his breaking point. All he was conscious of was his fist tightening. Someone was yelling in the distance, but he wasn’t quite sure who because suddenly he was watching his fist cut through the air, going up, up, up. Contact on skin, then pain. Oh god, so much pain flaring in his hand…
The force of impact was minimal; Ben only staggered back a few steps, looking stunned. Damn annoying geeky freaks.
Recovering himself before Leonard, Ben saw his opportunity as the shorter scientist stood numbly, cradling his hand to his chest mournfully. A few quick strides closed the distance between them, but before Ben could draw his fist back, someone tried to jostle his stance. Turning to face half frightened, half angry blue eyes, Ben snorted in disdain at Sheldon’s shaky commanding voice.
“Leave him alone, you insipid homo habilis! We have no interest in engaging in koon-ut-kal-if-fee with you.” Sheldon insisted. Behind him, Leonard drew in a ragged breath.
“Iffy what?!” Ben roared, his frown deepening.
“Ben, please, they don’t mean anything by it, just let them, please, I…NO!” Ramona wailed, watching in horror as Ben’s frozen fist flew into action, coming down squarely on Sheldon’s right eye. Caught off balance by the blow, Sheldon was thrown on his back, whimpering and holding his face protectively.
“Sheldon!” Leonard cried out, shocked at the display of violence. Instinctively bending down to help his friend, Leonard place a hand underneath Sheldon’s elbow, but the taller man only struggled into an upright position, remaining seated on the concrete.
“Leave us alone right now or I’m calling the police!” Ramona’s shrill voice broke through Leonard’s worries, the curly dome jerking to stare behind him. The girl had planted herself between the men, shaking hands holding out her cell phone so Ben could see the 911 numbers on the screen.
Huffing, Ben smirked around Ramona, addressing his ex while his eyes never left the cowering geeks. “Fine. These two don’t have much of a fight in them anyway. Losers! You should find yourself a real man, Ramie-babe.”
“Don’t call me that!” Ramona hissed. Ben laughed and sidestepped the group without another word. Two sets of eyes watched the brute saunter down the sidewalk, waiting with baited breath until the other man turned a corner and disappeared from view.
“C’mon, Shelly. Let’s go home,” Leonard murmured, trying to tug Sheldon’s hand away from his face. As the lithe fingers slipped away, Leonard winced in sympathy; the ugly bruising was already apparent.
“Oooh…. You’re definitely going to have a black eye.”
“Did it honestly take you that long to reach that inevitable conclusion?” Sheldon’s tone was snappish, but Leonard merely held his hand out.
“Oh my gosh, I am so sorry, Dr. Cooper. If I had known…” Ramona blabbered. Watery eyes stared up at her wounded idol as he got to his feet.
“My watch strap is busted,” Sheldon remarked mournfully, attention fixated on his wrist. Red scratches from his tumble to the pavement littered his palms and the side of his arms. The sudden need to disinfect overwhelmed the scientist.
“We’ll get it fixed. Or buy you a new one. Let’s get you home and cleaned up, ok?” Leonard was extra patient, and Sheldon realized that his friend’s grip on his arm had not loosened even after he stood up. As Sheldon’s eyes pointedly stared at his hand, Leonard drew his hand away.
“… and I never knew he was capable of such rage. I mean, I visited his parents and they seemed like such nice people, even his dog…” Ramona’s voice continued with apologetic gusto. Leonard dimly had the notion that Ramona had been talking throughout his conversation with Sheldon, but neither man had paid any attention to the rant.
“Ramona,” Leonard finally interrupted her. Bewildered, Ramona stopped, taking in a deep breath. “I’m taking Sheldon home. You can ask one of the gawkers to give you a ride back to your apartment.”
Confused, both Ramona and Sheldon turned towards the buildings where open-mouthed faces pressed against the glass.
“Why didn’t they help us?” Bitterness filled the female’s voice, but the men exchanged a knowing look.
“Geeks do not a non-virtual fighter make,” Leonard remarked heavily. “Good bye.”
“Good bye, Dr. Cooper… I’ll… I’ll call to check up on you later,” Ramona faltered. Sad eyes followed the men as they returned to the car, each slow painful step burning guilt inside her.
Leonard broke approximately eight of Sheldon’s driving rules on the way home, receiving only one sharp reminder. Leonard was confident that Sheldon would nonetheless raise his strike tally at a later date when his injuries were not occupying him. Eidetic minds were a pain in the ass.
Once back in the apartment building, Leonard discreetly tucked his hand back under Sheldon’s arm, in spite of his friend’s insistence that his hearing would stabilize his balance on the stairs just fine and would Leonard please stop sneaking up on him?
Leonard withdrew his grip as he fought the lock on their apartment, opening the door and turning around just in time to see Sheldon woozily slump against wall. Smirking slightly, he held out his hand to the fuming scientist.
“Your balance doesn’t depend entirely on your ears, but eyesight can sure help, can’t it?” Leonard chuckled. Thoroughly unamused, Sheldon allowed his friend to steer him inside the door without another verbal protest.
“I need an ice pack, Leonard.” Shaken but still authoritative, Sheldon sat on the bed where his roommate had guided him, slowly reaching out to tug at the covers. “I also require an additional pillow. I must keep my eye elevated to reduce swelling of the eyelid.”
By the time Leonard had retrieved all the items on the growing list of demands, Sheldon had managed to change into his Wednesday pajamas and get under the covers. Silently, Leonard placed a spare pillow on top of Sheldon’s usual, switching the two at Sheldon’s pointed stare.
“Here. You can only hold this on for ten minutes,” Leonard finally spoke, handing his friend the cold pack.
“Who isn’t aware of that basic medical knowledge?” Sheldon muttered, brining his hand up to press the pack against the right side of his face. Flinching at the stinging cold, Sheldon sighed.
“I’m sorry, buddy…” Sheldon’s one good eye flickered to observe his roommate’s glum expression. Leonard’s mood swings from amused to guilty were unfortunately familiar.
“You always attempt to play the hero, but you aren’t one,” Sheldon remarked. Looking surprised, Leonard sat down on the bed, feeling intrigued in spite of the semi-insult.
“You’re more like the early Lex Luthor before he completely turned to the dark side. Heh. By your one-sided accounts, or rather, accusations, your mother fits Lionel’s personality. You try so hard to get your maternal parent’s acceptance and love, but you’ll never get it.”
“My mother isn’t greedy,” Leonard replied automatically, looking stung at the comparison. Him, Lex? You punch one guy and your best friend labels you as evil…
“Similarities, Leonard. You could argue that she’s greedy for recognition. As you are. In the Smallville series, Lex is obsessed with finding out Clark Kent’s secret. All you want in the world right now is to understand your so called best friend. Such a messed up human,” Sheldon murmured.
“Wait, so you’re casting yourself as Superman? Please…” Leonard snorted. “Who’s taking care of whom here? And you said I was less than useless…”
“I was injured defending you! If you had kept your temper, none of us would be in this state.”
“Did you hear what he called you?!” Leonard retorted, frowning. Sheldon shifted, eye darting away from Leonard’s strangely warm gaze. “I have been called many uncreative names throughout my whole life, Leonard, as have you. The situation was no different.”
“You aren’t a robot. You’re a human being,” Leonard insisted.
“Actually, Lex, I’m Kryptonian,” Sheldon smirked.
“Mmhmm. Tell me, Clark Kent, have you found your Lois Lane?”
“Are you referring to Ramona?” Sheldon questioned tightly. At Leonard’s nod, the taller scientist snorted in disdain. “I told you, she’s only encouraging my research. I have no personal interests in her.”
“Good,” came Leonard’s unbidden response. Wincing at his own lack of tact, Leonard mentally kicked himself for admitting his glee out loud.
“Mystery’s solved, Mr. Luthor,” Sheldon mumbled, lifting the ice pack away from his face. Taking it from Sheldon’s hands, Leonard started to get up, but the sudden frown on Sheldon’s face made him pause.
“What’s wrong?”
“My hand’s cold now.” Sheldon’s lips were almost pouting. Leonard doubted that any Kryptonian ever made such a face.
“Let me see.” Leonard smiled slightly. Sheldon hesitated, looking up at his friend questioningly. When his command rendered no response, Leonard reached out to take Sheldon’s hand in his own. Applying a gentle squeeze, Leonard’s thumb lightly brushed over Sheldon’s knuckles, letting the warmth from his own body seep into the clammy palm.
“Leonard…” Amazingly enough, Sheldon was unable to form a coherent question, instead staring at their joined hands with a mixture of surprise and curiosity.
“Still cold?” Sheldon’s Vulcan ears easily detected the huskiness in Leonard’s voice and unfortunately, his own higher than normal pitch. “No, conduction has evened the temperature difference between us.”
“Alright. You get some rest, Sheldon. I’ll make you some supper and bring it by in a little bit,” Leonard replied. Instead of dropping his hand like he expected, Sheldon watched in shock as his friend’s grip lifted their palms towards Leonard’s face. As Leonard pressed his lips against the tip of his index and middle finger, Sheldon sucked in a breath. The sensation was so light while simultaneously sending a ripple of warmth down to his toes. As the missing explanation of his friend’s sullenness around Ramona fell into place, Sheldon twitched his fingers, brushing the digits against the softness of Leonard’s lips. So warm, but not too dry; no hint of saliva either. Leonard shuddered as the pressure continued to graze over his mouth. The movement startled Sheldon, and with wide eyes, he jerked his hand away. The two stared at each other for a moment before Leonard licked his lips, unconsciously tracing the path Sheldon’s fingers had taken.
“Soup sound good? Great, I’ll go make it,” Leonard blurted out. In a flash, the scientist was gone, leaving Sheldon alone to ponder the implications of this very interesting development.
Author: clumsyghost
Recipient: callmejude
Word Count: 5, 507
Rating: PG-13
Prompt: Leonard realizes he's more "jealous" than "frustrated" when Ramona Nowitzki moves in on Sheldon; Leonard gets in a physical confrontation and Sheldon stands up for him.
“For God’s sake, Howard, did you really have to shoot me so many times?” Leonard grumbled, rubbing his splattered paintball vest warily. His body was going to be so bruised in a few hours, he would resemble a Dalmatian from the neck down. Just what he needed; it wasn’t enough that he was a homunculus, he was going to resemble the rare American Spotted Geek breed of homunculus.
The Jewish man grinned wickedly, bumping his fist with Raj in a manner that would bring shame to Howie Mandel.
“Hey, it’s all your fault, tripping over that tree root and leaving yourself open in plain sight. Also your fault for not having the sense to bring a partner!” Raj nodded in agreement to the other man’s words, also indifferent to Leonard’s complaints. For once, Howard and him had won the match!
At this, Leonard’s frown deepened, unconsciously straightening his posture. “I tried to get Sheldon to come with us, but he’s too busy with his research.” Bitterness was not a pretty flavor, but Leonard felt justified. Not once, not twice, but three times had Sheldon turned down a perfectly good paintball match. The weather was pleasant, the fields relatively free, and of course none of the gang had had plans for the weekend. Except for Sheldon.
“Too busy with Ramona, you mean,” Raj spoke up, shaking his head in disbelief. “Of all of us to get a girlfriend, why him?”
“Perhaps she is documenting foreign alien species,” Howard suggested, fumbling with the strap to his vest.
“Really, Howard? Foreign aliens?” Leonard snapped. If he had been in a little less pain, he might have agreed with his friend, but for now, he simply wanted to get away. Hurrying to remove the rest of his own paintball gear, the shorter physicist made his way back to the car, Raj and Howard chattering closely behind him.
“You sounded like Sheldon there, dude,” Raj smirked. “Anyway, why isn’t she interested in me? I’m a sane foreign alien!”
“How would you talk to her? Sign language?” Howard shot back. The two continued to trade insults back and forth, making for one unusually long car ride as Leonard dropped off his friends at their respective homes.
By the time Leonard was safely back to his own apartment building, the aches and ringing of his ears had soured his mood considerably. With each slow step in the stairwell, dread and resentment twisted his stomach. Was it too much to ask to be able to come home one time without Ramona being present in the apartment?
Apparently it was. As Leonard pushed open the door to 4A, his eyes were immediately drawn to the red-haired form perched in his chair, her open look of idolatry fixated on his roommate.
No matter his feelings, Leonard always tried to be polite, so the sudden loud hello that pierced the air wasn’t meant to be as surprising as it was. Nevertheless, he took some satisfaction at Ramona’s jump. Sheldon, of course, didn’t even flinch.
“Greetings, Leonard. How was paintball?” Ramona questioned, flashing the new arrival a big smile.
“Judging by the amount of paint on his vest and the metaphorical cloud of depression above his short stature, I would guess the game came to a deplorable conclusion for one-third of the original party,” Sheldon answered before Leonard could reply.
Narrowing his eyes, Leonard stared at Sheldon, but his roommate never ceased typing on his laptop. “The major point in that sentence being ‘one-third’ instead of one-half. You should have went! Raj and Howard teamed up on me, and I had no one to cover me…” Dropping his gear by his computer, Leonard ventured into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of juice.
“Cover you? You had absolutely no chance to win from the beginning, why focus on that trivial detail?” Sheldon remarked. A few keystrokes later, Sheldon finally glanced away from the computer screen, eyes bright with ideas.
“I was thinking of modifying our usual tri-fold tactical plan in favor of using a model based on--”
“Shouldn’t you be working on your research, not discussing trivial matters such as paintball?” Ramona’s falsely sweet voice interrupted Sheldon’s train of thought. Leonard raised a brow and made his way over to the couch to take a seat, watching his friend’s reaction carefully. The familiar twitching set in, but Sheldon’s nose crinkled in frustration, and after a few seconds of stewing, the tall physicist silently turned back to his laptop.
“Woah…” Leonard breathed, staring in disbelief. No arguments, no whining, no mention of strikes or revoked friendship contract. Had the body snatchers invaded?
Ramona’s smile tightened as she turned to Leonard, giving him the same firm look she had just used on his roommate. “Now, Leonard… you shouldn’t distract Dr. Cooper while he’s working. He’s fulfilled his obligatory pleasant conversation, but now he has to focus on his research.”
“Fine… I’ll just go hole up in my room like a house arrest victim.” Leonard couldn’t help the snark this time. Being bossed around in his own apartment by anyone other than Sheldon was intolerable.
“If you were under house arrest, that would mean you were a convict serving time under the legal system, not a victim,” Sheldon spoke up. Leonard ignored the remark and Ramona’s resulting glare as he got up from the couch.
That right there was what Leonard had so much trouble dealing with. Sheldon with a girlfriend didn’t make sense, but Sheldon with Ramona Nowitzki was inconceivable.
At first the situation had been amusing; in fact, hours had been spent laughing at his oblivious roommate both behind his back and in front of him. Logical, one-track minded Sheldon did not perceive the real reason behind Ramona’s infatuation. Romantic gestures? Oh no, she was hovering over him because she wanted to encourage his research and brilliant mind! She certainly appealed to his ego, though, with her constant pampering and indulgent charms. Let me fluff your pillow, Dr. Cooper. Would you like me to make you some waffles? You must be so exhausted from stimulating your exceptional brain, Dr. Cooper, may I wash you feet?
It was enough to make Leonard gag.
The real kicker was Sheldon’s tolerance to this female’s behavior. Years of being Sheldon’s roommate had conditioned Leonard to his friend’s bossy ways. Sure, Sheldon sometimes followed his lead in social situations, but almost nothing could convince Sheldon to part from his routine. He should know, he’d tried many times only to be met with failure or in the rare case of success, a completely grumpy Sheldon. Yet, Ramona was successful where he was not; this red-haired female was able to quiet Sheldon’s protests with one look and rearrange his whole lifestyle without so much as one lecture on his rules. At least, from what little interactions Leonard had observed between the two.
Leonard’s patience at the interference lasted nine days, when Sheldon’s reluctant refusal to go to the comic book store for the second week in a row was met with disbelief. No longer was Ramona an amusing part of their lives; indeed, as time progressed, Leonard grew to view the situation as obtrusive and undesirable. Nevertheless, he kept his mouth shut, although he didn’t quite know why. Sheldon certainly didn’t have any qualms about dissing his girlfriend or crushes. Leonard supposed the scientist in him wondered how far Ramona could push Sheldon, because it was very clear that his friend’s submission was making him unhappy.
Even behind the closed door of his room, Leonard could hear Ramona’s cheerful voice making conversation. Oh sure, she could distract Sheldon, but not him? Leonard huffed into a pillow angrily, frowning thoughtfully at himself. He shouldn’t be holding a grudge against his friend’s first girlfriend. Leonard knew that, and he didn’t understand why he was. Ramona’s sense of possessiveness and control of Sheldon was simply out of line, Leonard decided, absentmindedly flicking his bat signal on and off. He had lived with Sheldon all these years, and he was the one that knew his habits best.
Leonard stayed in his room until his grumbling stomach convinced him to venture out for nourishment. Heating up a frozen dinner in the microwave, the shorter physicist silently took his meal back down the hall, purposely ignoring Sheldon’s nonverbal pleading boring a metaphorical hole in his back.
It was dangerously near Sheldon’s bedtime before Leonard caught the sounds of Ramona’s dismissal. Relieved that she was not spending the night in too many ways he didn’t want to think about, Leonard reached for a thick stack of papers on his dresser, carefully aligning the edges so the letters were even. Prize in hand, the shorter man crept towards his roommate’s door, knocking softly.
“Do I have to remind you of the rules again?” Sheldon’s voice is sharp, and Leonard hesitated, hand on the doorknob. So, there had been a discussion. Good; Ramona was still subjected to the same system as everyone else. Leonard could handle equal ground.
“Er, Sheldon… it’s just me. Ramona left ten minutes ago,” Leonard calls out. His reply is met with surprised silence before a tentative “what do you wish to converse about at this hour?” emerged from the room.
Taking that as an invitation although it technically wasn’t, Leonard nudged the door open and slipped inside. Reaching to turn on the lamp, Sheldon sat up and gave Leonard a displeased look, which was also ignored.
“I got your mail. Here,” Leonard tossed the envelopes on the bed. It was mostly three days worth of junk, but there was one piece that Leonard knew Sheldon would be happy about.
“Mail is supposed to be delivered promptly. Legally, you were withholding federal documents from me, Leonard! We have a mail sorting bin, why don’t you ever use it?” Sheldon added. In spite of his words, curiosity got the better of him, and lithe fingers began to flip through the papers.
“As if Ramona would have allowed you a mail break,” Leonard snorted.
“Sarcasm? Oh! A letter from Memaw,” Sheldon’s lips curled into a smile. Prepared for the pleased reaction, Leonard nevertheless felt his own mood lighten. It never took much to make Sheldon happy, but situations had to be near idyllic for an effort to be rewarded with an honest unguarded grin. This was one thing Ramona could not have experienced in so little time with Sheldon, Leonard told himself. Ramona could not have made him so happy as… well… Memaw.
“The chickens are reproducing at a satisfactory rate, and Memaw’s going to send us some blackberry pie in a few weeks,” Sheldon reported, scanning the letter eagerly. There was no protest as the bed dipped suddenly, Leonard perching carefully on the edge, but there was a slight twitch from Sheldon’s left eye.
“That’s nice, I can’t wait. But listen, I wanted to talk to you about something. You know…” Leonard began cautiously, “the point of having a girlfriend isn’t for her to take over your life and dictate what you can and can not do.”
“Finally perceiving how foolish your crush is on Penny?” Sheldon asked. Methodical attention was being bestowed on Memaw’s letter, so Sheldon missed his friend’s disbelieving expression.
“What? No! I’m not talking about me, I’m talking about… you. And Ramona’s control,” Leonard explained.
“Control? She’s only enabling me to reach my highest potential, unlike my friends who are content to stay at the bottom of their respective fields,” Sheldon frowned back at his roommate.
“Whatever. Don’t you miss having fun with your friends? The first few days, it was kind of nice being able to do what we wanted, but I-we… we miss you. Paintball isn’t the same, neither is the arcade, and you never have time to read your comics or play Halo or do anything outside of work and sleep.”
Sheldon hesitated before turning his head. “I will admit that recreational activities do have their appeal….but if that’s the sacrifice it takes to be the best, then I have no choice.” However strong his words, they betrayed a hint of discontent.
“You do have a choice. You’ll go insane if all you do is work. I mean, more insane,” Leonard raised a brow at Sheldon’s disapproving stare. “You need more balance. Ramona is tilting you too far to one side.”
“You wish to tilt me back to the unprofessional Sheldon, then?”
“No,” Leonard sighed. He should have known that Sheldon wouldn’t get it. “I just want you to be happy and… I’d like to be able to hang out with my friend once in a while, that’s all.”
More surprised silence. Piercing blue eyes stared at Leonard’s lowered gaze, perhaps searching for any hint of sarcasm or lying. Finding none, Sheldon contemplated Leonard’s answer then gave a small nod.
“I suppose I should feel grateful that you value my friendship so highly. It is also reassuring that you would admit such things. Yes, now that I consider the implications of my actions, it is obvious that your social group is considerably lacking without my presence. Captain Kirk does require the advice and guidance of Spock, after all.”
Rolling his eyes, Leonard watched as Sheldon’s focus returned to his letter. Silently turning his gaze to the glowing species of fish in their spotless bowl, Leonard was comfortable to remain where he was, awaiting any further news from Memaw.
However, when Sheldon finally spoke again, he bypassed the letter’s contents entirely.
“Leonard?”
“Yeah?”
“You shouldn’t be in my room.”
The next few days passed in the similar manner of the past few weeks, leading Leonard to believe that Sheldon had not truly taken his words into account. Of course, when did Sheldon ever? It wasn’t until Wednesday rolled around again that Sheldon finally put his foot down, his limit at its breaking point.
“I’m going to the comic book store,” Sheldon announced firmly, hitting the minimize button on his Word document. Ramona opened her mouth to interject a comment, but for once Leonard was quicker.
“Great! Let’s go.” Leonard fished his keys out of the bowl, waiting patiently for Sheldon to grab his jacket.
Looking quite put off, the girl hesitated only for a second before snatching up her purse, donning a cheery smile and falling into step behind the taller scientist. Both Leonard and Sheldon turned to stare at the unexpected addition to their party, but neither said a word.
Unfortunately for Ramona, Sheldon’s politeness did not extend to unfamiliar social situations. The whole drive to the comic book store, Leonard had to hold back a wicked smile, bespectacled eyes glancing in the rearview mirror from time to time to catch a glimpse of Ramona’s unhappy frown as she sat alone in the backseat. In the passenger’s seat, Sheldon stared straight ahead, blind to the dejection he had caused.
“At least now you can get the back issues of the comics you wanted,” Ramona spoke up immediately as Leonard eased into a parking space and shut the engine off.
“I already have them,” Sheldon replied. With the click of the buckle, the scientist slid the seatbelt away from his torso and stepped out onto the pavement. Meeting Ramona’s slightly confused face behind the passenger door, Sheldon felt obligated to elaborate.
“Leonard bought them for me.”
“Oh, did he now? I suppose you wasted time reading them didn’t you?” Ramona’s sweetness was back, but the furrowed brow contradicted her pleasantness so much that even Sheldon did not have to ask about her true meaning.
“Compared to graphic novels, reading a comic book does not take up substantial time,” Sheldon hedged impatiently, making his way towards the door. Behind him, Leonard snorted in disbelief. It was true that Sheldon was a quick reader, but studying each and every detail of the panels could occupy his fellow geek for awhile. Leonard was surprised; Sheldon’s response was not quite a lie, but not exactly the truth either. Ramona seemed satisfied with the answer, however, dropping the subject.
“Let’s try to make this quick. Twenty minutes is a long enough break, don’t you think?” Sidling up to Sheldon, Ramona frowned as the object of her affection stepped away, disturbed by her lack of respect for personal space.
Blowing past the awkward couple, Leonard was drawn towards the front of the store, breathing a sigh of relief as he spotted his friends.
“What up, dawg?” Howard called out, his usual attempts to sound cool drastically falling flat.
“Hey guys… Not much. Just enduring Sheldon and the bitch from hell,” Leonard grumbled.
“I don’t see what the big deal is, Leonard. I mean, Howard’s a total douche when he gets a girlfriend. You adapt,” Raj offered. Leonard scowled, thumbing blindly through the bin of comics.
Feigning shock, Howard glanced over to where Sheldon and Ramona stood, the taller lecturing the female on some aspect of a comic. “Oh come on. Leonard didn’t say that Sheldon was the douche. She may be the bitch from hell, but she’s still a bitch. I’d hit that.”
“Well, I think it’s nice that Sheldon has a girlfriend. I’m happy for him,” Raj announced.
“Fine, forget I said anything,” Leonard mumbled, pulling out an issue of Batman and inspecting the cover. Running the tip of his tongue over his lips, Howard managed to tear his gaze away from the female to observe Leonard’s sour expression.
“Wow,” Howard remarked, elbowing Raj in the side. “You are totally jealous.”
“I am not!” Leonard growled, glancing over his shoulder to judge the distance between himself and the odd couple.
“Are too. You’re acting worse than Raj does, and that’s saying a lot,” Howard continued, nodding sagely at his Indian friend. Shrugging, Raj could only agree.
“I can not be the only one to think she’s too bossy!” Leonard argued, returning his friends’ knowing smile with a glare.
“Dude. If she’s bossy, she’s perfect for Sheldon,” Raj remarked.
“Yeah. Maybe she can control him to act like a normal person,” Howard cracked.
Disgusted, Leonard turned away from the bin. Maneuvering around the familiar store, Leonard kept his back to his roommate and Ramona. His friends’ words burned in his mind, a desperate sense of something squeezing his stomach. Jealous, Howard had said. Illogical! He simply missed his friend. The only reason that his mind kept reminding him that he didn’t care half as much when Howard ditched their plans for a girl was that Sheldon was different. Sheldon was his best friend, and it was perfectly normal to want to throw Ramona out of the window when she cuddled up to Sheldon and put her head on his shoulder in order to read the screen bet-
“Leonard. We want ice cream,” a voice spoke up suddenly. Flinching, Leonard jerked to the side, dropping his comic on the floor. Puzzled, Sheldon stared down at his friend, noticing Leonard’s rapid breathing.
“You appear… angry. I considered your allergies; Polly’s Ice Cream shop has a selection of yogurt, remember?” Sheldon added, brow furrowing.
“Why don’t you just walk?” Leonard asked shortly, recovering himself and bending down to retrieve Batman.
“Dangerous intersection,” Sheldon answered promptly.
“Fine. Let me check out,” Leonard grumbled, noticing the receipt sticking out of Sheldon’s own issue. As Stuart rang up his purchase, Leonard watched as Sheldon and Ramona grouped by the door. As usual, the girl was trying to engage Sheldon in conversation, but the man’s tense body language proved that she was not having much success.
“Thanks, Leonard,” Stuart distracted his customer, handing over the bagged purchase. “Have a good rest of the day. See you next week.”
“Yeah, you too, Stuart,” Leonard replied automatically, taking his bag and heading towards the door. Bypassing Raj and Howard, Leonard caught the sound of sniggering, and set his jaw stubbornly.
“Bye Leonard. Have a good time with Sheldon and Ramona!” Raj called out.
“Yeah. Try not to claw her eyes out, green kitty cat!” Howard added. Leonard felt his ears burn, but did not grace their teasing with a reply.
Brushing past the others, Leonard forcibly pushed the door open with more force than necessary. Too busy stewing in anger, the short scientist did not realize he had almost opened the door in someone’s face until a loud curse filled his ears.
“Watch it, would you!” A blond male stood by the door, indignantly rubbing his elbow.
“Sorry,” Leonard mumbled, casting his gaze at the sidewalk. This day was quickly going from bad to worse.
“The standard dimensions of sidewalks enable a pedestrian to walk out of the range of oscillating doors,” Sheldon spoke up, peering at the stranger. “You were walking too close to the buildings,” he added when he received a blank look.
“What the hell is your prob… Ramona?” Blondie interrupted himself, disbelief creeping into his features. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh! H-hey Ben,” Ramona returned evenly, eyes darting to Sheldon then to the stranger who apparently wasn’t all that strange. “I could ask you the same thing…”
“Going to the bike shop to check out the new wheels. You hanging with comic geeks now? Wait a minute…” Ben narrowed his eyes first at Leonard, then at the taller man. “Is one of these dweebs the guy you dumped me for!?”
Oh shit. This could be bad. Numbly processing the news and quickly realizing what trouble they were about to land themselves in, Leonard watched in horror as Sheldon cleared his throat. Lie! Leonard tried to communicate via telepathy, but he knew his silent pleading would only fail, blocked by the huge ego that was Sheldon Cooper. Sheldon would undoubtedly tell the truth; the instinct to get himself beat up was deeply ingrained.
“We’re just colleagues. I mean, Ramona’s a student at the university where we work!” Leonard hastily stated. His heart and fears desperately wanted Sheldon’s agreement more than anything at that moment.
Sheldon was silent.
“That’s right. I’m just helping Dr. Cooper with his work. He’s doing research on…” Ramona began softly.
“On how to be a loser?” The ex cut in, sarcasm dripping from each word. “Seems like he’d already be a expert on that.”
“I am an expert on many things, of which social hierarchies are a studied but impersonal subject,” Sheldon replied hotly. Beside him, Leonard shook his head warily.
“What the hell. Are you a robot? Dumb geeky robot, what the hell do you think you have to offer Ramona?” Ben demanded with a sneer.
Later, Leonard would try to piece together the events that followed this statement, but the surrealness of the situation left disturbing gaps in his memory; he chalked it up to finally reaching his breaking point. All he was conscious of was his fist tightening. Someone was yelling in the distance, but he wasn’t quite sure who because suddenly he was watching his fist cut through the air, going up, up, up. Contact on skin, then pain. Oh god, so much pain flaring in his hand…
The force of impact was minimal; Ben only staggered back a few steps, looking stunned. Damn annoying geeky freaks.
Recovering himself before Leonard, Ben saw his opportunity as the shorter scientist stood numbly, cradling his hand to his chest mournfully. A few quick strides closed the distance between them, but before Ben could draw his fist back, someone tried to jostle his stance. Turning to face half frightened, half angry blue eyes, Ben snorted in disdain at Sheldon’s shaky commanding voice.
“Leave him alone, you insipid homo habilis! We have no interest in engaging in koon-ut-kal-if-fee with you.” Sheldon insisted. Behind him, Leonard drew in a ragged breath.
“Iffy what?!” Ben roared, his frown deepening.
“Ben, please, they don’t mean anything by it, just let them, please, I…NO!” Ramona wailed, watching in horror as Ben’s frozen fist flew into action, coming down squarely on Sheldon’s right eye. Caught off balance by the blow, Sheldon was thrown on his back, whimpering and holding his face protectively.
“Sheldon!” Leonard cried out, shocked at the display of violence. Instinctively bending down to help his friend, Leonard place a hand underneath Sheldon’s elbow, but the taller man only struggled into an upright position, remaining seated on the concrete.
“Leave us alone right now or I’m calling the police!” Ramona’s shrill voice broke through Leonard’s worries, the curly dome jerking to stare behind him. The girl had planted herself between the men, shaking hands holding out her cell phone so Ben could see the 911 numbers on the screen.
Huffing, Ben smirked around Ramona, addressing his ex while his eyes never left the cowering geeks. “Fine. These two don’t have much of a fight in them anyway. Losers! You should find yourself a real man, Ramie-babe.”
“Don’t call me that!” Ramona hissed. Ben laughed and sidestepped the group without another word. Two sets of eyes watched the brute saunter down the sidewalk, waiting with baited breath until the other man turned a corner and disappeared from view.
“C’mon, Shelly. Let’s go home,” Leonard murmured, trying to tug Sheldon’s hand away from his face. As the lithe fingers slipped away, Leonard winced in sympathy; the ugly bruising was already apparent.
“Oooh…. You’re definitely going to have a black eye.”
“Did it honestly take you that long to reach that inevitable conclusion?” Sheldon’s tone was snappish, but Leonard merely held his hand out.
“Oh my gosh, I am so sorry, Dr. Cooper. If I had known…” Ramona blabbered. Watery eyes stared up at her wounded idol as he got to his feet.
“My watch strap is busted,” Sheldon remarked mournfully, attention fixated on his wrist. Red scratches from his tumble to the pavement littered his palms and the side of his arms. The sudden need to disinfect overwhelmed the scientist.
“We’ll get it fixed. Or buy you a new one. Let’s get you home and cleaned up, ok?” Leonard was extra patient, and Sheldon realized that his friend’s grip on his arm had not loosened even after he stood up. As Sheldon’s eyes pointedly stared at his hand, Leonard drew his hand away.
“… and I never knew he was capable of such rage. I mean, I visited his parents and they seemed like such nice people, even his dog…” Ramona’s voice continued with apologetic gusto. Leonard dimly had the notion that Ramona had been talking throughout his conversation with Sheldon, but neither man had paid any attention to the rant.
“Ramona,” Leonard finally interrupted her. Bewildered, Ramona stopped, taking in a deep breath. “I’m taking Sheldon home. You can ask one of the gawkers to give you a ride back to your apartment.”
Confused, both Ramona and Sheldon turned towards the buildings where open-mouthed faces pressed against the glass.
“Why didn’t they help us?” Bitterness filled the female’s voice, but the men exchanged a knowing look.
“Geeks do not a non-virtual fighter make,” Leonard remarked heavily. “Good bye.”
“Good bye, Dr. Cooper… I’ll… I’ll call to check up on you later,” Ramona faltered. Sad eyes followed the men as they returned to the car, each slow painful step burning guilt inside her.
Leonard broke approximately eight of Sheldon’s driving rules on the way home, receiving only one sharp reminder. Leonard was confident that Sheldon would nonetheless raise his strike tally at a later date when his injuries were not occupying him. Eidetic minds were a pain in the ass.
Once back in the apartment building, Leonard discreetly tucked his hand back under Sheldon’s arm, in spite of his friend’s insistence that his hearing would stabilize his balance on the stairs just fine and would Leonard please stop sneaking up on him?
Leonard withdrew his grip as he fought the lock on their apartment, opening the door and turning around just in time to see Sheldon woozily slump against wall. Smirking slightly, he held out his hand to the fuming scientist.
“Your balance doesn’t depend entirely on your ears, but eyesight can sure help, can’t it?” Leonard chuckled. Thoroughly unamused, Sheldon allowed his friend to steer him inside the door without another verbal protest.
“I need an ice pack, Leonard.” Shaken but still authoritative, Sheldon sat on the bed where his roommate had guided him, slowly reaching out to tug at the covers. “I also require an additional pillow. I must keep my eye elevated to reduce swelling of the eyelid.”
By the time Leonard had retrieved all the items on the growing list of demands, Sheldon had managed to change into his Wednesday pajamas and get under the covers. Silently, Leonard placed a spare pillow on top of Sheldon’s usual, switching the two at Sheldon’s pointed stare.
“Here. You can only hold this on for ten minutes,” Leonard finally spoke, handing his friend the cold pack.
“Who isn’t aware of that basic medical knowledge?” Sheldon muttered, brining his hand up to press the pack against the right side of his face. Flinching at the stinging cold, Sheldon sighed.
“I’m sorry, buddy…” Sheldon’s one good eye flickered to observe his roommate’s glum expression. Leonard’s mood swings from amused to guilty were unfortunately familiar.
“You always attempt to play the hero, but you aren’t one,” Sheldon remarked. Looking surprised, Leonard sat down on the bed, feeling intrigued in spite of the semi-insult.
“You’re more like the early Lex Luthor before he completely turned to the dark side. Heh. By your one-sided accounts, or rather, accusations, your mother fits Lionel’s personality. You try so hard to get your maternal parent’s acceptance and love, but you’ll never get it.”
“My mother isn’t greedy,” Leonard replied automatically, looking stung at the comparison. Him, Lex? You punch one guy and your best friend labels you as evil…
“Similarities, Leonard. You could argue that she’s greedy for recognition. As you are. In the Smallville series, Lex is obsessed with finding out Clark Kent’s secret. All you want in the world right now is to understand your so called best friend. Such a messed up human,” Sheldon murmured.
“Wait, so you’re casting yourself as Superman? Please…” Leonard snorted. “Who’s taking care of whom here? And you said I was less than useless…”
“I was injured defending you! If you had kept your temper, none of us would be in this state.”
“Did you hear what he called you?!” Leonard retorted, frowning. Sheldon shifted, eye darting away from Leonard’s strangely warm gaze. “I have been called many uncreative names throughout my whole life, Leonard, as have you. The situation was no different.”
“You aren’t a robot. You’re a human being,” Leonard insisted.
“Actually, Lex, I’m Kryptonian,” Sheldon smirked.
“Mmhmm. Tell me, Clark Kent, have you found your Lois Lane?”
“Are you referring to Ramona?” Sheldon questioned tightly. At Leonard’s nod, the taller scientist snorted in disdain. “I told you, she’s only encouraging my research. I have no personal interests in her.”
“Good,” came Leonard’s unbidden response. Wincing at his own lack of tact, Leonard mentally kicked himself for admitting his glee out loud.
“Mystery’s solved, Mr. Luthor,” Sheldon mumbled, lifting the ice pack away from his face. Taking it from Sheldon’s hands, Leonard started to get up, but the sudden frown on Sheldon’s face made him pause.
“What’s wrong?”
“My hand’s cold now.” Sheldon’s lips were almost pouting. Leonard doubted that any Kryptonian ever made such a face.
“Let me see.” Leonard smiled slightly. Sheldon hesitated, looking up at his friend questioningly. When his command rendered no response, Leonard reached out to take Sheldon’s hand in his own. Applying a gentle squeeze, Leonard’s thumb lightly brushed over Sheldon’s knuckles, letting the warmth from his own body seep into the clammy palm.
“Leonard…” Amazingly enough, Sheldon was unable to form a coherent question, instead staring at their joined hands with a mixture of surprise and curiosity.
“Still cold?” Sheldon’s Vulcan ears easily detected the huskiness in Leonard’s voice and unfortunately, his own higher than normal pitch. “No, conduction has evened the temperature difference between us.”
“Alright. You get some rest, Sheldon. I’ll make you some supper and bring it by in a little bit,” Leonard replied. Instead of dropping his hand like he expected, Sheldon watched in shock as his friend’s grip lifted their palms towards Leonard’s face. As Leonard pressed his lips against the tip of his index and middle finger, Sheldon sucked in a breath. The sensation was so light while simultaneously sending a ripple of warmth down to his toes. As the missing explanation of his friend’s sullenness around Ramona fell into place, Sheldon twitched his fingers, brushing the digits against the softness of Leonard’s lips. So warm, but not too dry; no hint of saliva either. Leonard shuddered as the pressure continued to graze over his mouth. The movement startled Sheldon, and with wide eyes, he jerked his hand away. The two stared at each other for a moment before Leonard licked his lips, unconsciously tracing the path Sheldon’s fingers had taken.
“Soup sound good? Great, I’ll go make it,” Leonard blurted out. In a flash, the scientist was gone, leaving Sheldon alone to ponder the implications of this very interesting development.