The Cooper Libido Experiment 4/?
Title: "The Cooper Libido Experiment"
Author: g_girl143 / gwendy
Rating: PG
Chapters: 4/(?)
Timeline: Post L/P...beyond Post L/P...
Summary: There are times when the thing you love the most will cause your downfall. In the case of Dr. Sheldon Cooper, that would be Science...
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the series and am not making any money out of this despite putting my sweat and blood into it. So save me the lawsuits and just allow a beggar to indulge in fantasies. Thank you.
A/N: AAAAH! I cannot begin to put words on how much fun I had in my very first cosplay event! And my team and I won second runner up! The competition was really stuff and I managed to beat the likes of Final Fantasy characters with my less than costly Amane Misa costume (for individual com)! Course, the prize went to the most elaborate costume, but I think to myself that I spent a lot less on my costume and it was worth it. Got myself lotsa pictures and met a lotta great people! Interested in pics? Check this page.
Okay, nerd off. I know this isn't what you're reading for. Anyway, haven't been online at all yesterday, online now so posting the next chapter ^_^ Hope you guys enjoy it!
Chapter 1 // Chapter 2 // Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Penny parked the car by the apartment. It had been a long day with a bad start, a sweet middle, and a weird end...well, sweet and weird middle anyway, with Sheldon treating her and his...not being himself. The day was still long, and it was yet to end. It was Halo night after all.
She'd spent the rest of the ride home engaging in a word game with Sheldon. She'd learned some sci-fi through the years, while he, a little pop-culture, which resulted in them rushing to name a TV series or a movie whose first word starts with the first letter of every driver's plate they see. Normally, she would only participate half-heartedly, but this time, she went all junior rodeo. It was the only way she could get her mind off how intensely he had looked at her in the pastry shop while sucking his thumb.
She ended up winning the game, and Sheldon's pouty face--the same face he'd worn when she first defeated him in Halo--did make her forget and sent her to hysterics.
"Fine. You win this time. But the war's not over yet. Just wait until we exclude pop-culture references from the category."
"Well, I think you might just be underestimating what I know about sci-fi. I mean, I was the one who got Short Circuit," Penny reminded while unbuckling her seat belt.
One tug. Two tugs.
She looked down at the still attached buckles and tugged a third time.
Her car door opened, and Sheldon poked his face in. She hadn't realized he had gotten out of the car. "What's wrong?"
"My seat belt's stuck," she muttered, and made a vain attempt at a fourth tug. "Might've gotten caught in my uniform or some--"
Penny wasn't able to finish. Sheldon had pushed himself in the small space between herself and the steering wheel, and was bending down, his hands brushing hers as he dealt with the seat belt. His head was beneath her chin, his cheek practically brushing against her breasts.
It wasn't until her head began to hurt that she realized she was holding her breath.
One click, and the seat belt was off. Sheldon pulled back, and she heard a slight whoosh of air. But it wasn't from her.
"You smell quite pleasant today."
Penny snapped her head towards him. She was pretty sure the perfume she'd put on that morning had dissolved into sweat, dust, and from what had happened earlier in the restaurant, vomit. "Uhm...thank you?"
"You're welcome." Sheldon smiled. Actually smiled, and finally moved away from the car.
That was how Leonard found them, Sheldon, standing before the open car door as a red-faced Penny stepped out.
Leonard felt as though a circus crew had just made themselves at home in his stomach. "Uhm...hey guys."
"Hello, Leonard."
It unnerved him how they had said that together. So in sync. Like that time he and the others found them making those Penny Blossoms. "Uhm, Sheldon, you do realize you're a little off schedule for Halo night?"
Sheldon raised his wrist, then snapped his head towards Penny, his brows furrowed.
"Don't blame me," Penny fired. "You were the one who insisted on stopping at La Marea."
"Well, you were the one who was late from picking me up."
"Oh, so NOW you're mad? Great timing, Dr. Cooper."
"Unfortunately, I can't say the same for some people here."
"Guys, guys," Leonard called, holding his hands up as he approached them. "Arguing's just going to waste more time. Just go inside the apartment. Wolowitz and Koothrapalli are already up there."
"Fine." Sheldon tugged at the strap of his messenger bag and looked pointedly at Penny. "Penny, you'll be on my team."
"What? That's no fun. We'd cream Raj and Howard before they can even say Cortana."
"This will be your punishment for making me late for Halo Night. You should think yourself fortunate with this light reprimand." With that, Sheldon pivoted and marched inside the apartment.
After a moment, Leonard turned to Penny. He imagined his expression wasn't very far from his. "Uhm...Penny, you...er...went out with Sheldon?"
Penny blinked at him. "What?"
"You mentioned La Marea. The pastry shop." Leonard didn't have to squint to see the way Penny turned scarlet, and despite her brushing it off as nothing, he knew, deep in his gut, it was far from that.
Something had happened. Or was happening. "Are you sure it's...nothing?"
If ticks were for Sheldon, Leonard imagined blinks were for Penny, but hers came with a death glare that made him cringe. He could never take that look. Only Sheldon seemed to be able to with stand it. "God, Leonard. Stop treating me like you own me. I'm not your girlfriend and I haven't been for a long time. And why in the world would you be jealous of Sheldon?"
"I never said I was jealous," Leonard said quietly, and looked down in his shoes. It was the only way he could stop Penny from seeing through him. "I'm sorry if I gave you the impression. I...I'm just trying to be a friend."
A moment of silence was followed by an exasperated breath from Penny. When Leonard looked up, he saw her take on a faraway look. "Leonard, did you notice anything off with Sheldon lately?"
Leonard tried to keep a straight face. Something had definitely happened. "No. Why?" Then, he added, "Did you?"
"Never mind." Penny shook her head. "I better go before Sheldon decides to give me a strike. Have a nice day at work."
"It's gonna be night, but yeah, I think it's going to be nice." Leonard was thankful Penny was too distracted by her own thoughts to notice the crack in his voice.
***
"Dammit, Raj, why didn't you tell me Penny's up there?"
Raj gave Howard a look while shrugging his shoulders to convey the obvious. Penny grinned and grabbed the opportunity to throw a plasma grenade where Raj was at.
It missed, but she'd done it on purpose. And she was having more fun than she ever imagined. Earlier, Sheldon had presented to her the cat-and-mouse game plan against Howard and Raj. It had been difficult for her to understand at first, what with his leaning down and whispering with his face so close to hers and his breaths in her ear, but once she managed to cool the fires that were licking her skin, she mockingly gave him the Raj sign of approval.
That's how she and Sheldon spent hours making Howard and Raj think they were winning, and their little victory jigs and smirks were the cause of their undoing. Now, it was time to pull everything off.
Raj and Howard, as per Sheldon's plan, were leading by only a single point. As always, Dr. Cooper was right. This made them nervous as hell, not to mention sloppy and impulsive. Penny turned to Sheldon, who nodded and made his character come out at the open.
Penny caught the way Raj licked his lips, and she hid a smirk. Everything was going according to plan.
Raj's character readied for the snipe. Then, without warning, Penny's character appeared and shot him, blood splattering on the screen.
He was still alive but weak, and Penny couldn't help but laugh at how Raj flapped his arms and eeped in a vain attempt to ask Howard for a med pack. She and Sheldon began to weave through the buildings once more, and waited for Howard to take the bait.
He did, and it was all too easy.
One plasma grenade sent the skies raining Raj and Howard.
"Ha! In your face," Penny whooped. Sheldon had stood up to do this very weird jig while mocking Raj and Howard, and she laughed.
It was on impulse that she turned to wrap her arms around Sheldon while jumping up and down with him. Hey, she wanted in on the victory dance. This day had ended with a bang and he wasn't going to have all the glory and excitement to himself.
She should've known the day wasn't over, especially with its surprises, because Sheldon had actually hugged her back. She felt her cheeks flush, but only because she was suddenly inexplicably happy. Like their first Christmas together. Or Saturnalia as he would've put it.
They only stopped when Howard appeared in their view. "Wait...you played us the whole time, didn't you?"
"Took you that long to figure it out?" Penny chuckled, and Raj stood up to whisper in Howard's ear.
Howard jolted back. "You knew and you didn't tell me?"
Raj shrugged, then flapped his arms.
"This just proves why you only managed to get a master's degree," Sheldon quipped. "Raj had obviously understood mine and Penny's attempts, and you read his body language incorrectly. He hadn't been asking for a med pack. Now if thoughts of victory had not clouded your judgment, you could've been warranted the victory cheer Penny and I are presently engaging in."
Howard started to open his mouth, but it formed into a leer. Penny put her defenses on maximum level. "Oh...so Penny, if next time you get to be in my team, you could maybe do that little cheer with me?"
Penny frowned. What exactly was Howard talking about?
"Penny will never be in your team," Sheldon said as-a-matter-of-factly. "Not only is she completely averse to your sexual advances, despite your obliviousness to it, you would also have a 90% chance of losing the game since you will be distracted with thoughts of her and coitus."
The room grew quiet, and Penny swallowed hard. She turned to gave Sheldon a look, and it was then she realized she was still in his arms.
Wrapped very tightly in his arms.
She blushed and started to pull away but couldn't. Sheldon had tightened his grip around her.
"Sheldon..."
"Not now, Penny. I'm currently engaging in a staring-contest with Wolowitz here, though more likely, it's a glaring contest."
"Shel..." Penny paused. She was feeling something... "Sheldon, did you manage to fit your game controller in your pocket?"
Penny watched the color bloom in Sheldon's cheeks, then just as suddenly, disappear until he grew sickeningly pale.
He let go of her. "Excuse me a moment."
Three pairs of eyes watched him march stiffly to the direction of the bathroom. It wasn't until they heard the door close that Penny, Raj and Howard turned to share looks of confusion, with Raj doing his 'dude-what-the-hell' shrug.
"What the frak was that all about?"
"Beats me," Penny sighed, and backed up to the sofa, her feet instinctively taking her to Sheldon's spot. "He's been acting really...Oh!"
Penny shifted a bit from Sheldon's spot, and when she saw the object lying on his cushion, she blanched.
She had just sat on Sheldon's game controller.
It had never been in his pocket.
Next Chapters:
Chapter 5