The Paternal Catalyst 25
The Paternal Catalyst
Rating: PG
Word Count: Over 44,000 in all
Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize except California. That I rule.
Spoilers: Up to the Maternal Congruence
Summary: Because of Penny's father, Penny finds herself hiding in the laundry room while Sheldon constructs a dating formula and Leonard performs human experiments.
Author's Note: In this fic, Bernadette and Howard are broken up. I originally had a subplot that revolved around their break-up and make-up. However, I couldn't really work it in without disrupting the flow. I MAY write it as a companion piece but as of now, consider this fic AU in that respect.
(This fic was beta'd by the charming talkingmetaphor without whom I would still have the shoddy grammar that comes from writing while an insomniac)
Thanks everyone for your comments/criticism!
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
25
Leonard
It was four days since Leonard had proved his hypothesis. He’d waited, walking on eggshells, for something to happen but nothing had. Or so he thought at first.
Penny was avoiding them altogether, doing it so well she might as well have moved out. Her apartment seemed dead, and he never even heard anything from there. Sheldon was still awaiting the test results, so hadn’t popped his cherry quite yet. For his part, Sheldon was behaving normally, completely within his character.
But slowly, Leonard started noticing changes, notably in Sheldon’s appearance.
When Sheldon walked out of his bedroom, fully dressed but hair seemingly uncombed, it kind of scared Leonard. He also seemed to have forgone shaving entirely for a few days, something slightly more than stubble tickling his jawline. It was the first time Leonard had seen him not perfectly clean-shaven, even in the Arctic he’d regularly trimmed his goatee, which he’d kept to keep his face warm. And, Leonard also noted, his shirt was wrinkled. While it had only just come to Leonard’s attention, it had been going on for at least a couple of days. Leonard had been more concerned with Penny than his roommate.
Leonard was incredibly close to enacting the Body Snatchers Clause. If Sheldon hadn’t insulted Leonard’s having oatmeal on a non-Monday, he would have gone all the way. Leonard knew it was somehow connected to his upcoming sex, so he thought to address it. At the very least, it might help Penny.
So he said, ‘Sheldon, if you’re nervous about having sex, you don’t have to go through with it. We aren’t pressuring you.’
‘What?’ asked Sheldon, genuinely not understanding the problem. ‘Why would I be nervous about that?’ Again, genuine; and apparently rhetorical because he said next, ‘Come on. We’re four minutes behind schedule.’
So Leonard let it drop, preferring not to act unless he had a course of action thoroughly planned.
At work he was momentarily distracted when he realized he was missing the USB stick on which the article he’d typed up about a month prior was, to be submitted that day to Scientific America. He’d been looking for it when Sheldon had walked out, and he’d completely forgotten until the magazine editor called him.
Sometimes Sheldon would take his memory stick and add his comments into the document. He never searched for it so as long as Leonard hid it, he was safe. But if he’d left it out, then it was probably at Sheldon’s desk. And Sheldon was in a mood all day, so Leonard didn’t want to ask.
Instead, he bowed out of New Comic Book day, asking Raj to pick up his for him. Howard was absent, having stayed home to help family move. Sheldon, fortunately, didn’t put up much of a fight and left Leonard to drive himself home.
He’d hunted for about twenty minutes before he found it in the bottom drawer with the rest of Sheldon’s memory sticks. He’d just uploaded the file and sent it off to Scientific America when Howard burst through the door, hugging his open Alienware to his chest.
‘So confession time,’ he started, eyes wild. ‘Remember how I had much of this complex wired and surveilled by nearly-microscopic cameras?’
‘No,’ said Leonard after a beat. ‘How long ago was this?’
Howard set his computer down in front of Leonard, scooting the Dell aside. ‘Months ago. The important thing is, I didn’t take all of the cameras down.’ He then turned and gave Leonard a proud smile.
Leonard tried his best not to get pissed. ‘That’s an invasion of privacy, Howard!’
‘Yeah, yeah, yeah,’ he said, leaning over to click a few buttons. ‘So anyway, I was hiding from my family because my mom was trying to introduce me to her cousin’s neighbor’s daughter. And let me tell you, buddy. Not even I would have that girl, if she even was a she. Anyway, I was bored and passed the time by looking to see what has been happening at various places.’
‘How many places do you have wired?’
Howard ignored him. ‘You’re about to thank me, mon amis. Because guess what I saw as I was going back through time?’ He grinned broadly. ‘Go ahead, guess.’
Leonard groaned. ‘I don’t know . . . some girl stripping?’
‘Sadly no, but...’ He opened a video file and showed it to Leonard.
Chapter 26
Rating: PG
Word Count: Over 44,000 in all
Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize except California. That I rule.
Spoilers: Up to the Maternal Congruence
Summary: Because of Penny's father, Penny finds herself hiding in the laundry room while Sheldon constructs a dating formula and Leonard performs human experiments.
Author's Note: In this fic, Bernadette and Howard are broken up. I originally had a subplot that revolved around their break-up and make-up. However, I couldn't really work it in without disrupting the flow. I MAY write it as a companion piece but as of now, consider this fic AU in that respect.
(This fic was beta'd by the charming talkingmetaphor without whom I would still have the shoddy grammar that comes from writing while an insomniac)
Thanks everyone for your comments/criticism!
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
25
Leonard
It was four days since Leonard had proved his hypothesis. He’d waited, walking on eggshells, for something to happen but nothing had. Or so he thought at first.
Penny was avoiding them altogether, doing it so well she might as well have moved out. Her apartment seemed dead, and he never even heard anything from there. Sheldon was still awaiting the test results, so hadn’t popped his cherry quite yet. For his part, Sheldon was behaving normally, completely within his character.
But slowly, Leonard started noticing changes, notably in Sheldon’s appearance.
When Sheldon walked out of his bedroom, fully dressed but hair seemingly uncombed, it kind of scared Leonard. He also seemed to have forgone shaving entirely for a few days, something slightly more than stubble tickling his jawline. It was the first time Leonard had seen him not perfectly clean-shaven, even in the Arctic he’d regularly trimmed his goatee, which he’d kept to keep his face warm. And, Leonard also noted, his shirt was wrinkled. While it had only just come to Leonard’s attention, it had been going on for at least a couple of days. Leonard had been more concerned with Penny than his roommate.
Leonard was incredibly close to enacting the Body Snatchers Clause. If Sheldon hadn’t insulted Leonard’s having oatmeal on a non-Monday, he would have gone all the way. Leonard knew it was somehow connected to his upcoming sex, so he thought to address it. At the very least, it might help Penny.
So he said, ‘Sheldon, if you’re nervous about having sex, you don’t have to go through with it. We aren’t pressuring you.’
‘What?’ asked Sheldon, genuinely not understanding the problem. ‘Why would I be nervous about that?’ Again, genuine; and apparently rhetorical because he said next, ‘Come on. We’re four minutes behind schedule.’
So Leonard let it drop, preferring not to act unless he had a course of action thoroughly planned.
At work he was momentarily distracted when he realized he was missing the USB stick on which the article he’d typed up about a month prior was, to be submitted that day to Scientific America. He’d been looking for it when Sheldon had walked out, and he’d completely forgotten until the magazine editor called him.
Sometimes Sheldon would take his memory stick and add his comments into the document. He never searched for it so as long as Leonard hid it, he was safe. But if he’d left it out, then it was probably at Sheldon’s desk. And Sheldon was in a mood all day, so Leonard didn’t want to ask.
Instead, he bowed out of New Comic Book day, asking Raj to pick up his for him. Howard was absent, having stayed home to help family move. Sheldon, fortunately, didn’t put up much of a fight and left Leonard to drive himself home.
He’d hunted for about twenty minutes before he found it in the bottom drawer with the rest of Sheldon’s memory sticks. He’d just uploaded the file and sent it off to Scientific America when Howard burst through the door, hugging his open Alienware to his chest.
‘So confession time,’ he started, eyes wild. ‘Remember how I had much of this complex wired and surveilled by nearly-microscopic cameras?’
‘No,’ said Leonard after a beat. ‘How long ago was this?’
Howard set his computer down in front of Leonard, scooting the Dell aside. ‘Months ago. The important thing is, I didn’t take all of the cameras down.’ He then turned and gave Leonard a proud smile.
Leonard tried his best not to get pissed. ‘That’s an invasion of privacy, Howard!’
‘Yeah, yeah, yeah,’ he said, leaning over to click a few buttons. ‘So anyway, I was hiding from my family because my mom was trying to introduce me to her cousin’s neighbor’s daughter. And let me tell you, buddy. Not even I would have that girl, if she even was a she. Anyway, I was bored and passed the time by looking to see what has been happening at various places.’
‘How many places do you have wired?’
Howard ignored him. ‘You’re about to thank me, mon amis. Because guess what I saw as I was going back through time?’ He grinned broadly. ‘Go ahead, guess.’
Leonard groaned. ‘I don’t know . . . some girl stripping?’
‘Sadly no, but...’ He opened a video file and showed it to Leonard.
Chapter 26