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3rd Person POV
One of the events nerds truly enjoy is anything that involves costumes. The Renaissance Fair is one of the few official events—aside from Comic-Con—that embraces elaborate costume play.
But unlike Comic-Con, which draws only nerds, the Renaissance Fair feels more General, making it an even more enjoyable experience for Leonard and his friends.
Well, almost all of them.
"Hmmmmmm…." groaned one member of their group—the only one who had been grumbling non-stop from the moment they arrived until the moment they got back to the apartment.
Leonard and the others had grown used to ignoring him. His views were... a little different. But Howard finally lost patience when the whining continued until now.
"Let it go, Sheldon! We're not at the Renaissance Fair anymore!" Howard snapped, glancing at Sheldon, who was still fully dressed as a wizard—complete with a long black cloak, pointy hat, and a staff in hand.
Howard had to admit, as annoying as Sheldon could be, his costume was pretty badass. It looked awesome to Howard and the others—even if Sheldon's personality wasn't helping.
Of course, they each had their own egos, and their costumes weren't bad either. Leonard was a knight, Howard dressed as a jester, and Raj... well, Raj looked like a nobleman from the 15th century. (A/N: i wasn't exactly sure what his costume was called—sorry)
The group entered the apartment building together, with Sheldon at the front, face twisted in frustration, still muttering complaints under his breath. When Howard called him out, Sheldon spun around and glared at them.
"How can you all not be bothered by that fair? It was riddled with historical inaccuracies!" he exclaimed, then turned around again and stormed ahead toward their apartment room.
"For instance, that tavern girl serving a glass of mead?" Sheldon continued. "In 1487, the Bavarian Purity Law—Reinheitsgebot—strictly limited the availability of mead in beer production!"
Leonard and the others had enjoyed dressing up and goofing around at the fair. They didn't care about all the little historical errors—that's what normal people do.
Sheldon, on the other hand, had spent the entire event nitpicking every inaccuracy from the fair.
"At best, they'd be drinking spiced wine, not mead!" he added, exasperated. "And that beer mug? There's no way it would be made of polypropylene!"
Howard scratched at his jester hat and sighed. "The Renaissance Fair isn't about historical accuracy, Sheldon."
Sheldon turned sharply and stared at Howard with a piercing look.
"…Never mind," Howard mumbled, giving up on making a joke.
"Come on, Sheldon, let it go and enjoy some of the potluck." Leonard offered.
"There were no kebabs in the 15th century! Oh my God! Meat was either roasted whole over an open fire or cooked into stews—pottages!" Sheldon exclaimed, letting out a deep, dramatic sigh.
Leonard stared at him, completely out of words. He had already given up trying to argue. They went to the fair to have fun—not to take a history lesson.
"Hey guys!" came a cheerful voice.
It was Penny. She had just come down the stairs, and Leonard's frown instantly turned into a smile—for a second.
Right behind her was a tall, slightly handsome guy. Leonard's smile disappeared instantly, especially after noticing how pretty and sexy Penny looked in her outfit.
Of course.
A date.
"Looks like you guys just came back from the Renaissance Fair," Penny said, glancing at their costumes one by one. "Nice costume, Sheldon!" she added, stepping closer to examine it.
"Renaissance Fair? I prefer to call it an Imaginary Fair!" Sheldon said dryly, brushing past Penny and her date.
"Enjoy your date. Just a tip—don't go to that fair. It's terrible!" he added on his way upstairs.
Penny and her date looked stunned, especially her date, who had no idea who Sheldon was.
"He's just been holding it in all day," Howard explained with a shrug. "Now he's letting it all out."
He wanted to tease Penny a bit, but considering her date looked bigger than him, Howard kept his thoughts to himself.
"Oh…" Penny muttered, still staring at the stairs Sheldon had disappeared into. "Should I check on him?" she asked, forgetting for a moment that she was actually on a date.
Leonard's eyes widened. "What? Oh, he's just going to keep complaining over and over," he said awkwardly, "You don't have to worry about it," he added with a dismissive wave.
"Now I'm more worried," Penny said, baited by Leonard's comment.
"I thought we had plans?" her date, Eric, reminded her.
Howard, seeing what Leonard was trying to do, decided to jump in. He hissed like a snake, "Ssstt. Yeah, you don't have to worry about it—as a friend! We've been trying to tame him since 2003."
Penny turned to Howard, mouth open in disbelief. "What?! I'm his friend too!"
"Really?" Howard feigned surprise. "…Doesn't really feel like it…" he muttered under his breath.
Penny shot him an annoyed look, ready to respond—but just then, the sound of footsteps echoed down the stairs.
"I may not appreciate the historical inaccuracy of that so-called Renaissance Fair," Sheldon announced, "but that doesn't mean I'm going to starve while you all gossip down here!"
He stood above them, arms crossed.
Leonard raised his hand in surrender. "Alright, alright—stop nitpicking, Sheldon. We're coming."
He headed upstairs with a grin, and Howard followed. "Yeah, we're your friends. How about we watch Star Trek? That'll heal your heart—and keep you quiet, right?" he joked, walking after Leonard.
Raj, who had been silent the entire time, gave Penny a small smile before following them upstairs.
Sheldon wasn't sure what was going on, but he glanced at Penny briefly before turning back toward apartment 4A.
That glance didn't go unnoticed by Penny.
"Oh no you don't…" she muttered, her eyes narrowing. "Sorry, big guy! Change of plans. Go home—this date is over!"
She turned to Eric, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and bolted up the stairs. "You! Nerds! Wait for me!"
Her voice echoed after Sheldon. "You're not going to ignore me again, mister wizard! Got it!?"
Eric stood there, stunned.
"Can I touch your stick?" Penny's voice floated down a moment later.
Eric blinked.
"…Weird," he said, shaking his head. Sure, he just got dumped—but honestly, he felt relieved. That woman was something else.
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Third Person POV
Sheldon carried a few plates—one for each regular resident of Apartment 4A, and one extra for an uninvited guest, who was already sitting comfortably on the couch, observing everyone with a curious gaze.
"Are you naked under that shirt, Leonard?" Penny asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
"I am naked," Howard said deadpan, sitting beside her and locking eyes with Penny.
"That's why I wasn't asking you, Howard." she replied, with her deadpanned eyes.
Leonard ignored Howard and answered, "No, I'm wearing underwear."
"You mean… modern underpants?" Sheldon chimed in, looking at Leonard before sighing and shaking his head. "Forget it. I'm already exhausted by this nonsense."
Then he turned to Penny. "Why are you here? Don't you have a date tonight?"
"What, you don't want me here?" Penny arched an eyebrow.
Leonard quickly jumped in, eyes wide again, "No! He likes you being here!"
Penny ignored Leonard and looked directly at Sheldon. "I just don't understand why you're here and not out with your date." Sheldon said again, ignoring Leonard.
Sheldon sat in his usual spot beside her. "I was worried about you. Eric is just a friend—we met on set," Penny explained, then her face lit up as she remembered something. "Oh! Guess what? I met the lead actor from my movie!" She said with her mouth dropped open in excitement.
Leonard, Howard, and Raj instantly leaned in, intrigued—except for Sheldon, who, of course, already knew exactly who she was referring to.
Penny raised both hands. "Well, technically, I'm not supposed to tell you guys…"
"Oh come on!" the guys groaned in unison, encouraging her even more—exactly what she wanted.
"Alright!" Penny said, pausing dramatically for effect. She glanced at Sheldon, who was still quietly eating his food, completely uninterested.
"Why aren't you interested in my story?" Penny finally asked, breaking the suspense.
"Sheldon!" Leonard sighed in frustration, irritated that he was ruining Penny's moment.
"You can keep talking. I'm capable of eating and listening," Sheldon replied, looking at Penny with her usual blank stare, "What?".
"Really? You have zero interest in what I'm saying?" Penny asked, a bit hurt.
Sheldon frowned slightly. "No. I know exactly what you're talking about. I was the one who gave you the contact for that job, remember?"
Penny just stared at him, waiting.
"I know who you're about to mention, and no, I'm not amused—because I already know. But go ahead. Feel free to amuse them," Sheldon said, with a tone of arrogant indifference.
The room temperature metaphorically dropped. Ice Queen Penny was now glaring at The Emperor Ice—the very person who had once crowned her with the title.
Raj whispered to Howard, "Dude, it suddenly feels cold in here."
Howard nodded with awkwardly, "Yeah, definitely chill vibes."
"What was I thinking?" Penny muttered, leaning back into the couch. "I should have gone on that date with Eric instead of being here!"
Leonard shot a look at Sheldon, silently begging him: Fix this!.
Sheldon sighed, set his plate down, and gently reached out to pat Penny's head. "There, there," he said softly. "I'm sorry. Now… tell me your story."
Everyone stared at Sheldon in disbelief—well, everyone except Penny, who had experienced that rare tenderness before.
Then Sheldon looked at her with genuine interest, waiting for her to continue.
"Fine! I'll tell you!" Penny said, now excited again.
Leonard, Howard, and Raj stared at Sheldon as if he'd just defeated a final boss and tamed it as a pet—especially Leonard, who looked completely dumbfounded.
"Liam Neeson!" Penny exclaimed, ignoring their reactions. "He's so cool! Like, a real mentor. He's been teaching me a ton!"
The Nerd Gang was stunned again. Their eyes darted between Penny and Sheldon.
"The one who played Oskar Schindler?!" Howard blurted out.
"Yes!" Penny beamed, thrilled to finally have someone share her excitement. She turned to Sheldon, who had quietly resumed eating.
"No, No, The one who played Qui-Gon Jinn?!" Leonard also said excitedly, looking at Penny with his eyes wide open.
Penny looked at him hesitantly, "Well, I don't know what character you're talking about, but I know you're talking about Star Wars right?" Penny said making Leonard and the others nodded, "Then yes!". She said excitedly.
"Well, I'm glad you're happy, Penny." Sheldon said flatly.
"You are?" she asked, looking at him seriously.
"Yes," Sheldon replied. "Remember what I told you?"
"Yes, yes!" Penny waved her hand. "I already said I'm learning so much from Liam Neeson, didn't I? I even go to set on my days off just to watch him work!"
"That's good—"
Sheldon's words stopped abruptly when a loud alarm blared from his phone.
*WOOOP WOOOP WOOOP
He quickly put his plate down and pulled out his phone, his expression shifting into sheer horror.
"What the hell?!" Penny exclaimed as the others jumped at the sound. They all stared at Sheldon, who looked truly alarmed.
No one knew what was going on. What kind of alarm did Sheldon Cooper have on his phone? What other secrets did this man hold?.
Penny leaned in close to peek at his phone screen.
"Really?" Sheldon glared at her. "I want to see too!" Penny said, refusing to move away.
Sheldon sighed but turned to his left—where Leonard was also peering over.
"Really?!" Sheldon repeated.
"I want to see too!" Leonard said loudly.
"No. Sit over there," Sheldon barked, making Leonard sulk.
"Petty," Leonard muttered.
Sheldon ignored him and caught Howard and Raj creeping closer too.
"No."
"Petty."
Penny grinned mischievously at them and turned back to Sheldon's phone.
"World Economy?" she read aloud.
Sheldon read slowly, then looked up at Leonard. "Turn the news on TV."
Leonard didn't understand what was going on, but Sheldon's tone told him it was serious. He grabbed the remote and began flipping channels.
"Oh look, it's Taylor S. She's adorable!" Howard said as an entertainment segment popped up.
"I said news, Leonard!" Sheldon snapped.
Leonard quickly switched to a financial channel, causing Howard and Raj to groan.
"Major mortgage lenders and industry leaders file for bankruptcy."
The news anchor's voice echoed through the room.
"Over 3,200 employees laid off. Manufacturing index plunges—clear sign of an economic slowdown. Institute of Supply Management reports rising prices—"
Everyone turned to Sheldon, who had completely lost interest in his food and was now fixated on the screen.
Sheldon Lee Cooper, holder of multiple doctorates, a man who dedicated his life to physics, was now watching financial news with the focus of a stockbroker.
Everyone was stunned—especially Leonard. He knew Sheldon didn't care about money. The man had uncashed checks sitting in his desk drawer.
So why the sudden interest in the economy?.
"…I need to call someone." Sheldon muttered and stood up to leave the room.
No one stopped him. They had no idea what was really happening.
All they could do was watch as Sheldon held his phone, staring at it with grave intensity—and urgency.