The apartment was warm with low music, mismatched party hats, and the smell of cheap champagne. Penny had spent the night laughing with the guys, teasing Sheldon about his "New Year's statistical analysis," and pretending she wasn't watching him out of the corner of her eye.
He looked good tonight—soft blue shirt, sleeves neatly rolled, hair a little mussed from Howard stealing his spot on the couch. He'd scowled for a full twenty minutes.
Now the countdown echoed across the TV.
"THREE! TWO! ONE!"
A cheer went up, confetti cannons popped, and before Penny could process the shift in the room, Leonard leaned in—too close, too fast—and pressed his lips to hers.
It lasted less than a second.
But her entire body went rigid.
A sharp internal lurch, as if her soul had misfired.
She jerked back instinctively. "Leonard—no."
His face fell. "Oh. I thought because we've been getting closer and—"
"I'm sorry," she said quickly, holding her hands up. "I really am. You're sweet, but I don't… I don't feel that way about you. At all. And honestly? I don't think I ever will."
His eyes widened at the bluntness, but Penny refused to sugarcoat something so important.
"Can we still be friends?" she added softly.
Leonard nodded, though he looked more embarrassed than hurt. "Yeah. Of course."
She exhaled, relieved—and then the internal system chimed, sharp and cold:
[SYSTEM NOTICE:
Soulbond dormant.
Emotional mismatch detected.]
A shiver crawled through Penny's spine.
Yeah. No kidding. She was barely stopping herself from trying to wipe her lips, to try to erase what just happened.
What she felt with Leonard was a warm fondness, a roommate-kind-of-comfort. Nothing romantic. Nothing *sparking*. It wasn't even close to whatever was happening with Sheldon, which… God, she needed to stop thinking about.
Except she couldn't. Not anymore.
Her heart wasn't confused. It hadn't been in weeks. Not since Halo Night #1 when Sheldon got competitive and she felt her pulse jump just because he *looked* at her differently. Not since Christmas when he touched her star-map panel like it was holy.
Leonard had never done that. No man had ever done that.
And the kiss—ugh. The moment their lips touched, her entire being recoiled in perfect clarity.
No. Not him. Not ever.
She wasn't the original Penny and she wouldn't live her life. She had her own path she was forging.
And she wouldn't risk hurting a friend's long-term feelings just to preserve a canon she wasn't even sure applied anymore.
She swallowed, suddenly grateful the system had stayed dormant. If it had sparked during that kiss, she would have jumped off the balcony.
Across the room, Sheldon was fiddling with a fresh glass of sparkling cider, oblivious to the awkward emotional earthquake that had just taken place. Raj and Howard had already turned their attention back to the TV, arguing over some sci-fi marathon.
Leonard slipped into his room without making it a big thing, and Penny stayed rooted to the spot, heart calming, breath steadying.
She'd handled it.
She'd protected the friendship.
And she'd told the truth.
As the party noise resumed its normal rhythm, she looked over at Sheldon—who caught her gaze, blinked at her in mild curiosity, and offered a stiff little nod, like he was acknowledging the start of the new year with his preferred neighbor.
Her lips tugged into a smile she couldn't stop.
Yeah.
This feeling?
This warmth?
This was different. Realer. Sharper.
And she was done pretending it wasn't.
[SYSTEM STATUS
Soulbond: Dormant.
Affinity: Rising.
Emotional vector stabilizing.]
Penny took a sip of champagne and allowed the truth to settle.
She didn't want Leonard.
She wanted Sheldon.
And God help her… she might actually be falling in love with him.