Chapter 8 — Leonard, Love-Struck
The tape played for a full hour.
At last, Hawking's voice ended, and the living room fell into a kind of sacred silence.
Three PhDs and one master's-degree holder sat there with solemn expressions, as if they'd just received a holy scientific communion.
Sheldon spoke first, reverent as ever.
"This is the pinnacle of human intellect, Leonard. Can you feel it—the… tremor running through your entire body?"
Leonard rubbed his stiff neck. "What I feel is lower back pain."
But when he turned his head, his attention instantly snapped to the far end of the couch—
Ethan and Penny were sitting together.
Side by side.
Too close.
And worse—way too natural about it.
Penny was laughing, bright and carefree, her laughter popping like bubbles in the night air.
Ethan responded by tapping his fingers lightly against his knee, his tone soft and gentle.
Leonard's smile froze instantly.
For some reason, he suddenly sensed a subtle… danger in the air.
He cleared his throat and walked over "casually," placing a hand on Ethan's shoulder as if he were just joining the conversation.
Ethan glanced at the hand on his shoulder, mildly puzzled.
"Leonard… don't you think you're being a little too intimate?"
"Oh! Oh! Sorry!" Leonard yanked his hand back at the speed of light. "I've been sitting on the floor too long. I just needed to stretch."
As he spoke, Leonard raised his arms and did a few awkward stretches.
Except—since he never exercised, he didn't just look stiff.
He was practically trembling, and every movement came out misshapen.
Ethan glanced helplessly at Penny—
only to find her looking at him with a smug, satisfied expression.
Their eyes met.
And in that instant, a silent understanding formed between them.
(See? This is the normal reaction men should have to me.)
(Yes, Penny. Your charm is extremely hazardous.)
Neither of them said a word.
Just one flicker of eye contact, and the message transmitted perfectly.
Leonard stood there completely clueless, having no idea what just happened.
"Hey," he said with a tight smile, "you two seem to be having fun. Did I miss something?"
Ethan turned his head, unable to resist teasing him.
"You missed Penny's boobs."
"…Huh?"
Howard immediately sprang up like he'd been struck by lightning.
"WHO just said—'boobs'?!!"
Right after Howard, Raj also wandered over, his face overflowing with curiosity.
Ethan looked around at the guys who had instantly formed a tight circle around him.
"Yes," he said calmly. "She said her chest felt uncomfortable, so I checked her."
Howard's eyes almost popped out. "She took her clothes off?!"
"Of course," Ethan replied. "Have you ever seen a doctor listen to someone's chest through their clothes?"
The three guys wore the exact expression of men who'd just missed out on a billion dollars.
Penny couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing. "You guys were so obsessed with the tape that when I said I was taking my top off, none of you even turned around."
The moment Penny didn't deny it, the three men looked even more devastated.
Howard couldn't help blurting, "This needs regular checkups, right? When's the next one? Can we be there too… to assist?"
Ethan smiled. "Of course…"
Howard leaned in, hopeful—
"…Not."
Howard clutched his chest dramatically. "Ugh. I should've studied medicine."
---
It was getting late.
Howard and Raj left the apartment. Sheldon had already gone back to his room.
Only Leonard stayed hovering around Penny like a nervous satellite that refused to drift away.
Ethan stood up as well, ready to return to his room—he figured he should give Leonard and Penny some space.
Then Leonard suddenly called out to him with an awkward laugh, desperately trying to reclaim a sense of relevance.
"I was just thinking… Penny, where are you staying tonight? It's cold outside, so she can—uh—sleep in my room. Ethan and I can squeeze together."
The moment he said it, the entire room went quiet.
Penny looked surprised. She spoke politely. "Thank you, Leonard… but won't that be too much trouble?"
"Not at all! Not even a little!" Leonard looked at Ethan with near-pleading eyes. "Right? Ethan?"
Ethan shrugged.
Penny could only smile awkwardly—polite but clearly uncomfortable.
---
The Next Morning
Before the alarm even rang, Ethan woke up naturally—his body clock always ran early.
The second his eyes opened, he sensed something was off—
There was a… fuzzy thigh pressing against his waist?
He turned his head instinctively—
And froze instantly.
"—LEONARD!"
Leonard—who had never woken up this early in his life—jerked awake in panic. He blinked in confusion, then reflexively lifted the blanket.
Ethan's expression turned dangerous. He actually laughed.
"If you're not wearing underwear, I swear I'll perform gender reassignment surgery on you. From today onward, you'll be called—Sister Leonard."
Leonard felt a chill shoot through his lower body.
He grabbed himself in terror and stared at Ethan like he was facing a serial killer.
Ignoring Leonard trembling like a frightened rabbit, Ethan changed into workout clothes, put in his earbuds, and went out for a morning run.
---
Queens was still covered in light mist at this hour. The wind near the river brushed against his face with a faint salty edge.
As Ethan jogged, he kept thinking about last night's conversation with Penny.
He chuckled.
No wonder she was the female lead of The Big Bang Theory—high emotional intelligence, overflowing charm.
Penny's appeal to clueless guys wasn't just her looks and figure.
It was also that bright, open personality that made people want to be near her without realizing it.
"A born social genius."
As for Leonard pursuing Penny…
Ethan figured it would take time—and what Sheldon once described as "endless, never-ending persistence"—for Leonard to succeed.
But with Ethan's appearance in the story…
Would it become one of those butterfly-effect situations?
He exhaled.
"Whatever. No point overthinking it. Let things happen naturally."
Queens wasn't luxurious, but it wasn't bad either.
There weren't many runners on the street this early, and when they passed each other, nobody greeted.
New York moved too fast.
Even breathing felt like it had a price tag.
"People in L.A. at least smile," Ethan thought as he ran. "You go jogging there and make seven or eight new friends—talk about Kobe, talk about sunshine. In New York, if you say hi, people think you're selling gym memberships."
After running more than an hour, he was drenched in sweat, fully awake.
He returned to the apartment, took a hot shower, changed into a shirt and suit pants, and prepared to start a new day.
Leonard—who had gone back to sleep—got woken up again by the noise. He rubbed his sleepy face, put on his glasses, and watched Ethan adjusting his tie in the mirror.
"You wake up too early," Leonard yawned. "Do doctors always work this hard?"
"The early bird gets the worm," Ethan replied. "And the late worm…"
He smiled.
"…doesn't get eaten less."
Leonard chuckled, but his expression soon turned hesitant.
He pushed up his glasses and asked carefully, "Ethan… can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
"Do you—uh—like Penny?"
Ethan paused, hands still, and looked at Leonard's uneasy eyes in the mirror.
"Why do you ask?"
"Because… I can tell," Leonard admitted quietly. "She likes you. You two talked so easily last night—I don't even know how you did it. No girl has ever smiled at me that much."
Ethan smiled slightly, not answering right away.
He continued fixing his tie as he spoke.
"Penny is very likable. I'm interested in her."
Leonard's voice tightened. "So… you do like her?"
"I do," Ethan admitted with a shrug. "But I won't force anything. I'll let it happen naturally."
Leonard stared for two seconds, then his mouth twitched.
"Your answer… I don't understand it."
"That's because feelings are never black and white." Ethan smiled. "I'll treat her as a friend. But if she asks me out, and the vibe is right… I'll go."
Leonard blinked. "That sounds like… you won't chase her, but if she throws herself at you, you won't refuse."
"Bingo~"
Ethan snapped his fingers with an annoyingly smug expression.
Leonard pointed at him, furious. "You—! That's not fair!"
"Life isn't fair." Ethan laughed. "And besides—don't you think what Penny wants is the real point? Her happiness matters most."
Leonard deflated. "…Fine."
Ethan finished dressing, then casually tidied his hair.
"Good luck, lovesick little boy—Uncle Ethan is off to work and make money!"
"Get out!" Leonard snapped.
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