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Third-Person POV
In the Pasadena apartment, a few people were immersed in a video game, completely ignoring one person who was fast asleep on the couch.
The loud blare of the television and the excited shouting filled the entire room with chaotic energy.
Sheldon, known for his acute sense of hearing—capable of picking up sounds only animals typically could—did not react at all to the noise storm erupting in his apartment.
Maybe the alcohol had finally done the impossible: shut down his brain for a few hours.
'…FOR THE SAKE OF MY BROTHER, COULD YOU GUYS PLEASE SHUT UP?!....' Sheldon screamed—or at least, that's what he thought he did.
What his friends actually heard was, "…Humbsmgeinva… Ganndydibgjsk…" as Sheldon mumbled incoherently, furrowing his brows in discomfort.
"Oh look, Sheldon's awake." came the familiar voice of an Indian man. "Sheldon, I bring you some soup for your hangover." the voice continued, echoing in Sheldon's ears.
Sheldon slowly opened his eyes, squinting against the light, and saw Raj's face hovering above him, a small smile on his lips.
"What… happened last night?" Sheldon mumbled, his head pounding. "I remember… being with Penny…." he added, glancing over at Leonard who was still focused on the game.
"Hey, Sheldon," Leonard said without turning his head. "Oh yeah… you passed out. Can't believe you actually drank a few bottles of wine here."
"Freakin' awesome, dude!" Raj said with a chuckle. "If there weren't empty bottles all over the place, we might've assumed you just fell asleep on the couch, which you never did."
Howard shot a glance toward Sheldon. "Yeah, you really passed out! It's already 1 p.m., man! You really partied by yourself, huh?" he said, returning to his game. "Leonard said he woke up this morning and there were no girls around. Which means… sad. Not really sad, I've been there."
Leonard chuckled. "Oh yeah, I should probably let Penny know you're awake." He paused his game and picked up his phone.
"Whipped." Howard muttered, clearly annoyed that Leonard had paused the game just as he was winning.
Raj giggled and looked back at Sheldon, who was now sitting up slowly on the couch.
"Dude, are you alright?" Raj asked, concerned.
Howard also glanced over at Sheldon, then looked back at Raj. Their eyes met, seemingly communicating telepathically.
"I'm not sick…" Sheldon said as he touched his forehead.
"…Oh thank Lord…" Howard sighed in relief, but corrected himself quickly after noticing Raj's look. "I mean, thank you, Lord!"
"Here, eat this chicken soup, dude." Raj said, offering him the bowl.
Sheldon wanted to object and launch into a scientific explanation, but the pounding in his head and the gnawing in his stomach made him change his mind.
"Thank you," Sheldon said, accepting the soup and eating it with surprising enthusiasm. "It's cold," he noted, but continued eating regardless.
"I can heat it up if you want," Raj offered, but seeing that Sheldon had already devoured most of it, he changed his response. "I mean, I can get you a new bowl—and heat that one up first."
"Yes, please. One more." Sheldon said, handing over his empty bowl.
"Coming right up." Raj said, heading to the kitchen.
"Who made that soup?" Sheldon asked, turning to Howard with question on his face. His friends never do that to him, atleast when he was sick, they gone.
"Penny did. She said to give it to you once you woke up," Howard replied. "She also said, and I quote, 'If you touch my soup, I'll give you guys a hell of a rodeo up your ass.' That's exactly what she said."
Leonard returned and looked around. "Penny's on her way back. And Sheldon, eat your soup! Oh—you already did. Great." He smiled and noticed Raj coming back with two bowls. "Wait—there's more?"
"There's still some left." Raj said, handing one bowl to Sheldon and keeping the other for himself.
"I want some too!" Howard exclaimed and went to grab a bowl.
"So, what did happen last night?" Raj asked Sheldon, curious why he drank wine again.
"I don't really remember."
Raj raised an eyebrow. "You don't remember? You have an eidetic memory, dude."
"Yeah… it'll come back if something triggers it later," Sheldon replied, scanning their faces. For now, it was all blank. Judging by the bottles scattered around, though—yeah, he was very drunk.
"Well, I guess the party's not over for you just yet," Howard said, handing his phone to Sheldon. "You got a couple of likes on YouTube."
Sheldon stared at the screen and saw a video of himself singing a country song while playing the piano.
A crowd surrounded him in what appeared to be a bar or restaurant, singing along with him.
"I admit, that was pretty awesome, Sheldon," Leonard said, smiling. "Look—the comments are mostly positive. Well, mostly."
Leonard and Howard scrolled through comments—some expressing nostalgia, others impressed with the performance.
"The important thing is, they don't know who you are in that video." Raj said, looking at Sheldon, who exhaled deeply.
"Oh no… You can't do that. Howard, please take the video down," Sheldon said, suddenly alarmed. Raj's words brought a small sense of relief—he didn't want to be famous again. He didn't want that spotlight.
But he also knew that once a video hit the internet, it was never truly gone.
"Alright," Howard said, tapping away at his phone. "What a shame… Wait a minute—the video's already gone…"
Howard looked up and saw Sheldon breathe out again. "That's good," Sheldon simply said, continuing to eat. "Go eat your soup before it gets cold."
Howard and Leonard exchanged glances. They understood—Sheldon's brother must have pulled the strings again.
Not that Howard minded. He was going to delete the video anyway. They both shrugged and returned to their soup.
"…Was it your brother who did that?" Raj asked, still searching for the truth.
Sheldon didn't answer. He just focused on his soup.
"Your sister?" Howard asked, making sure not to sound disrespectful.
"Your mother?" Leonard chimed in, also treading carefully.
"Your sister's assistant?" Raj added, still respectful.
"For the sake of God, will you all just stop asking?!" Sheldon exclaimed, glaring at each of them.
"Just tell us!" Leonard said, leaning forward. He needed to know.
"…He owns shares in the company." Sheldon finally said, after a long sigh.
"…You multi-billionaire son of a gun," Howard said, staring at him. "Well, I already knew you were Richie-Rich-Rich. So… what the hell!" he added, still stunned.
They'd all done their own research—secretly, without Sheldon's knowledge.
They'd assumed Sheldon came from a wealthy family, but there were some major companies whose shareholders weren't public yet—and they hadn't realized his family held major stakes.
"I don't want to talk about it. And I don't want you guys talking about it either, okay?" Sheldon said, setting his bowl down and locking eyes with each of them.
They all nodded in agreement, silently promising to drop the subject.
"I'm going to lie down. My head still hurts. Tell Penny I said thank you for the soup. It was delicious." Sheldon said, getting up and heading back to his room.
"Oh yeah, sure," Leonard replied, finishing off the last of Penny's soup with satisfaction.
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Third Person POV
Several hours had passed, and Sheldon was feeling noticeably better. While the soup had taken the edge off his hangover, the pounding in his head hadn't completely subsided. Still, sleep had done wonders for his recovery.
He stepped out of his room and was surprised to see that the group had grown—with Penny now sitting among them.
"Hey, sweetie. Feeling better already?" Penny asked with a warm smile as soon as she noticed him.
"Thanks for the soup," Sheldon replied. "Chicken soup contains sodium and potassium which help replenish lost electrolytes. It's also easy on the digestive system." he added matter-of-factly.
"You're welcome!" Penny responded cheerfully.
"He just means your soup was delicious," Leonard chimed in with a geeky grin. "So, Penny, what were you about to tell us? Now that Sheldon's here."
Sheldon squinted at Leonard. "Why were you all waiting for me? What's going on?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "I know I'm an integral part of this group, but an email would've sufficed. We do live in the modern world—not the 1970s."
Leonard shot him an annoyed look. "Yeah, I already told Penny the same thing. Just sit down, please."
With a shrug, Sheldon walked toward the couch. Penny scooted to the side, making space for him.
"Thank you," Sheldon said as he settled into his designated spot. "So? What's this about?"
Penny turned to him with an excited glimmer in her eyes. "I'm pregnant, Sheldon." she said seriously and looking at sheldon like he was the one who responsible for this news.
The room went still.
"You really committed to the bit," Sheldon remarked flatly before exhaling. "Congratulations, Penny."
"Yes!" Penny suddenly squealed with excitement.
"Wait—what?!" Leonard exclaimed, his eyes darting between them.
"Yeah! Back up a sec—pregnant? WHAT?!" Howard added, practically shouting.
Raj nodded in stunned silence, staring at Penny with wide eyes.
"Hah! I knew those acting classes weren't a waste of money!" Penny said with a smug smile, popping a Cheeto into her mouth.
"So… the pregnancy thing was just a prank? Oh, thank God!" Leonard muttered in relief, then quickly corrected himself. "I mean... not that anyone wants to be pregnant while we're still this young, right?"
"Sheldon's brother—pulled a few strings and got me an audition for a film he's investing in." Penny explained.
Sheldon frowned at her. "Don't call it a small role. You're in the film. If you've got the talent, people will notice you—regardless of how minor the part is."
Howard's eyes lit up. "Can I brag about you during my next pickup attempt? I swear I won't tarnish your reputation!"
Penny gave him a deadpan stare. "Absolutely not. I'm a rookie, and the last thing I need is you using my name as a punchline."
Sheldon also looked at Howard and simply said, "Don't."
Howard gulped and gave a nervous nod.
Leonard, still curious, asked, "So, what's the role? What kind of character are you playing?"
Penny looked at Sheldon, who subtly shook his head. "Sorry, Leonard. I already signed an NDA. But oh my God—I'm so excited about this!" she said, nearly bursting.
"Don't get too excited," Sheldon cautioned as he rose from the sofa and headed toward the kitchen. "You still have a lot to learn. Even the smallest bit of knowledge can lead to something greater."
Penny nodded seriously. "You're right, Sheldon." She stood up and followed him, beaming. "I won't mess this up. Not for you."
Sheldon looked at her face—now just inches from his—and flashes of last night's events flickered in his mind.
He blinked and turned away. "...Good to hear. My name's on the line for this. My Brother's name too" He took a sip of water to cool himself down.
Penny staring deeply at Sheldon and then nod her head, turned to the rest of the gang. "Speaking of contracts... How about Chinese food tonight? My treat!"
"Yeah!" the guys cheered.
They were all genuinely happy for Penny. Even though it was just a small role, she had finally taken her first real step into the acting world—and that was worth celebrating.
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Third Person POV – Before Sheldon Woke Up
Penny, with a heart full of joy, could hardly contain herself. She couldn't wait to share the news—especially with Sheldon.
She practically bounced up the stairs, her smile wide and unshakable. She'd gone to the audition her manager told her, and apparently, the role was practically written for her—thanks to the film's investor.
All she had to do was deliver a decent performance and satisfy the director. Nothing weird. Just good acting. The part itself wasn't anything grand—something like "Girl C"—but still, it was already hers.
"Hey, guys!" Penny called out as she opened the door to Apartment 4A, spotting her nerdy friends gathered around doing... whatever it was they were doing.
Her eyes scanned the room. No Sheldon in the room and then she looked at Leonard.
"Where's Sheldon?" she asked Leonard.
"Oh hey, Penny!" Leonard immediately stepped away from whatever he was doing with Howard and Raj. "Uh, he's resting in his room after eating your soup."
Penny smiled. "Oh great. How was it? I hope it met his standards..."
Howard stepped toward her with a weird tone and posture. "It was... delicious..."
Seeing Penny's discomfort, Leonard gently pushed Howard aside. "That's what Sheldon said."
"Really? Oh, thank God!" Penny exhaled in relief.
Leonard gave her a geeky grin, "Yeah, he actually had two bowls. We all tried it too."
Penny raised an eyebrow. "Guys... that soup was for Sheldon." And looking at them with frown on her face.
Howard plopped back on the couch. "Well, he partied pretty hard. Doesn't even remember what happened last night."
That made Leonard think. "Yeah, good point. What did happen to him? All I saw was a bunch of empty wine bottles."
"I have no idea. I just helped Sheldon to his front door. I had to sleep early for my audition this morning," Penny said flatly as she sat down on Sheldon's spot. "Is he okay, though? And how much does he remember? I had to practically drag him upstairs while he was still yapping about who-knows-what."
"Oh, he remembers you getting him to the door. After that? Nothing," Leonard said.
"Hmm, good. That's good." Penny paused for a moment, then lit up. "I have big news! But we should wait for Sheldon."
"Is it a party with your hot friends? I'm in!" Howard grinned.
"No." Penny crushed his hope with a single word.
"Want me to wake him?" Leonard offered. "Or, you know... you could just tell us and we'll email him later. He'd probably prefer that."
Penny stood up. "No, I'll wait. I'm gonna shower first anyway." She turned to leave Apartment 4A.
Nothing could ruin her mood today. Not even Howard's dirty jokes. And all her worries faded knowing Sheldon didn't remember what happened last night.