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*3rd Pov - Future
"Sheldon! What was I right about?!"
Penny's voice echoed as she followed him into the apartment, footsteps hurried behind him.
Sheldon didn't stop at first. He kept walking with his hat in one hand, the other swinging with the kind of precision that only came from annoyance—or despair.
But her question hit something.
He stopped.
Turning around slowly, he saw not just Penny—but Leonard right behind her, both of them looking at him, confused, concerned, waiting.
"...You were right," he said quietly. "My brother… he's not in Texas anymore. He's probably back… somewhere else by now."
He turned again—ready to vanish into the hallway.
"That's it?" Leonard blurted, frowning. "You staged a heart attack to get off a plane… for that?"
Even Penny looked surprised at how anticlimactic that sounded.
She shrugged. "I mean… I did call Missy. She said Georgie's not there anymore. Guess he left."
Sheldon stopped mid-step.
They didn't notice it at first—but his breath caught.
He let out a slow exhale, his shoulders dropping slightly.
Then, without another word, he walked to the couch—his spot—and sat down.
He didn't speak.
He didn't look at either of them.
He just stared straight ahead, hands folded on his lap, the cowboy hat resting quietly beside him like a prop from a failed adventure.
Leonard glanced at Penny, and whispered under his breath, "Okay… he's doing that weird shutdown thing again."
Penny ignored him and sat down beside Sheldon on the couch.
"What's wrong, Sheldon?"
Sheldon turned to look at her briefly, then shifted his gaze to Leonard.
"I just remembered something. Something my brother said to me a long time ago."
Leonard frowned.
"Wait, I thought you had eidetic memory?"
His expression shifted into a smug little smirk.
"You actually forgot something, huh?"
Penny shot Leonard a sharp look, ready to say something—But Sheldon cut in before she could.
"It was during flu season. I had a bad flu, and my memory was a little foggy that day.
Which is still better than someone who constantly forgets he's lactose intolerant and keeps trying to impress a girl by eating cheese."
Penny looked between them—then realized what Sheldon had just said.
He wasn't just talking about Leonard. He was talking about her too.
She gave him a mock offended and light smack on the arm.
"Don't talk about me like I'm not here! That's it—this hat is mine now."
After that, she snatched the cowboy hat and placed it on her head, flashing a playful cowgirl grin at both of them.
Leonard, who had been doing his best to ignore how good Penny looked in her dress, now had to face the added danger of her wearing a cowboy hat.
His throat went dry instantly.
"Excuse me. I… need a drink. Cold. Very cold."
He bolted toward the kitchen, leaving the two of them behind.
Once he was gone, Penny turned back to Sheldon. Her tone softened.
"What's really going on, Sheldon?"
Sheldon avoided her eyes, choosing instead to focus on the mess of takeout boxes and papers scattered across the table.
"Leonard, please clean up this table next time you have a date night with Lesley." he said flatly.
Leonard didn't respond.
He just turned on the tap and splashed water on his face.
Penny frowned. "Hey—don't dodge the question!"
Sheldon looked at Penny, a deep frown etched on his face.
"What exactly do you want to know, Penny?"
His voice wasn't cold—just tired. Honest.
Penny didn't flinch.
"What was I right about?"
For a second, he just stared at her, unblinking.
Then, quietly—almost too casually—he said,
"You were right. You don't love me."
Penny's eyes widened. Her breath caught.
She hadn't expected that. Not from him. Not tonight.
Sheldon looked away for a moment, then back at her. "My brother once told me, when you love someone, 'Your heart beats faster when you see her. You think about her all the time. And when you have to choose… she's your first choice'. Thats what he said to me before."
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle between them.
"I know myself, Penny," he added, voice calm. "I don't love you either."
Then he reached for his cowboy hat on her head.
"This is mine," he said softly, but firmly. "No one takes what's mine."
He slid it back onto his head slowly, as if putting on armor.
Then he stood, looking at Penny one last time.
"Good night, Penny."
His gaze shifted to Leonard.
"You too, Leonard."
And with that, he turned and walked away—leaving the room thick with silence, and two people who suddenly didn't know what to say.
Leonard blinked, still processing what just happened.
"…What's wrong with him?" he muttered, looking over at Penny.
But Penny didn't answer.
She simply stood up, her expression unreadable, and walked out of the apartment without a word.
Leonard watched the door close behind her.
Then glanced down the hallway where Sheldon had vanished moments earlier.
He threw his arms up, exasperated.
"What's wrong with them?!"
—---------
3rd POV
"We're home," George Sr. called out gently as he stepped through the front door of the Cooper house, his voice carrying through the quiet halls.
But no response came. The house felt unusually still.
There was no football practice today—flu season had swept through the school like wildfire. With so many students falling ill, all activities were canceled, and everyone had been sent home to rest.
George Sr. glanced down at Missy walking beside him. She was quieter than usual, hugging her arms to her chest as they made their way inside.
As they turned the corner, they found Mary standing just outside Georgie's bedroom door, her expression soft and calm, as if she were guarding something precious.
"What are you doing?" Missy asked in a small voice, curious but careful not to speak too loudly.
Mary turned, surprised for a moment, then placed a finger gently over her lips. "Shhh…" she whispered, and nodded toward the open bedroom door.
Inside, the sight that met their eyes was one that warmed the heart.
Georgie lay on his back, his arm protectively wrapped around Sheldon, who had curled up beside him. Sheldon's head rested lightly against his big brother's chest, both of them sound asleep—peaceful and safe.
George Sr. stood there, taking in the scene with quiet affection. A soft smile grew on his face, filled with pride and tenderness.
Missy tilted her head, confused at first. "Why is Sheldon…?" she murmured to herself. Before Mary or George Sr. could stop her, she tiptoed into the room.
They reached out, instinctively trying to hold her back—but Missy slipped through their hands like a breeze and gently climbed onto the edge of the bed.
Unfortunately, "gently" for Missy meant accidentally elbowing Georgie in the stomach.
"Ughhh…" Georgie groaned, shifting under the impact.
Missy blinked, then looked straight at Sheldon. "Why are you here?" she whispered, not out of anger—but genuine confusion.
Sheldon stirred, his sleepy eyes blinking open. He looked around slowly, still half-dreaming, then murmured, "I… I think I fell asleep."
"No kidding," Missy replied with a smirk, rolling her eyes a little. Then, with a spark of determination, she looked at Georgie. "I wanna sleep here too!"
There was a short pause.
"…Can you please remove your elbow from my stomach first?" Georgie said in a soft but firm voice, his eyes half-open in discomfort.
And let's be honest—getting elbowed in the stomach is not something anyone would call comfortable.
Sheldon rubbed his eyes and glanced at Missy. "Missy, I'm sick," he said, voice still sleepy. "If you sleep here, you'll catch my flu—and then we'll both be stuck in this viral trap forever."
Missy crossed her arms with dramatic flair. "Oh yeah? Then why are you here? Big Brother could get sick because of you, you know. He's still trying to become famous, remember?"
Sheldon blinked, suddenly realizing the weight of her words. He slowly turned toward Georgie, who was still gently rubbing his stomach from the elbow attack.
"Brother," Sheldon asked, a little guilty, "are you gonna get sick because of me?"
Georgie waved a hand dismissively, giving a casual shrug. "Nah, I'm never gonna get sick from that. I'm stronger than both of you combined."
Then he turned his gaze to Missy, narrowing his eyes playfully. "But this little lady—who clearly doesn't know how to wake people up like a normal human being—needs to be… punished!"
Missy's eyes widened. She had already climbed down from the bed the moment Georgie gave her that look.
"Uh-oh," she whispered, just before Georgie lunged.
Laughter echoed through the room as Georgie chased her playfully, while Sheldon shook his head, smiling to himself.
"Kids," he murmured with a sigh, though his tone was more fond than annoyed.
And though he didn't quite notice it yet, he already felt better than he had earlier. Maybe it was the comfort of his brother's arms—or the warmth of falling asleep surrounded by family—but whatever it was, his fevered body felt lighter now.
Mary and George Sr. stood quietly by the doorway, watching the chaos with soft, loving smiles.
It wasn't a perfect day, and things weren't always easy.
But in this moment—filled with giggles, teasing, and gentle care—it felt like everything was going to be just fine.
{Getting sick was never something I looked forward to, or even welcomed…
But somehow, I remember moments like this.
I didn't realize it back then, but catching the flu led to one of the happiest memories of my childhood.} — Future Sheldon
"Achooo!"
A loud sneeze echoed from the bedroom doorway.
Everyone froze and turned to see George Sr. standing there, blinking and sniffling.
He noticed all the eyes locked onto him. "I—I'm not sick!" he insisted, trying to smile through it.
Sheldon immediately covered his nose and mouth.
Mary took a cautious step back.
Missy raised an eyebrow and gave him her signature smirk.
And Georgie?
He calmly walked up to his dad and patted him on the shoulder.
"I hope you go to the pharmacy and get some cold medicine or something."
{Yup, I'm not a fan of viruses or bacteria… But I do plan on living a long life. The world still needs me.} — Future Sheldon.
"shut up Georgie!"
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*Georgie POV
Well, this past week's been crazy packed.
The flu's still going around in our little town of Medford, but the school hasn't closed. Classes are still running, even though most of the teachers are already down with the virus.
Luckily, it's the kind of flu that's easy to recover from—and not the deadly kind. But hey, there is some good news.
In an attempt to boost his immune system, Sheldon has officially decided to join me for morning runs.
He said he wanted to run alongside me… but honestly? I think he barely ran for a few seconds before switching to walking with that dramatic, wheezy breath of his.
I didn't push him too hard. I just encouraged him to keep going.
You know—by threatening to leave him behind if he stopped.
What? I thought that was solid motivation for Sheldon.
And as for the other boy in the Cooper family? Don't even mention him. He just laid on the asphalt like a stranded whale the minute we started.
But… I gotta admit—I admire him.
For trying. For showing up.
For wanting to be part of something, even if it's just a silly morning run with his son.
"Come on, Dad! Don't just sit there—we need to keep moving!" I called out, waving him on.
Dad looked up at me with a tired face, panting hard. "You know… huff huff… the last time I followed you… wheeze… I ended up… in the hospital… remember?"
I couldn't help but grin.
Meanwhile, Sheldon was still marching forward, trying to regulate his breathing. I glanced at him—he looked dead serious, lips mumbling something to himself.
He stopped beside Dad and spoke between breaths. "The doctor said you need more physical activity—which you rarely get—so you should start slow. There's a method to it. I read about it last night. You need to control your breathing… and move your body like this."
Then Sheldon started swinging his arms and hips like some kind of professional power walker.
"I'm impressed, Shelly." I said, clapping for him with a grin.
"Thank you. I learned it last night," he replied proudly.
George Sr. let out a long groan and slowly stood up, muttering, "Easy for you… skinny."
"Thank you!"
Sheldon and I said it in perfect unison.
Dad just snorted, his breath still heavy, clearly regretting every life choice that led him to this moment.