" Leonard Speaking"
' NZT Leonard Thinking'
Leonard quickly packed his things in his lab, making sure that no trace of the pills could be found. He sealed the pills in a ziplock bag before hiding them in his bag. Locking his lab, he took his workload for the next month before going next door to Leslie Winkle. He knocked on the door twice before she asked him to enter.
Looking at the laser heating a cup of noodles, Leonard smiled a little. He greeted, " Hello Leslie. Still doing your noodle experiment?"
Leslie looked up at Leonard. Her spectacled eyes betrayed a hint of curiosity. Ignoring the jab, she turned off the laser and picked up the hot cup of noodles. Mixing the noodles with a plastic fork she replied, " My experiment is of no consequence. But I am curious. What have you come here for Leonard?"
Leonard handed her a schedule of experiments that he had to conduct. He informed her, " I am going on a sabbatical. President Seibert has already approved. Since I won't be available at the university for the next six months, I wanted to hand over the workload. Please distribute it among the other experimental physicists."
Leslie looked impressed, " A sabbatical huh? And you even convinced Siebert. What did you tell him?"
Leonard did not want to explain much. He simply said, " Just an opportunity for funding. I really hate to drop this on you. But I have to get going. If the others refuse the experiments, just inform them of my sabbatical."
Without waiting for Leslie to speak, Leonard left the room. He swiftly went to the parking lot before getting into his car and driving away.
It was evening when Leonard came back to the shared apartment. He had spent the day arranging different things from his accommodation to his finances. The group was already there when he got home. Sheldon was sitting in his spot eating Chinese food. He was accompanied by Howard, Raj, Amy, Bernadette and Penny. The group turned to the door as Leonard entered the apartment, with his confident gait and different clothes.
Leonard waved, " Hello everyone."
Without looking at them any longer, he crossed the hall to his room. He had already checked his account balance and called a moving company to put all his belongings to storage. Looking at the room that has been his for the past decade, Leonard heaved a sigh. While waiting for the moving company, Leonard packed his bag with essentials. Going for a quick bathroom break, he found his glasses placed right where he left them. Putting them on once again, he felt as if he had become that young Leonard Hofstadter once again. However, Leonard knew that nothing will be the same again.
Penny's POV
Penny received a call from Sheldon about buying takeout tonight. For some reason, she didn't question it. She already remembered Sheldon's preferences, so buying dinner, especially when the money was provided by Sheldon was no big deal.
Sheldon droned on as Penny unpacked the takeout. He asked, " Did you remember to ask for the chicken with broccoli to be diced, not shredded?"
" Yes."
" Even though the menu description specifies shredded?"
" Yes."
" Brown rice, not white?"
" Yes."
" You stop at the Korean grocery and get the good hot mustard?"
" Yes."
" Did you pick up the low-sodium soy sauce from the market?"
" Yes"
Sheldon sat back in his spot with a smug smirk. Penny asked with exasperation, " Why didn't Leonard get the takeout? Doesn't he usually do this?"
Sheldon waved his hand dismissively, " He is probably having a pity party after breaking up with Priya in the morning."
Bernadette perked up and yelled, " Leonard and Priya broke up?!"
Raj shifted on the couch, fingers fidgeting against his jeans. He opened his mouth once, twice, but no words came. His muteness pressed heavier than usual, like the very air was conspiring to keep him quiet. Howard noticed, side-eyeing him with a faint smirk, but didn't tease. Not tonight. Bernadette had been drilling empathy into him, and sometimes—just sometimes—it stuck.
Amy sat perched on the armrest, arms folded. Her face was carefully neutral, but her eyes betrayed a flicker of guilt. She hadn't said anything when Sheldon pulled his stunt with Priya that morning. Watching Leonard walk away without a fight—it gnawed at her. She told herself it wasn't her responsibility. Still, she knew what silence made her. An accomplice.
Howard finally broke the quiet. "So… does anyone else think Sheldon went a little Bond villain today?" His tone was light, but his fingers tapped restlessly on the armrest.
Raj made a sound—half-sigh, half-laugh—but didn't speak. He gestured, helpless, like words were trapped behind glass.
Penny, leaning against the counter, didn't join in. Her arms were crossed, her brow tight. She hated waiting. It felt like the calm before a storm, except no one else seemed to realize they were standing in the path.
Sheldon, seated in his spot with the contract balanced on his knee, radiated smug composure. "What you call villainy, I call necessary enforcement of civilized order. Rules exist to protect us from chaos. Without them, we are, but savages."
Howard rolled his eyes. "You ever notice you're the only one who feels protected by these rules?"
"Incorrect," Sheldon replied coolly. "I'm merely the only one capable of enforcing them."
Amy's lips tightened. Raj lowered his gaze. Penny's jaw clenched.
Sheldon interjected, " Interestingly, this is the first time Leonard has actually initiated a breakup without any prompting or cajoling. It is one of the most spontaneous things I have ever witnessed from Leonard." He continued after a pause, " Maybe I should share this with Dr. Beverly. She would be most intrigued by this development."
For the first time in the evening, Penny had an upset face. Dr. Beverly Hofstadter had a way of getting under Leonard's skin. Or anyone's skin for that matter. While everybody ate, she was wondering how Leonard would react after he came home.
Suddenly, the doorknob turned and Leonard entered the room. Penny quickly spied his folded shirt, trousers and confident posture as he simply greeted everyone and went to his room. She quickly looked at everyone and observed, " Something's different about him."
Raj quickly whispered something in Howard's ear. He quickly answered, " I don't know where his glasses went."
The group continued eating. After about fifteen minutes, Leonard came back with a backpack and a small travelling suitcase. Sheldon was probably the most surprised. He quickly asked, " Leonard, are you going somewhere?"
Leonard smiled a little before announcing his plans, " Yes, I just talked to Seibert this afternoon. I am taking a sabbatical from the university. For six months, I will be off doing research at my own pace."
Sheldon was aghast at the words, " Leonard! Did you forget that according to Section 11A of the roommate agreement, all travel plans should be jointly discussed before the travel so that I am not inconvenienced by the experience? Why did you not discuss the plans with me before talking to Seibert?"
Leonard's smile did not falter much. However, his eyes bore into Sheldon as he answered, " Did you ask me before you decided to threaten Priya and I in the morning. Since you showed such spontaneous initiative to get what you wanted, I decided that I should respond in kind."
Sheldon was visibly upset, " So it was about the morning. You did not drive me to work, you ignored me in the cafeteria, this sudden sabbatical, and let's not forget, your refusal to sign the new roommate agreement. All of this had your brand of childishness written all over it."
The group was startled at the outburst. While they wanted to interject, the sudden heat caught them off guard. However, the anger shown by Sheldon did not faze Leonard in the slightest. His smile did not slip, his eyes continued to glow with intensity and confidence. For the first time in his life, Leonard was in control.
Leonard's POV
' Looks like Sheldon is hit right where it hurts. Sheldon is a creature of habit after all. He cannot bear to change his routine. This is quite interesting.'
Leonard spoke, " Didn't you say that you are nothing if not adaptable? Well, now is your chance, adapt."
Sheldon huffed, " This is preposterous. You cannot expect me to adapt without any notice. I am a scientist. How can I work towards the development of science if I am held back by these mundane tasks? This sabbatical will not help science much. Why don't you keep to your tasks. That's why you were a great roommate."
Leonard shot back, " Oh! That's a low blow, coming from a scientist with no proven theory, no significant achievements and the ego equivalent to Mt. Everest. I must say Sheldon, you amaze me. You continue to claim that your work is for the benefit of science, but I have not seen a single viable theory from you. Let alone a practical experiment that could prove your work, you have yet to do anything that even comes close. Looks like your intelligence will only take you this far."
Everyone in the room gasped. Insulting Sheldon was one thing, insulting his intelligence was another. No one dared to say this before. Now, hearing all of this from Leonard of all people shocked them greatly. Sheldon was fuming, " You take that back!"
Leonard challenged, " Make me."
Sheldon reached out and pulled a contract. He held out the contract like a holy relic.
"Leonard, this agreement is the framework that sustains civilized cohabitation. By refusing to comply, you're engaging in childish rebellion."
Leonard studied him—the tight jaw, the defensive posture. Fear masquerading as superiority. On NZT, every micro-expression was a confession.
' He needs me to play the role I've always played. The compliant sidekick. But I don't need him.'
Without a word, Leonard took the stack of papers from Sheldon's hand. The room held its breath—Howard half-smirking, Raj frowning, Penny leaning forward.
Leonard quickly approached the stove in the kitchen. The flame whispered alive, dancing azure against the black ink of Sheldon's clauses.
"Leonard—what are you doing?!" Sheldon's voice cracked, shriller than usual.
Paper curls at 451 degrees Fahrenheit. The ink bubbles, smokes, collapses in on itself. A symbol of every compromise I've made—burning. Clean. Absolute.
The fire climbed fast, devouring signatures and conditions with hungry precision. The smell of scorched paper and toner filled the room, sharp and chemical, oddly liberating.
Leonard's face was calm, almost serene. " There it goes Sheldon. Find someone else to drive you. Someone else to orbit you."
The last page shriveled into ash. Leonard let it fall into the trash can, smoke trailing upward like incense in a temple.
There it is. The funeral of Leonard Hofstadter, the doormat. The birth of someone new.
Pulling out his key from the pocket, he shoved it in the hands of a dazed Sheldon.
" I have already asked someone to move my stuff to storage. Good luck finding someone who is willing to sign that piece of paper again. I will be gone for six months. When I come back, you will know."
Without any further explanation, Leonard picked up his backpack and left the apartment. The door shut behind him. No one spoke. The smell of burnt paper still hung in the air, clinging to the curtains, to their clothes, to the silence itself. For the first time in years, Sheldon had no words.
AN: The third chapter is here. This will be the transition to the main arc. You will see the TBBT gang less.
AN2: Thank you for the love and support for the work
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