Chapter 89 — Waiting Patiently
Ethan, Leonard, and Sheldon returned to their apartment. The living room felt as if someone had hit a mute button—quiet, heavy, almost suffocating.
Leonard and Ethan dropped onto the couch, while Sheldon walked straight into the kitchen.
---
Leaning back, Ethan found his thoughts drifting to Calm Mind.
He had used it twice today.
Once—when Randall's anxiety spiraled out of control.
Once—when Kurt was on the verge of turning violent.
Both times, the effect had been almost absurdly powerful.
Randall's emotional breakdown had been halted like someone pressing pause. The physical symptoms—rapid breathing, trembling, loss of control—settled almost instantly.
But the side effects were obvious too.
That hazy, delayed mental state afterward… it felt like being hit with an extremely strong sedative.
---
And Kurt?
Even more direct.
He went from "I'm about to pin you to the wall"—
To something like low-power mode.
Aggression gone.
Alertness dulled.
Even his sense of why he was there seemed… optional.
Only now did Ethan fully realize—
Calm Mind was purely a shadow-based ability.
It wasn't healing.
It was interference.
A forced override of consciousness: suppressing, distorting, dampening—temporarily rewriting mental states.
Anxious people—paused, stabilized.
Aggressive people—reset, impulses stripped away.
By that logic…
Could it treat depression?
Ethan thought it through.
Then shook his head.
Depression wasn't about a mind running too fast.
It was the opposite.
Not a brain stuck on the gas—
But one that had forgotten why to press it at all.
Using Calm Mind in that state…
Would only make them sink deeper.
His fingers tightened slightly.
Never use Calm Mind on depression patients.
That could go very wrong.
Just then, Sheldon returned with tea.
That's when Ethan noticed Leonard—
Curled up in the middle of the couch, shoulders hunched, practically hiding inside his green cloak.
He was gripping something small in his hand, rubbing it over and over—
A classic Leonard self-soothing habit.
What had just happened…
Was a direct hit.
He had tried to impress Penny—
And instead got completely crushed.
Physically overpowered.
Dignity dragged along with it.
And worst of all—
He didn't even get sympathy.
Instead, Kurt's reluctant "apology" somehow… improved Penny's impression of him.
Leonard felt like his worldview had cracked.
What kind of logic is that?
The good guy gets pushed around—no one cares.
The bad guy does everything wrong—then says "sorry" once, and suddenly he's seen as responsible? Attractive?
What is this world?
---
Ethan watched him quietly.
He didn't use any abilities.
Sadness… was part of being human.
You couldn't just erase every negative emotion because you had a shortcut.
Overcorrect that—and the consequences would be worse.
More importantly—
Sheldon had already returned with tea.
"What's this?" Leonard asked.
"Tea." Sheldon handed it over, tone formal yet oddly caring.
"According to tradition, when someone is upset, one should provide a hot beverage."
"Studies suggest warm drinks simulate psychological safety, similar to early Cambrian mammals retreating into warm nests—"
Leonard clearly stopped listening halfway through.
But he still took the cup.
And, just a little—
He relaxed.
"It's okay, it's okay." Sheldon patted his shoulder, trying very hard to perform human emotional support.
"Do you want to… talk about it?"
Leonard replied instantly:
"No."
Sheldon exhaled in relief.
"Excellent."
---
Ethan couldn't help but laugh.
In this strange, clumsy, yet warm moment—
He suddenly realized something:
You didn't always need abilities.
Human comfort—no matter how awkward—still worked, as long as it was genuine.
After a moment, Ethan decided to change the subject.
"Hey, I think I saw Raj leave with a girl."
Leonard immediately perked up a little.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Pretty sure."
Ethan continued:
"She was dressed as a white bellbird—very fitting."
"She talked nonstop, dragged Raj along the whole time, and he just… listened."
"Then they left together."
Sheldon asked, curious:
"Was Raj drinking tonight?"
"No," Ethan said. "He didn't say a word the entire time. Just listened."
"And she seemed to enjoy that."
Leonard nodded.
"That's actually perfect for him."
"Yeah," Ethan said with a grin. "They're kind of a great match."
He paused, then added casually:
"Penny had a lot of friends there tonight. A lot of girls. Some of them seemed pretty great."
Sheldon immediately pointed out:
"You mean the ones who surrounded you after finding out you're an actual doctor?"
"Grabbing your arm, brushing against you repeatedly?"
He adjusted his tone, analyzing:
"The scene reminded me of something very familiar—"
"Several kittens taking turns rubbing their heads against their owner, increasing surface contact area to maximize chances of receiving affection, petting, and emotional validation."
Ethan stared at him.
It had been a warm, slightly flattering memory—
And Sheldon somehow turned it into something clinical, unsettling, and borderline disturbing.
---
Ethan was about to steer him back toward normal human interpretation—
When Leonard suddenly said:
"I still think Penny had the best outfit tonight."
Sheldon immediately countered:
"You mean the worst Catwoman costume ever conceived? It was entirely third-rate."
Leonard pushed back:
"Maybe she wasn't trying to be Catwoman. Maybe just… a regular cat?"
Sheldon shook his head.
"She explicitly stated—quote—'Dark Catwoman and Light Doctor,' referring to herself and Ethan."
---
The room fell quiet again—
But this time, the heaviness had softened.
Just a little.
Ethan explained,
"I think what Leonard means is—it's not about how accurate the costume is. It's about whether it looks good."
Seeing Sheldon about to argue again, he quickly turned to Leonard:
"So, Leonard—do you like Penny because she's beautiful and has a great body?
Because if it's just those two things… there were quite a few girls at the party who outclassed her."
"Of course it's not just that," Leonard said immediately.
"She's the only one who's that beautiful, that attractive—and still… doesn't intimidate me."
Sheldon frowned, confused.
"You're intimidated by other women? Why?
Aside from Missy and Paige, I've never been afraid of any female."
That's because women treat 'eccentric geniuses' and 'harmless oddballs' the same way—pure maternal instinct, Ethan thought silently.
Ignoring Sheldon, he continued:
"I assume you mean… she's kind to people like you and Sheldon. You know—ner… uh, physicists."
Leonard nodded.
"Yeah. She's different from us. She knows things we don't—
how to dress, how to socialize… even how to deal with life."
Sheldon cut in:
"She also has a lot of ex-boyfriends. Leonard only has three."
Ethan: "..."
Are you playing spot-the-difference or what…
He forced the conversation back on track.
"Sheldon, that just means she's popular. Good with people."
Sheldon continued analyzing:
"She also buys a lot of shoes. I estimate she owns several thousand pairs."
"I'm pretty sure your comic book collection isn't any smaller," Ethan shot back.
Sheldon instantly countered:
"Comic books are sanctuaries of intellect and imagination—
vast worlds filled with complex narratives and dramatic developments.
Shoes are merely containers for feet."
Ethan shrugged.
"One makes your feet comfortable. The other makes your brain comfortable. Same idea."
"She doesn't buy all those shoes just to wear them—
she buys them because they make her happy."
Then he looked back at Leonard.
"So everything you like about her—that's who she is right now."
He paused.
"But have you considered this?"
"That same 'kind to everyone' personality… might also make it hard for her to let go of her ex."
Leonard froze.
Ethan continued calmly:
"Think about it from another angle."
"If you were her ex—and after doing something terrible, you sincerely apologized…"
"And she forgave you. Took you back."
He met Leonard's eyes.
"Would you feel happy?"
"Of course!" Leonard's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Wait—so what you're saying is… the reason I'm in so much pain right now is because I don't have her?"
"Because I'm jealous of Kurt having had her?"
His voice gained momentum:
"So the more painful this is now… the happier I'll be when I do have her?"
Ethan blinked.
…That escalated quickly.
Still, the result didn't seem bad.
"Uh… that's not exactly what I meant—but the general direction isn't wrong."
Leonard took a deep breath.
Something reignited in his eyes.
"Okay! I get it now!"
"This is what you always mean by delayed gratification, right?"
"That makes so much sense! Thanks, Ethan!"
He shot up from the couch—
And rushed back to his room.
---
The living room fell quiet again.
Only Ethan and Sheldon remained.
Sheldon looked at him.
"What did he understand?"
Ethan opened his mouth.
Then closed it again.
"…It's not important for you."
He leaned back, sighing lightly.
"What you need to do—"
"Is wait patiently."