#asking reader out

Your downstairs neighbour was your worst nightmare. 

Some insufferable scientists with absolutely no sense of boundaries, at least one of them.

Like always, it started again.

Knock, Kno–

A sharp exhale left you as you shoved yourself up, storming toward the door. You didn’t even think before yanking it open, far harder than you meant to.

“What is it now–”

But it wasn’t the one you expected.

It was the other one…

“Hi.” he said awkwardly.

You blinked once, thrown off just enough to hesitate. 

Not Sheldon, thank god, but his roommate. Leonard Hofstadter. 

Your annoyance didn’t fully fade, though.

“What is it…?” you asked, arms crossing over your chest as you leaned against the doorframe.

Leonard visibly winced at your tone, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. He shifted awkwardly under your stare, clearing his throat like he was trying to steady himself.

“Could I… come in for a minute?” he asked, hesitant.

You looked him up and down, unimpressed.

“If Sheldon sent you,” you said flatly, “tell him I said fuck off.”

“If he didn’t… then yeah. Sure. Come inside.”

Leonard groaned at the mention of his roommate, shaking his head quickly as relief flickered across his face.

“Oh god, no. Nothing to do with him. Thank god…”

He slipped past you into your apartment, running a hand through his already messy hair like he needed something to do with himself.

“This has everything to do with you, actually.”

You shut the door behind him, unfazed, already drifting back toward your makeshift workspace. 

Your “kitchen table” was more paint-stained wood than anything functional, a half-finished canvas propped up. 

The window stood open, letting in a faint breeze, your cigarette slowly burning in the ashtray.

“About me?” you echoed, barely looking at him.

You picked up your pen again, continuing your sketch like he wasn’t standing there awkwardly in your living room. 

The cigarette found its way between your lips.

Out of the corner of your eye, you caught Leonard glancing at it, then back at you, a flicker of concern crossing his expression.

“Uh… yeah,” he said. “About you.”

He shifted again, weight moving from one foot to the other, hands fidgeting like he didn’t quite know where to put them. 

“I was just… wondering if maybe you’d wanna grab coffee sometime?” he said, the words tumbling out faster near the end. “Or a drink.”

His face turned pink almost immediately.

“N-not like… not as anything weird!” he rushed to add. “Just… y’know. Talking.”

You let out a quiet snort at that, almost a laugh, smoke slipping past your lips as you shook your head.

Leonard’s smile faltered almost instantly.

His shoulders dipped, and he looked down, fingers fidgeting with the sleeve of his sweater.

Yeah. He definitely thought he’d just embarrassed himself.

Despite trying to play it off, the blush on his cheeks only deepened.

You glanced back at him, catching the sudden silence.

“Shit– you’re serious?” you asked, brows lifting as you reached over to stub your cigarette out in the ashtray. “I thought this was like… some elaborate scheme to get Sheldon to plan my downfall–”

You gestured vaguely, like the idea itself explained everything.

“Yeah, I mean… of course we can grab a drink.”

For a second, he just stared at you.

Then something in his expression shifted… surprise first, then relief, then something softer. His heart practically jumped into his throat, and he couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face.

“Really?” he said, almost disbelieving. “You’d be cool with that?”

You huffed out a small laugh at that, tilting your head.

“Alright, Hofstadter, calm down…” you teased lightly. 

You paused, then added with a grin, 

“I always thought you and Sheldon were like… y’know…” you mimed two people kissing with your fingers.

The reaction was immediate.

Leonard’s face went completely red, like, impressively red.

“No– no, no!” he stammered, hands flying up in frantic denial. “Me and Sheldon? No. No, definitely not. Oh god–no, never.”

He physically shuddered.

“We’re just roommates.”

That did it, you laughed properly this time, pushing yourself up from your chair, amused.

“I’m just messing with you…” you said, still laughing.

You pushed your glasses up your nose, glancing at him again.

“I’m free… even tonight, if you’re up for it.”

Leonard let out a small, breathy chuckle, the tension finally easing out of his shoulders.

“Heh… yeah, you definitely got me there,” he admitted, running a hand through his hair. Then he perked up a little, hopeful. “Tonight? Yeah… yeah, I’d be down for that.”

He checked his watch quickly.

“I could pick you up around eight?”

“Eight works fine fo–”

“Y/N L/N! Y/N L/N! Y/N L/N!”

A loud voice and three sharp knocks interrupted you.

“–I can smell the smoke through the vents, it is against property guidelines!”

Leonard’s expression dropped instantly, all warmth replaced by pure, exhausted annoyance. 

“Ugh,” he groaned, rolling his eyes. “Speak of the devil.”

Another knock.

Louder this time.

“Y/N L/N, failure to respond will result in a formal complaint!”

Leonard glanced at you, “I swear,” he muttered under his breath, already backing toward the door, “it’s like he has a sixth sense for whenever anything remotely good happens.”

“Right…” you laughed, as you reached for the door handle.

You opened it.

And there he was.

Sheldon Cooper stood in the doorway. Hands on hips. Chin slightly raised. 

Expression locked in bureaucratic disappointment.

His eyes flicked from you…

To Leonard.

“Is the stench of cigarette smoke coming from here?” he asked.

You didn’t even blink.

“Oh no,” you said smoothly, “Leonard was already coming back to your apartment because we are so done having filthy sex–”

Leonard made a sound. Not a word. Not even a coherent noise. 

Something halfway between a cough and a soul leaving the body. 

His eyes went wide, his face going an even deeper shade of red as he stared at you.

Sheldon physically recoiled.

“OH DEAR LORD,” he exclaimed, taking a full step back. “Why would you put that image in my brain?!”

You didn’t even try to hide your laugh.

Leonard opened his mouth again,but you were already stepping forward, patting his arm once like you were sending him on his merry way.

“Alright,” you said lightly. “See you later.”

Then, glancing at Sheldon, you added sweetly:

“Have fun thinking about that now.”

And you shut the door.

On the other side, Leonard stood frozen for half a second, still red-faced. 

Leonard stumbled along as Sheldon demanded they leave immediately, still flustered, still trying to form a coherent thought, but his eyes flicked back once toward your closed door.

There it was again.

That small, ridiculous smile he couldn’t quite stop.

Later that night, right on eight, you were already ready.

You’d traded your paint-stained lounge clothes for some more suitable “going out” clothes. One leg rested on the edge of the couch as you flipped lazily through a comic book, gum tucked between your teeth.

You were halfway through a page when the knock came.

Outside your apartment, Leonard stood awkwardly in the hallway, hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans. He’d changed into a simple t-shirt and pants, hair slightly messy like he’d run his hands through it a hundred times before coming upstairs.

Which… he had.

The last few hours had been torture.

Every attempt to distract himself had somehow circled back to you.

What you’d say, whether this technically counted as a date, whether you even liked him like that, whether he was overdressed, underdressed, too awkward, too eager–

“Comin’...” you called from inside.

A second later, the door swung open.

“Hey there…” you greeted, chewing your gum as you leaned casually against the frame.

And Leonard forgot how to function for a second.

You looked…

Well. Really good.

Not in a polished, trying-too-hard kind of way. 

Just you. 

His heart stumbled over itself.

“Hey,” he said back, clearing his throat awkwardly as he forced himself to recover. His hands stayed buried in his pockets to stop himself from fidgeting too much.

“Looking good,” he blurted out before he could stop himself.

“Thanks,” you said easily. Your fingers tugged lightly at your jacket before you grabbed your bag from beside the couch.

“Sooo,” you said, stepping closer, “where you taking us?”

Leonard relaxed just slightly when you didn’t tease him for the compliment.

“There’s this new bar I thought we could check out,” he explained, trying to sound casual. “Pretty chill place. Good drinks…”

“Unless you had something else in mind?” he added quickly.

You stepped out into the hallway beside him, already locking your door behind you.

“Sounds perfectly fine to me,” you said with a shrug and a small smile.

“Cool. Cool,” he muttered, falling into step beside you.

The two of you headed downstairs together, and Leonard stole another glance your way under the dim apartment lighting.

Huge mistake.

Because somehow you looked even prettier now.

Outside the building, the evening air hit cool against your skin. You reached into your jacket pocket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes before tapping one loose.

“You smoke, Hofstadter?” you asked, holding the pack toward him.

Leonard’s nose scrunched immediately.

“No– no, I don’t,” he said quickly. “I mean–not that I judge or anything! It’s just… y’know.”

He gestured vaguely at the cigarette with an awkward little laugh.

“Sheldon would probably have an aneurysm if he found out I was even standing this close to someone that smokes.”

You snorted softly as you lit your cigarette.

There was something unfairly attractive about the way you did it.

The casual flick of the lighter. The confidence. 

The way you leaned back your head a bit while exhaling smoke into the night air like you belonged in some indie movie he’d never stop thinking about afterward.

And Leonard realized, with growing horror, that he was absolutely doomed.

“So… let me get this straight,” you said.

The end glowed orange briefly in the dark as you inhaled.

“Sheldon’s not your boyfriend,” you continued, pointing lightly with the cigarette, “and clearly he’s not your mom either…”

You exhaled slowly.

“So why the fuck does he dictate everything you do?”

Leonard let out a huff immediately, dragging a hand through his hair.

“Trust me,” he sighed, “I ask myself that same question constantly.”

“He’s just… Sheldon.” His voice carried that uniquely tired affection reserved for people who drove you insane but somehow still mattered to you. 

“The guy has this compulsive need to insert himself into every single aspect of my life. I swear it’s like living with a judgmental nanny twenty-four seven.”

You laughed softly around your cigarette.

“Nerd Central, I guess.”

Leonard snorted.

“Pretty much.”

The conversation flowed easier after that.

The further you walked, the less nervous Leonard seemed. 

By the time you reached the bar, the warm atmosphere of chatter and music wrapped around you both instantly. You slid into a booth together, jackets tossed beside you, drinks already sweating lightly against the wooden table.

“And I swear to you,” you said, already halfway through laughing again, “this woman came into the supermarket yesterday and asked me if the baby diapers were only for babies.”

Leonard blinked once.

“Like… lady,” you continued, throwing your hands up, “‘what else are you planning to put them on?!’”

Leonard laughed with you, leaning forward onto his elbow as he rested his chin against his hand, eyes fixed on you completely.

“Customer service genuinely sounds like a special kind of psychological torture.” he laughed.

You grinned.

“How you haven’t completely lost your mind dealing with people like that is beyond me,” he continued. “I would’ve snapped within a week.”

“Okay, but I should be asking you that,” you laughed, taking a sip from your drink. “You literally live with the Sheldon Cooper.”

Leonard groaned into his glass.

“Yeah, okay, fair point.”

The alcohol had started softening him a little now, warming the edges of his nervousness. 

“Sheldon’s a nightmare,” he admitted with a crooked grin. “But… he’s my best friend.”

There was something oddly genuine in the way he said it.

“Pain in the ass or not, he’s basically family at this point.”

You only smirked over the rim of your glass.

Then you tilted your head slightly.

“So, Leonard…” you said, settling back against the booth. “Tell me about your work.”

You gestured vaguely toward him.

“Because right now all I know is you do some mysterious science thing at university.”

“I like science,” you admitted after a moment, leaning back into the booth. “Or—I used to.”

You toyed with your straw absentmindedly.

“I was really into physics and all that stuff in high school before everything got super complicated and I realized the science in my comic books was…” you paused, “…mostly complete bullshit.”

Leonard laughed warmly. “Yeah, comic books tend to skip over the actual physics involved.”

He smiled into his drink before you continued.

“So what do you actually do at Caltech?” you asked again. “Do you just walk around staring at research numbers all day?”

Leonard chuckled softly.

“Honestly? Sometimes it really does feel like that.”

But then his expression shifted slightly.

“I’m a experimental physicist… When we actually discover something though…” he said, eyes lighting up just a little, “or get results that mean something, god, it makes all the sleepless nights and equations feel worth it.”

There it was again.

That thing he did when he talked about science.

You’d noticed it before. The way his entire face changed when he got excited about something.

Like he forgot to be self-conscious for a second.

He took another sip before nodding toward you.

“What about you?” he asked. “How’s the art stuff going?”

Your expression faltered slightly.

You swallowed.

“It’s… a thing,” you answered vaguely. You leaned your elbow on the table, shrugging.

“I mean, things are working out enough. I pay rent. Barely.” A dry little laugh escaped you. “Can’t exactly say there’s a huge market for ‘girl who paints weird shit and smokes too much.’”

His face softened instantly.

“Hey, no.. that’s not nothing.”

You looked up at him.

“I mean yeah,” he admitted carefully, “fine art maybe isn’t the most practical career path ever…”

Then he leaned forward slightly.

“But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing if you love it.”

The sincerity in his voice caught you off guard a little.

“…Unless your long-term life plan is just staying at the supermarket forever.”

You barked out a laugh immediately.

“Leonard, I barely know what I’m doing tomorrow,” you said, rolling your eyes. “I have absolutely no clue what I’m doing forever.”

He laughed too, shaking his head.

“You know, I genuinely can’t decide if that’s horrifying or kind of impressive.”

You lifted one shoulder.

“For now I’m good,” you said. “I make it through the month. That’s all that matters currently.”

Leonard turned his glass slowly between his hands, thoughtful.

“Still…” he said carefully, “don’t you ever worry about the future? Like… what happens if you can’t find something more stable?”

“I mean…” you shrugged. “Supermarkets are stable. People are always gonna need cereal and frozen pizza.”

That earned another laugh out of him.

“Seriously though,” you said, “did you really drag me out here just to interrogate me about my financial future?”

Leonard blinked.

“I–what?”

“Come on, Hofstadter.” You leaned back in the booth. “Where’s your sex appeal?”

Leonard nearly inhaled his drink.

He coughed violently, eyes widening behind his glasses.

“Sex appeal?!” he wheezed, face instantly going bright red again.

You laughed so hard you almost spilled your drink, before rescuing him from further suffering.

“Anyway,” you said casually, “what’d you think about the new Batman comic?”

Leonard coughed into his drink a few more times before finally recovering enough to breathe normally again.

“I’m reading the newest one,” you told him, swirling your straw around your glass lazily. “Edition 667.”

“Oh, wow.”

“Didn’t get the chance to read it yet?” you asked knowingly.

The comic had basically vanished from shelves within a day.

Leonard sighed dramatically.

“No, I haven’t.” He shook his head mournfully. “Sold out insanely fast.”

Then, for reasons completely unknown to you, he attempted to lean back in the booth like some sort of effortlessly charming bad boy.

It looked profoundly unnatural.

You stared at him for a second.

“…Are you sure you’re okay?”

“What? Yeah.”

“You look like your spine locked up.”

Leonard snorted into his drink, giving up entirely.

You grinned before shrugging casually.

“If you want, you can borrow mine.”

His entire face lit up.

Any trace of attempted smoothness vanished immediately, replaced by pure nerdy excitement.

“Seriously?” he asked. “You’d let me read it?”

He practically leaned across the table.

“Please. I’ve been dying to get my hands on it.”

You couldn’t help smiling at how genuinely excited he looked.

“Sure,” you said easily. “Not a huge deal. I’ll just give it to you when we get back.”

Leonard looked like he had to physically stop himself from celebrating in public.

“That would be amazing,” he said, grinning helplessly. “Thank you.”

He looked down at his drink for a moment before glancing back up at you, expression softer now.

“…Y’know,” he said, “you’re really easy to talk to.”

You smiled faintly into your glass.

“Thanks,” you said. “You’re… not as bad as Sheldon.”

You shot him a cheeky grin.

Leonard laughed immediately, shaking his head.

“I’m not sure that’s technically a compliment,” he admitted, “but honestly? I’ll take it.”

He took another sip of his drink, still smiling slightly.

“…I’m definitely not Sheldon,” he added. “Thank god. One of him is already more than enough.”

That earned another laugh from you.

“For sure,” you said. “Honestly, I still don’t understand how you haven’t moved out yet.”

You gestured vaguely.

“But I guess friends are friends. Even when they’re incredibly weird.”

Leonard exhaled softly through his nose, turning his glass slowly between his hands.

“Yeah…” he said quietly. “Friendship’s weird like that.”

“Besides,” he added, “if I moved out… who else would willingly put up with him?”

Honestly, Leonard’s loyalty was kind of impressive.

Most people would’ve fled that apartment years ago.

You finished the last sip of your drink before glancing back at him.

“Sooo…” you said casually, “you wanna head back?”

Leonard glanced down at his still half-full glass, then back at you almost immediately.

“Yeah. Sure.”

A little too fast.

You tried not to smile at that.

He flagged down the bartender for the check, paying quickly before shrugging his jacket back on.

“Want me to walk you home?” he asked as the two of you stepped outside into the cool night air.

You looked at him sideways.

“I mean… we literally live in the same building,” you pointed out with a half smirk. “I kind of assumed you’d walk me home.”

Leonard blinked once.

“Oh. Right. Yeah.”

You laughed as he shoved his hands into his pockets, embarrassed again.

The city buzzed around you in the distance while the two of you walked side by side under the streetlights. Leonard stayed close enough that your shoulders almost brushed every now and then, though he never quite crossed that line.

Every few seconds, you caught him glancing at you when he thought you weren’t looking.

And every time he got caught, he looked away immediately.

It was kind of cute.

By the time you reached the apartment building, the silence between you had settled into something comfortable.

You stopped near the elevator, both staring at the giant ‘OUT OF ORDER’ sign hanging crookedly across it.

“You think they’ll ever repair that thing?” you asked.

Leonard sighed.

“Honestly? No. I’ve been complaining to the landlord for months.”

He rubbed at his temple.

You snorted.

“I mean… aren’t you basically a rocket scientist?” you teased as you started climbing the stairs together. “Can’t you just fix it yourselves?”

Leonard laughed under his breath, shaking his head.

“I’m a physicist, not an elevator engineer.”

He slowed slightly halfway up the stairs, exhaling quietly.

“And even if I could fix it,” he continued, “the landlord would probably sue me for touching building property or something.”

You matched his slower pace automatically.

The stairwell was quiet around you except for distant traffic outside and your footsteps echoing faintly upward.

Then, casually, you glanced over at him.

“You wanna go up to the roof?”

Leonard looked over immediately.

“The roof?”

There was genuine surprise in his voice.

You shrugged.

“Yeah. Nice view up there.”

For a second he just stared at you.

Honestly, he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d been up there. A small smile spread across his face.

“Sure.”

The climb to the roof was longer than either of you wanted to admit.

By the final flight of stairs, Leonard was breathing just slightly heavier beside you.

You laughed quietly as you pushed open the rooftop door.

Cool night air rushed around you both, carrying the distant sounds of traffic and city life far below. 

The skyline stretched endlessly ahead.

Leonard stepped out onto the rooftop slowly, taking a deep breath.

He walked toward the edge, resting his hands against the railing as he looked out over the city before glancing back at you with a soft smile.

“This is really nice.”

You moved to stand beside him, leaning casually against the railing yourself.

“Yeah,” you said quietly. “It is.”

The wind tugged lightly at your jacket as you pulled your cigarettes from your pocket again. Leonard watched you tap one loose and light it, the brief flicker of flame illuminating your face for a second before fading again.

The orange glow pulsed softly between your fingers in the dark.

“…You come up here often?” he asked.

“Not really,” you admitted.

Smoke drifted upward into the night air as you smiled faintly to yourself.

“But back home I used to sneak onto the roof all the time to smoke so my parents wouldn’t catch me.”

Leonard laughed softly.

“That sounds incredibly unsafe.”

“Probably was.”

You glanced sideways at him then, smirking slightly before holding the cigarette toward him.

“You wanna try?”

His eyes dropped immediately to the cigarette.

He had never smoked in his life.

Mostly because asthma and cigarettes were apparently a famously terrible combination.

But you were looking at him expectantly now.

And Leonard, unfortunately, was weak.

“…Okay,” he said before his brain could stop him.

He took it carefully from your fingers, awkwardly bringing it to his lips before taking a small inhale.

The smoke hit his throat like fire.

He immediately doubled over coughing.

Hard.

You burst out laughing at first, until it became obvious he genuinely couldn’t breathe properly.

“Oh shit– hey, are you okay?” you asked quickly, your hand coming up instinctively to rest against his shoulder.

Leonard waved a hand weakly between coughs.

“Yeah–yeah–I’m fine–”

Another cough interrupted him violently.

He handed the cigarette back almost immediately, clearly abandoning whatever stupid attempt at looking cool that had motivated this in the first place.

His breathing stayed uneven for another few seconds before he finally groaned softly and reached into his pocket.

He took a quick puff before exhaling slowly as his breathing finally steadied again.

“Sorry,” he muttered quietly, avoiding eye contact. “I have asthma.”

You blinked once.

Then looked at him like he was insane.

“…Then why the hell did you take a puff of my cigarette?”

Leonard gave a helpless little shrug, cheeks pink again.

“I...,” he admitted. “I just didn’t wanna seem weird about it.”

You stared at him for a second.

Then laughed softly under your breath, shaking your head as you leaned back against the railing again.

“Hofstadter,” you said, “you nearly died trying to impress me.”

Then Leonard smiled a little, like he was trying to brush the whole thing off.

“It’s not that big of a deal,” he said. “I’m fine.”

You snorted softly, taking another drag from your cigarette before nudging him lightly with your elbow.

“You’re about as weird as it gets about everything,” you teased. “So don’t worry.”

Leonard laughed under his breath and nudged you back gently.

“I’m not that weird.”

You gave him a look.

Leonard cracked immediately.

“Okay, maybe a little.”

A little being an astronomical understatement.

You took one final drag before flicking the cigarette off the roof carelessly.

“Don’t tell Sheldon I did that,” you said with a grin.

Leonard watched the tiny orange ember disappear into the darkness below before smirking.

“Sheldon’s not getting a report from me.”

He leaned forward against the railing beside you, forearms resting there as he looked out across the city lights with you.

The rooftop had gone quiet around you both.

It felt peaceful up here.

After a long moment of silence, Leonard glanced sideways at you again.

And before he could overthink it.

He leaned just slightly closer.

Your shoulders brushed.

Warmth spread through him instantly at the contact alone.

For a second, neither of you moved.

Then, carefully, you leaned your head against his shoulder.

His heart was pounding so hard he was convinced you could probably hear it through his jacket.

But he didn’t pull away.

If anything, he relaxed further into you, careful and quiet like he was scared sudden movement might ruin the moment.

And honestly?

This felt dangerously nice.

You stayed like that for a while after.

Neither of you speaking.

Neither of you wanting to break whatever this had become.

Eventually though, you straightened up slowly, clearing your throat a little.

“Maybe we should…” you started quietly. “Head down.”

Leonard hesitated.

Part of him really, really didn’t want to move.

“…Yeah,” he said softly.

He pushed himself off the railing reluctantly, already missing your warmth against his shoulder.

When he opened the rooftop door for you, he paused for just a second, glancing at you like he was trying to read something unspoken in your expression.

You hesitated too.

Only briefly.

Leonard followed you back down the stairs, staying a step or two behind.

By the time you reached your floor, Leonard found himself slowing down.

Neither of you seemed particularly eager to end the night.

“So…” he started.

His hand found the back of his neck automatically.

“This was really fun.” he said, the least awkward thing he could think of.

You looked down at the keys in your hands, turning them over nervously before glancing back up at him.

“It was,” you admitted with a small smile.

Then, before you could overthink it you added, “We should do it again sometime.”

Leonard’s entire face lit up almost immediately.

“Yeah,” he said quickly. “Yeah, absolutely.”

God, he hoped he didn't sound too eager.

Because he absolutely was.

The evening had gone better than anything he'd imagined. Better than the dozens of imaginary conversations he'd rehearsed before knocking on your door.

Before he could stop himself from thinking, or talk himself out of it, he stepped forward and pressed a quick kiss to your cheek.

Just a soft brush of his lips.

Then immediately pulled back.

Because apparently his plan had only extended as far as kiss cheek and not what happens afterward.

Your eyes widened slightly, clearly not expecting this from him.

Leonard’s mind was already halfway to thinking he had ruined everything, when you grabbed the front of his jacket.

And pulled him back.

His brain completely stopped working.

One moment he was panicking.

The next your lips were on his.

For a heartbeat he froze in shock before melting into the kiss.

He wasn’t particularly smooth about it, but the way he kissed you was honest.

When you finally pulled back, Leonard looked completely dazed.

You cleared your throat, trying, and failing, to hide your own smile.

“Alright…” you muttered.

Your lipstick was slightly smudged now, and somehow that only made Leonard's heart race harder.

“I'll see you soon?” you said, and half asked, as you smiled at him, “I mean, you can always come over…”

Leonard stared at you for a second, a long second.

Then nodded, maybe a little too quickly.

“Yeah.” he croaked out, a stupid grin spreading across his face.

“Yeah, absolutely.”

He sounded like an idiot.

He knew he sounded like an idiot.

Unfortunately, thinking had become extremely difficult.

Taking a careful step backward, he gestured vaguely toward your apartment door.

“Good night.” he suddenly blurted out, clearly having no idea how to continue this now.

You laughed softly before finally unlocking your apartment.

“Wait a second…” you said, disappearing inside for a moment before reappearing with a comic book in hand.

“The Batman comic,” you reminded him.

“Oh.” he made, right… the comic.

The thing he'd somehow forgotten existed in the last sixty seconds.

He took it carefully from you.

“Just give it back when you're done reading it,” you said. “Then we can... talk about it.”

Leonard tucked the comic under his arm and nodded, almost at a loss of words now.

A crooked smile pulled at his lips. The kind of smile that appeared when someone was completely, hopelessly gone.

"Good night." he said, again.

You smiled, chuckling, "Good night, Leonard."

Then you stepped inside and closed the door.

Leonard stood there for another few seconds staring at it.

The next morning, Leonard woke up in an unusually good mood.

By the time he wandered into the kitchen wearing his red robe and carrying a mug of coffee, he was still replaying the previous night in his head.

The drinks.

The conversation.

The rooftop.

The way you had rested your head on his shoulder.

And, most notably, the kiss.

A small smile kept finding its way onto his face no matter how hard he tried to suppress it.

Unfortunately, he lived with Sheldon.

And Sheldon noticed everything.

Sheldon looked up from his breakfast and narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

“You seem unusually cheerful this morning.” he noted.

Leonard glanced over the rim of his coffee mug.

“I'm just having a good morning.”

Sheldon continued staring at him, as that was not cause enough for him.

The silence stretched on long enough to become uncomfortable.

Finally, Leonard sighed, “What?”

Sheldon set his spoon down, “You are smiling.”

“So?”

“You don't normally smile this much before work.”

Leonard rolled his eyes, trying to avoid talking to Sheldon out of all people about this,  “Maybe I'm just in a good mood.”

“Interesting.”

The way Sheldon said it immediately made Leonard regret speaking in the first place.

Leonard tried his best to ignore him and took another sip of coffee.

“Did something happen with the upstairs neighbor?”

Leonard nearly choked, the coffee went down the wrong pipe, forcing him to cough as Sheldon watched calmly.

“No–” Leonard coughed.

“You hesitated.”

“I did not hesitate.”

“You absolutely hesitated.”

“Can you not do this right now?” Leonard groaned.

Sheldon ignored him as he continued talking. “I observed several unusual behaviors when you returned home last night. You stood outside our apartment for an extended period.”

Leonard raised an eyebrow, “What? It was like five seconds…”

“It was forty-one.” Sheldon corrected him matter of factly.

Leonard rubbed a hand over his face, trying to think of… anything he could say to make the man stop. 

He opened his mouth.

Then closed it.

Because unfortunately Sheldon was right.

A knowing look crossed Sheldon's face, “Ah.”

Sheldon folded his hands neatly in front of him.

“Did you copulate?”

Leonard nearly spat coffee across the room, again.

“What?!”

The word came out much louder than intended.

“You appear happier than usual. Statistically speaking, romantic and sexual interactions often produce elevated mood and increased dopamine–”

“Sheldon.”

“–therefore it seemed like a reasonable hypothesis.”

“No. It wasn't.” Leonard cut him off, finally, but he could feel his face heating up. Which only seemed to encourage Sheldon further.

“Interesting.” Sheldon nodded, picking up his spoon again.

A few days later, there was a knock at your apartment door.

Not three sharp knocks followed by your full legal name being shouted through the hallway.

Just a normal knock, which assured you this was not Sheldon.

“Come in!” you called from across the apartment.

The door opened a moment later and Leonard stepped inside, the Batman comic tucked under one arm.

His eyes immediately found you.

You were standing near your kitchen table, or rather, your art table, surrounded by canvases, packing materials, and several paintings leaning against walls and chairs.

You were wearing paint-stained jeans and an old shirt with smudges of acrylic on one sleeve.

You looked up from the canvas you were wrapping with bubblewrap, “Hey, Hofstadter.”

A smile spread across your face, “You finished it already?”

Leonard lifted the comic book and nodded, “Yeah… Twice actually.”

You laughed at that, “That's what I thought.”

He stood there for a few awkward moments before you said, “You can just put it down on the couch table there…” 

He nodded and did, before glancing around the apartment again.

There were far more paintings than he'd ever seen before.

Some abstract, some detailed, eventually his curiosity got the better of him.

“What's all this?” he asked, hoping to strike some kind of a conversation despite how busy you seemed. 

You followed his gaze before looking back at him.

“I'm taking part in this art gallery this weekend.” you shrugged like it was no big deal.

Leonard blinked, “Wait, really?”

“Yeah” you nodded, taping a bit of the bubblewrap down so it wouldn't budge. 

“The university is doing some modern art thing. Local artists, students, community stuff… you know that whole ordeal.” 

His eyes moved across the paintings again, “That's amazing, right?”

You looked surprised by the sincerity in his voice, “I mean… kind of, yeah.” 

You looked up from the work you were just down, smiling, you were kind of happy someone shared your excitement.

And suddenly Leonard found himself looking away awkwardly. To hide the fact that his heart had just done an embarrassing flip.

You finished taping up the wrap before glancing over at him again.

“So… you wanna come?” you offered.

You gestured vaguely with the roll of tape in your hand, “It’s this Saturday.”

Leonard stared as you were inviting him, specifically him, to see your art.

“Oh… uh.. uh” Leonard made, very smooth.

You raised an eyebrow, “I mean you don’t–”

“No. I mean yes!” Leonard interrupted, tumbling over his words.

You waited, watching Leonard stumble over sounds before he got out a simple, “Yes, I'd like to come.”

You snorted, “Great, I’ll look forward to it then.”

Leonard nearly walked into the couch as he tried to somehow distract from his nervous rambling, to save himself further humiliation, he sat down instead.

You smiled to yourself before walking over to your fridge, then you glanced over your shoulder.

“You want something to drink?” you asked, Leonard stumbled over his words for a moment again, “Oh, uh…”

He had honestly assumed he'd be leaving soon.

The comic had been returned. Mission accomplished.

“I thought I was probably heading out in a minute.” he said, his voice unsure and quiet.

You looked at him like that was the dumbest thing you'd heard all day, “I thought you came over to talk about the comic…?”

Leonard immediately straightened on the couch, “Uh– right.”

The reason he definitely came over.

You tried not to smile, “So what do you want to drink?” 

Leonard adjusted his glasses, “Just water is fine.” 

You shrugged and took a bright pink energy drink like can from the fridge before you got a glass of tap water for him.

“Exciting choice, really.” you joked handing it to him.

A few moments later, you returned with two drinks and handed the tap water before dropping onto the couch beside him.

Not right beside him, but close enough.

Leonard took a sip, buying himself a second to gather his thoughts.

“So…”

You waited.

“It was good.” Leonard began, trying not to act too nervous.

“The thing I liked was how they handled Batman's relationship with Robin. Usually writers lean too heavily into–”

You watched him talk.

The way his hands moved when he got excited.

The way his eyes lit up behind his glasses.

The way he completely forgot to be nervous whenever he was discussing something he genuinely loved.

It was kind of adorable.

You nodded along to his words as he rambled, taking a sip of your can.

“...and the cover artwork really did show–”

You smiled, “So you won't kiss me?”

“And also did you see that in this panel– wait… what?” Leonard stuttered.

You looked entirely unbothered.

“You won't kiss me?” you repeated.

Leonard stared, his mouth opened then closed, then open again but nothing came out.

The question had hit him with the force of a freight train.

After several painful seconds he finally managed to mutter, “...Do you want me to?”

The second the words left his mouth, he regretted them.

Because obviously you wanted him to.

Why else would you–

Before he could continue spiraling, you leaned toward him.

And kissed him, again.

Leonard's thoughts vanished instantly as your lips made contact with his.

His hand nearly dropped his glass of water.

He barely remembered setting it down before kissing you back.

When you shifted closer, Leonard instinctively moved a hand to your waist, his heart hammering against his ribs.

You tilted your head, deepening the kiss, and Leonard responded with a sigh, a low rumble in his chest that vibrated through you. 

His hands, still a little uncertain at first, found their way to your hair, fingers tangling gently in your strands as he pulled you closer. 

You shifted on the couch, a soft sound escaping your lips as you now straddled him, sitting in his lap.

He was definitely getting the hang of it. 

His touch was still hesitant but you, contrary to what you thought, didn’t have to spell everything out for him anymore.

His lips pressed softly against yours. You found yourself pushing yourself further into him, your own hands trailing up his chest.

As you moved again, a subtle press of your hip against his, Leonard’s breath hitched. 

He pulled back for just a fraction of a second, his eyes wide behind his glasses. 

Then, he was leaning in again. 

You felt him press a kiss to your neck, sending shivers down your spine. .

Just as your hands tugged firmly at his shirt, a sharp, insistent rapping echoed from the apartment door.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Y/N L/N! Y/N L/N! Y/N L/N!” a voice called, unmistakably Sheldon.

Both of you froze.

Leonard's eyes closed instantly, “No.” he whispered, as if Sheldon was just a hallucination he could wish away.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Y/N L/N! Y/N L/N! Y/N L/N!”

You bit down on your lip hard enough to stop yourself from laughing.

“I know Leonard is in there!” Sheldon called from outside.

You were practically shaking now trying not to laugh.

Meanwhile Leonard looked ready to throw himself out the nearest window.

“Ignore him,” he muttered, his hands tightening around your hip.

As if on cue Sheldon shouted again, “Leonard Hofstadter this is an emergency!”

“He already knows you're here,” you pointed out.

“LEONARD!”

Leonard let his head fall against your shoulder dramatically.

You finally lost the battle and laughed. 

Leonard sighed heavily, “Fine…”

Reluctantly, you climbed off his lap.

Straightening his shirt, Leonard made his way to the door while muttering several things about roommates that would probably hurt Sheldon's feelings if he were capable of recognising them.

He yanked the door open, “What, Sheldon?!”

Sheldon stood there with the posture of a man responding to a national emergency.

“There you are.” 

“What do you want?” Leonard sighed.

Sheldon blinked, “I need you to drive me to the video game store.”

Leonard stared almost dumbfoundedly, “...What?”

“I need you to drive me to the video game store.”

“You said that.”

“Then why did you ask?”

Leonard pinched the bridge of his nose, “The emergency was that you need a ride to buy a video game."

“Not just a video game.” Sheldon said, looking offended, “A collector's edition.”

“Of course...” Leonard said, seeming like he was genuinety debating strangling Sheldon.

“The difference is substantial.”, Sheldon continued, “Additionally, it is Thursday.”

Leonard stared silently at Sheldon.

“It is Chinese food night.” Sheldon went on.

“And if you go on and.. copulate with this woman then you are projected to miss dinner.”

“And you came here for … that.” Leonard said.

“Well, yes.” Sheldon frowned, “You have never missed Chinese food.”

“Sheldon.”

“And if you miss Chinese food, it disrupts the established Thursday schedule.”

“Sheldon.”

“And if the schedule is disrupted–”

“Sheldon!”

For a moment, Sheldon simply, and surprisingly silently, stared at him.

Then his eyes drifted past Leonard.

Toward you.

Then back to Leonard.

You nearly choked trying not to laugh.

Leonard looked like he wanted the floor to open beneath him and just swallow him whole.

“I assume you understand the gravity of the situation, Y/N.” Sheldon nodded towards you.

You stifled another laugh, “Totally–”

You stifled another laugh, “Totally–”

Behind him, Sheldon immediately agreed, “Excellent.”

You had to bite the inside of your cheek to keep from laughing.

“A limited collector's edition and Chinese food night?” you continued, laying the sarcasm on thick. “This truly is a matter of life and death.”

“It is certainly important. Now, Leonard, we need to leave.” Sheldon nodded again, stepping back to let Leonard exit the apartment. 

Leonard rubbed both hands over his face.

For a brief moment, he looked like a man reconsidering every decision that had brought him to this exact point in life.

Then he sighed, “Right.” 

He glanced back at you, trying to put on a not all too awkward smile. “Sorry–”

“Not your fault your roommate's insane.” you chuckled.

Sheldon looked mildly offended, “I heard that.”

Leonard hesitated near the door, then cleared his throat. 

“So… if you want…” he began, but almost immediately he regretted how awkward that sounded.

"You know… you could come over for chinese later.” he forced out, glancing at you with that hopeful look. 

The one he got whenever he was trying very hard not to seem like he cared too much.

Unfortunately for him, it was painfully obvious.

You smiled, “Yeah.” 

You gestured toward the stack of canvases waiting to be packed, “I've gotta finish all this anyway, and then I’ll be right over.”

Leonard glanced over at the paintings and nodded, “Right… I'll see you later then…” 

“You better.” you chuckled. 

The smile that appeared on his face at those words was impossible to hide.

Then Sheldon grabbed his sleeve, “Leonard.” 

“I'm coming.” Leonard groaned.

Leonard groaned one final time as Sheldon practically herded him out into the hallway.

The apartment door closed behind them.

For a moment the silence returned.

Then you looked at the mountain of paintings waiting to be packed.

You smiled to yourself.

Chinese food later.

And, if Leonard's face was anything to go by, he was probably looking forward to it just as much as you were.

The drive to the video game store was quiet for approximately thirty-seven seconds.

Which, for Sheldon, was an impressive amount of restraint.

Leonard kept his eyes on the road, one hand resting on the steering wheel while he tried very hard not to think about what had just happened.

Unfortunately, that wasn't going very well.

His lips still curved into a smile every few minutes before he caught himself.

Beside him, Sheldon noticed, “Did you and Y/N engage in coitus?”

Leonard nearly choked on his own spit, “What– No.” 

Sheldon frowned, “No?”

“No…” Leonard sighed. 

The answer seemed to genuinely surprise him, “Why not?” Sheldon asked. 

“Sheldon, I'm not having this conversation.” Leonard sighed again. 

“It seems like a reasonable question.” Sheldon said, matter of factly.

“You appear mutually attracted to one another. You have kissed. You were alone together. And clearly you are both desperate. So I fail to understand the obstacle.” he began listing off. 

Leonard let out a long, frustrated sigh, “Because you keep interrupting us!”

The words exploded out of him before he could stop them.

The car fell silent.

Leonard immediately regretted saying it.

Beside him, Sheldon blinked and let out a quiet, “Oh.” 

Leonard glanced over.

For perhaps the first time all day, Sheldon actually looked thoughtful.

“Oh,” he repeated, “I had not considered that possibility.”

“Really?”

“No.”

Sheldon nodded, seemingly deeply in thought for a long minute. 

Finally he cleared his throat, folding his hands in his lap, “As you appear to be experiencing an unusually severe case of romantic desperation, I have decided I may be willing to make an exception.”

Leonard frowned, “An exception to what?”

Sheldon looked at him, almost offended that Leonard didn’t know what he was talking about, “The twelve-hour notification requirement for planned coitus.”

Leonard once again nearly choked on his spit, “Why would you even offer that?”

Sheldon sighed again, sounding deeply burdened by his own generosity.

“Because you seem so remarkably miserable whenever your romantic endeavors are interrupted.” he said.

“I am not miserable.” Leonard mumbled, feeling his cheeks heat up. 

Sheldon adjusted his seatbelt before he went on, “Therefore, I am willing to temporarily suspend the notice requirement.”

Leonard blinked, “Seriously?”

“Yes,” Sheldon nodded, “However… the noise level must remain below forty-five decibels.”

Leonard stared, “Forty-five? That's quieter than normal conversation.”

Sheldon just shrugged, “I can provide a decibel meter if necessary.”

“Please stop talking.” Leonard breathed out, clearly exhausted. 

“Fine. But I will email you the revised coitus exemption paperwork.” Sheldon added.

Leonard let out a noise somewhere between a groan and a scream as Sheldon calmly looked out the window, completely unaware of how ridiculous the entire conversation had become.

────────────

By the time you arrived at Apartment 4A, the smell of Chinese food had already taken over the entire living room.

You were sitting on the couch while Leonard unpacked the takeout containers onto the coffee table.

Apparently Chinese food night was serious business around here.

Across the room, Sheldon was already inspecting the bags.

“Did they cut the chicken correctly?” he asked, inspecting the container. 

Leonard sighed, “Yes. I specifically asked them to.”

Sheldon folded his arms, “The orange chicken should be cut into bite-sized pieces. Last time they gave me pieces of wildly inconsistent dimensions.”

Leonard continued unpacking containers and you couldn’t help but snort out a laugh.

“See? Even she thinks you're ridiculous.” Leonard said, glancing at you with a knowing smirk.

“Many great thinkers were considered ridiculous by their peers.” Sheldon declared. 

Before Leonard could respond, the front door opened. 

“Guys, you are not going to believe what happened today–” Raj said as he walked into the apartment, followed by Howard.

Mid-sentence Raj let out a squeak as he saw you sitting on the couch, and suddenly he was dead silent. 

His mouth opened, but nothing came out. 

Howard looked between Raj and you, “...And there he goes.”

Raj glared at him, silently. 

You raised a hand, and gave a short wave, “Hey.” 

Raj offered an awkward little wave.

Howard stepped forward and offered a grin that had probably worked on absolutely nobody.

“Howard Wolowitz.” he said, extending his hand to you that you shook politely. 

“Y/N.” you introduced yourself. 

“I've heard a lot about you.” Howard said, trying to put on his most charming smile, “You know, if things don't work out with Leonard, I happen to be available.”

The apartment went silent and you blinked, genuinely confused. 

“Uh...Did you mean to say that out loud?” you asked, raising both eyebrows as you let go of Howard’s hand. 

Howard's grin disappeared instantly and Raj made a choking noise behind him.

Sheldon glanced up from arranging his chopsticks.

“Howard, you should stop talking now.” Sheldon informed, earning a glare from Howard.

Then Sheldon pointed toward the food, “It is now 7:02. Chinese food night began at seven.”

Leonard finally agreed, sitting down next to you, “Okay, okay. Let’s eat.”

Order was finally restored, which allowed Sheldon to let out a strange sigh. Then everyone began eating.

You caught Leonard smiling at you and you found yourself smiling back at him.

─── ꒰ 🗯️ ꒱ ───

leonard hofstadter x reader

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nerd alert - ongoing leonard hofstadter x f!reader wc. 8.8k

premise. You, unfortunately, live in the same building as Sheldon and Leonard. Unfortunately for Sheldon, you are not big on rules… But fortunately for Leonard, that means he has a reason to go see you every once in a while. Finally he decides to take matters into his own hands…

chapters ↳ part 1 ↳ part 2 ↳ part 3 ↳ part 4 ↳ part 5 ↳ to be continued

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