Halloween in Pasadena wasn't exactly exciting, but Penny preferred it to the ones in her old life. An illusion of fun moments cosplaying as her favorite characters only to be felt up by drunken strangers, starting accidental bar fights and third wheeling her couple-paired off 'friends'.
This new life was full of new possibilities and she
had a comic book persona to draw from.
So she stood in front of her bathroom mirror, adjusting the last piece of her Valkyrie-inspired costume: silver bracers, dark braided faux-leather bodice, tight black faux leather pants, a winged circlet she'd hot-glued in a panic the night before, and a flowing midnight-blue cloak that made her feel approximately 11% cooler and 89% more terrified.
"You look fierce," she tried to convince her reflection.
She took a steadying breath, grabbed her bag of mini Snickers, and crossed the hall.
She knocked.
"Come in," Leonard's voice called.
Penny swung the door open and stepped inside.
Howard froze mid-sip of Mountain Dew.
Raj audibly gasped.
Leonard blinked like someone had hit the reset button on his brain.
And Sheldon—
Sheldon's reaction was near-perfect stillness.
Like his entire operating system had crashed.
He stared at her.
Not subtly.
Not even remotely subtly.
Just full, transfixed, unguarded staring.
Penny felt heat crawl up her neck.
Oh no.
No, no—she didn't know if she was going to combust in furious blushes or turn and run, or an embarrasing combo of both.
She lifted the edge of her cloak defensively.
"Too much?"
Howard choked. "Too much? Penny, I—Penny, you—Penny, are you trying to murder us?"
Raj nodded vigorously, words tumbling in Hindi too fast for anyone to follow.
Leonard gawked. "You, uh. You look… wow."
Penny laughed, but her eyes drifted back to the one person not commenting.
Sheldon.
He was still staring, expression somewhere between confusion, admiration, and a very intense need to reboot.
She lifted a brow. "Sheldon? You okay there, sweetie?"
His jaw clicked shut instantly.
"Yes," he said, stiff as a ruler. "Of course. Entirely. Why wouldn't I be?"
Leonard mouthed 'oh my god' behind her.
Howard whispered, "He's sweating."
"I am not sweating," Sheldon snapped.
Penny teased, stepping forward a little. "I didn't break your brain, did I?"
Sheldon's eyes did a full scan—from her circlet to her boots—before he jerked his gaze toward the ceiling, wildly and suspiciously casual.
"You are merely… wearing an outfit," he declared. "A thematically appropriate outfit."
A beat.
"Adequate."
Howard slapped a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing.
Raj didn't bother; he giggled openly.
Penny turned slowly, cloak swinging dramatically.
"Well, good," she said. "Wouldn't want to overwhelm anybody."
Sheldon made a tiny noise—like the hiccup a robot might make when encountering an unexpected data package.
Penny decided she would treasure that sound forever.
---
The gang had been invited to three different Halloween events and ended up attending all zero of them.
Instead they watched 'The Crow' in the living room while Howard and Raj made commentary like Mystery Science Theater rejects.
Penny sat cross-legged on the couch, occasionally adjusting her Valkyrie shoulder straps.
Sheldon tried very hard not to notice.
He failed every single time.
He even dropped popcorn when she laughed too loudly.
Twice.
When she leaned over him to grab the DVD remote, he made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a swallowed shriek.
Howard caught it.
Howard weaponized it.
"So, Sheldon," he said innocently, "what do you think of Penny's costume?"
Sheldon didn't look away from the TV.
"Her costume is—fine. Perfectly average. Unremarkable, even."
Penny smirked.
Raj nearly fell off the armchair.
Leonard prayed silently for strength.
Howard grinned like a gremlin. "Unremarkable, huh?"
"Yes," Sheldon said firmly.
Then, in the quiet half-second that followed, he added—barely audible—
"…Objectively speaking."
Penny's heart did something stupid in her chest.
She looked down at her hands.
She shouldn't feel this warm.
Not from him saying that.
Not when the System was probably listening.
---
Later that night, Penny collapsed onto her bed, cape still tangled around her knees.
Pulling her sketchbook from her nightstand, she flipped past Issue #1's finished pages and stared at the blank spread waiting for her.
Her fingers twitched.
She thought of Sheldon's staring.
His near-malfunction.
His attempt to declare her "unremarkable" like it would save him.
A smile tugged at her lips.
And she began to sketch.
Long, sweeping lines.
Strong shoulders.
Silver armor embellished with math-inspired etchings.
Eyes sharp and startlingly blue.
A valiant, reluctant guardian standing beside her Valkyrie character like he'd been there all along.
Issue #2 — Page 1: Starfall Valkyrie meets the Reluctant Sentinel.
Her pencil slowed.
She inhaled then exhaled.
"Okay," she whispered. "That's… something."
But she didn't stop drawing.
Not for a long, long time.