Penny woke to the sound of her phone screaming.
Not ringing — screaming.
Vibrating across the nightstand like it was trying to escape the apartment.
She cracked one eye open.
The screen glowed with a wall of notifications:
#ElisabetEiríksdóttir
#PennyTellerIsElisabet
#StarfallValkyrieAuthorReveal
#PennyFromNebraskaIsAComicGenius
"...oh God," Penny croaked. Which of the boys told? She bet it was Raj.
Her inbox was a landslide — thousands of messages. Some fans ecstatic. Some stunned. Some in ALL CAPS demanding more issues. And at least a hundred artists asking what techniques she used.
She had the sudden, irrational urge to crawl under the bed and die.
Instead, she grabbed the pillow and screamed into it.
A soft, precise 3 knock knock tapped her door.
Only one person knocked like that — like he was conducting a lab experiment on politeness.
Penny sat up. "Come in, Sheldon."
The door cracked open.
Sheldon slid inside wearing his Flash pajama bottoms and a T-shirt that read:
"I Have No Peer."
He studied her like she was a quantum anomaly.
"Good morning. You appear to have gone viral."
Penny dropped her head into her hands. "I noticed."
He stepped closer. "Your social media presence increased by a coefficient of twelve thousand percent between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m. That level of virality is typically reserved for celebrity scandals, meteor strikes, and videos of raccoons using vending machines."
"Great. Perfect company."
Sheldon didn't smile — but his eyes gleamed, soft and bright and proud.
"I read the trending thread," he said gently. "You are being widely praised. It seems you have singlehandedly united the comic, art, and science-fiction communities in admiration."
Penny looked up at him.
That admiration was there in him too — unfiltered now. He'd always respected her, but after the reveal… it was something deeper. He saw her differently, like she'd been playing a supporting role and suddenly stepped onto center stage.
It made her heart skip in dangerous ways.
She rubbed her eyes. "So. I have to… I don't know. Make a statement? Post something? Respond?"
Sheldon folded his arms, very serious.
"You must decide how you want the world to see you."
Penny blinked. "Woah. That's… kinda profound."
"It's simply accurate. Public image management is crucial. Leonard tried to build a public persona once. It didn't go well."
"Is this about the time he made a YouTube physics channel and the comments called him 'Diet Bill Nye'?"
"Yes. He cried in the shower for two days."
Penny snorted — then sobered.
Sheldon looked at her — really looked — with a soft reverence that made her feel seen in all the ways she'd always hidden.
"You are extraordinary, Penny," he said simply. No sarcasm. No scientific detour.
Just truth.
Her breath caught.
"I… didn't expect you to handle all of this so well," she admitted.
"Nonsense. I've known since the Hrafntinna arc that you were too talented to be merely human."
"Gee, thanks."
"Besides," he added, tilting his head, "you have always been someone worth admiring. I'm gratified the rest of the world has finally caught up."
Penny might've melted into the mattress.
Her laptop pinged with another flood of messages.
"Oh God," she sighed. "I promised Issue #3 would go up today."
She swung her legs out of bed. Sheldon immediately moved to her side.
"If you need assistance — technical, emotional, or physical — I am available."
"You helping me upload a comic would break the universe."
"Nonsense. I already adjusted your wormhole panel in Issue #5."
Penny laughed so hard she had nearly fell the rest of the way out of bed.
Her phone buzzed again — this time with a call.
STUART.
Penny groaned and answered. "Please tell me your store hasn't burned down."
"Penny," Stuart gasped, sounding like he was running a marathon, "you need to get down here right now."
"Why?"
"Because there are FANS. SO MANY. And they all want you to sign things. EVERYTHING. Even stuff you didn't make. Someone handed me a toaster and said, 'Elisabet can bless this.' I'm scared."
Sheldon took the phone from her hand.
"This is Sheldon Cooper. We'll be there in fifteen minutes. Do not allow anyone to hand Penny a toaster."
He hung up.
Penny stared at him, amazed.
"What?" he asked.
"You're kinda badass when you're protective."
He turned pink.
She turned pink.
"Oh dear," he whispered.