Sheldon looked over at Penny, wondering why her arching her neck back while running her fingers through her hair made him feel too warm. He was sitting in his spot, so the temperature should have been just right, but he was definitely too hot. He shifted uncomfortably. Penny turned to look at him.

"You okay, sweetie?"

"I think there has been an impromptu increase in the pinnacle of the warmth emanating from the heating system installed in this dwelling." Penny blinked.

"You too hot, honey?"

"A little, yes. Thank you for using your somewhat limited intelligent to pose the question drowning in its own simplicity to enquire after my well-being." Penny rolled her eyes.

"No problem." She turned her attention back to the television, wishing Howard was back from the market. Why she'd agreed to wait with Sheldon watching re-runs of Star Trek she didn't know. She had nothing against Star Trek, but Sheldon's running commentary explaining the physics mistakes and how to rectify them was starting to fray her nerves. All she'd come over for was to give Howard Babylon 5 back (he'd lent it to her because her dad wanted to see it) and here she was, stuck on the couch with Sheldon, suddenly complaining about the heat. She frowned and looked at him again. He was in his famous spot but he did look a little flushed and she felt fine.

"Sheldon, sweetie I think you're coming down with something."

"Don't be ridiculous. I take extra special care to avoid all social interaction beyond speech therefore eliminating the risk of contracting a contagious ailment which would give me the symptoms of, as you put it, 'coming down with something'."

"But you look flushed and said yourself you were too hot. Maybe you should go to bed."

"But retiring to my room to sleep at such a moment in the day would interfere with my carefully mapped out routine, which leads me to slumber for the appropriate amount of time each night so that I may be fully alert at the time I choose to rise from my bed and greet the new day."

"But if you're sick you should really go to bed."

"I am not sick, Penny. I am merely experiencing unprecedented effects of what I assume is a fault in the heating appliance, which is causing my temperature to rise, thus giving the appearance that I have a fever. All these lead to your assumption that I am sick, whereas I am sure it is only the result of unforeseen events, which were therefore unplanned for, which has resulted in my cheeks becoming tinged with pink, which my usual completion fails to do." He smiled and looked at Penny who was frowning.

"Okay, I have no idea what you just said"

"I'm not sick." Sheldon said simply, returning his attention to the television. Penny scooted closer to Sheldon and raised her hand to feel his forehead. Before she could Sheldon recoiled and pressed himself against the arm of the couch.

"Penny, what are you doing?"

"I just want to check your temperature." Sheldon jumped of the couch and ran to the television.

"No! I've told you I'm not sick! Though you touching my forehead with you hand may give me something. You don't use sanitizer gel and you're a waitress, who knows what you may give me if you touch me."

"Sweetie, you look really red I think you should check you're not sick."

"Checking I'm not sick, does not involve the need for you to touch my forehead."

"Then check yourself Sheldon."

"I am not sick Penny!"

"But the temperature in here is fine, I'm not too hot and I'm not even in your spot. Why else would you look so flushed? I really think you should check honey."

"First of all Penny, there are many reasons for Homo sapiens complexion changing. Sickness is indeed one but flushing also indicates excitement, warmth above what is normal in the vicinity, sadness, happiness, various emotional disturbances, a hormonal imbalance and, though totally irrelevant to my condition but relevant in a scientific rundown of possibilities, the feeling inspired by the urge to engage in coitus."

"Well, and I'm really worried I understood you, but it can't be temperature because I'm fine. Like you said it can't be the urge to…whatever. I don't think you're capable of emotional disturbances and a hormonal imbalance at your age would suggest you need to see a doctor anyway so, unless you're inexplicably excited by something, I would say you're sick."

"Drat." Sheldon left to go to his room. Penny grinned.

"Oh Sheldon," she said to herself. "You are so sweet."

A/N Thinking of extending this. Any thoughts? "Dodges bullets from 'An Affair To Remember' subscribers and bubbleairhead's ghost"