By The Numbers Chapter Five-Final
By The Numbers
by trippy41
Rating: PG-13/R
Author's Note 1: Spoilers up to and including 4.1 The Robotic Manipulation.
Author's Note 2: Sadly, I don't own these characters, but instead chose to play with them.
Author's Note 3: My first Shenny fanfic. Be kind.
Author's Note 4: The last chapter for By The Numbers, but sequels are in the works!
Sheldon tried not to stiffen too much from Penny's onslaught. He wasn't exactly unappreciative of the gesture-he'd allowed Penny more physical contact than anyone else, simply because she was a demonstrative person. It was just part of being friends with Penny. And, Sheldon reflected, even he'd thrown himself into her arms at least once before. So, he tried to, without being as awkward, put his arms around her back, and not just for a place to rest them, but to actually hug her back.
Penny noticed, and thought to herself, Sheldon's really hugging me! Not the strange, awkward Nimoy hug, as Penny liked to refer to their first hug, or the rush of the Switzerland hug that turned awkward after he thought about it too much. Or even from earlier-the supportive hug. This one felt-Penny really didn't know what to think about it-but it felt-real. Here she was, in his arms that wrapped around her back and pressed her even closer to him-could feel his heartbeat quickening-or was that hers? Her arms, wrapped tightly around his neck with her fingers-holy crap! Her fingers were in his hair! When the hell did that happen? Penny began to unwrap her arms from his neck before he got uncomfortable and started inquiring about the length and appropriateness of friendly hugs.
Sheldon felt Penny let go, so reluctantly, he did as well, "Thank you for listening to me and being--understanding." Sheldon put his hands back in his lap, "I-I've never told anyone any of this-so I---" He huffed in frustration. Why was it so hard for him to speak about how he felt? How he trusted her? How he valued her friendship? How he let her get closer to him than even his family members? He sighed and tried to put it all in a look into Penny's eyes.
"I know sweetie, I know," Penny soothed, rubbing his knee again, "and thanks for opening up to me-it's just another part of you I understand better now." Penny thought back to recent developments, "I am glad, however, that you didn't actually have sex with that bitch Leslie Winkle!"
"Well," Sheldon allowed a smirk, "many don't equate oral sex with coitus-in fact we had a President once who believed as you do."
Penny laughed. Sheldon continued, "But I take your meaning. If your friend Kristy was the whore of Omaha, then Leslie Winkle is the whore of Caltech."
"Well, I'll tell you," Penny's cheeks flushed, "if she ever compares my hair colour and my lack of intelligence again, I'm going Nebraska on her ass!"
"Perhaps you can come play paintball again with us soon," Sheldon had a gleam in his eye, "and 'accidently' shoot her."
Penny laughed again, "Sounds like a plan!" She thought about something that had been nagging at her and said quietly, "Sheldon, I have a question."
Sheldon nodded once, "O-o-o-kay." The way she was looking at him made him slightly nervous.
"Have you--" Penny took a deep breath and started again, "Have you ever, during these experiences, kissed any of these women? You never said so," Penny looked him in the eye to look for her answer, "and I'm pretty sure you would not have left that detail out."
"No, I was clear about the brusqeness of my experiences," Sheldon rubbed his knee with a bit more nervousness than was normal for him, "I never kissed them. There were no emotional connections with these girls," Sheldon shrugged, "perhaps, as I've always thought, I'm incapable of it."
"Oh Sheldon," Penny rubbed his knee again, "I doubt you're incapable-more like-you gave up even trying."
"While you do nothing but try," Sheldon pointed out, "and you've been no more successful."
"Well I'd rather at least try to find some love and happiness," Penny said hotly, "then to be--what-be alone for the rest of your life?" What he said stung.
"Penny," Sheldon said quietly, "I'm sorry-I didn't mean to--hurt you--your feelings." Sheldon turned to her and patted her knee, like she'd done for him, "And I don't, contrary to some people's opinion, know the future-but I do think you have a better chance at that kind of emotional connection to someone than I do."
Penny sighed, her anger leaving her as quickly as it came-which often happened during this friendship with Sheldon-forged after more than three years-and stronger since her split with Leonard some months ago. She pressed ahead with him, "Well," Penny paused, but despite her initial feelings towards the woman, she had to say, "what about Amy? I mean, there must be something about her you like to keep in contact for so long."
Sheldon shrugged, "She is amusing-which incidently, carries over better by text than it did in person."
Penny nudged his knee with her own, "That's because you were too busy focusing on my romantic interests rather than your own!" She laughed a bit at that, but it was true and she couldn't quite put her finger on why that bothered her.
"We do not have a romantic "interest" in one another," Sheldon looked at her under his brows, "I thought I'd been clear on that."
Penny sighed, "You've had one date! I think you probably need to spend more time with her to see if there is an "interest" or not." Penny wasn't sure why she was pushing this topic, but, she thought, she cared enough about Sheldon that she didn't want him to 'give up' as he said he'd done, "You need another date before you can really say there's nothing romantic there-and one where it's just the two of you!"
"I really have no interest in--'dating' her at present," Sheldon huffed, "I am concentrating on my work, and have enough interpersonal relationships to manage currently."
Penny rolled her eyes," "Sheldon, you are such a--a--guy sometimes!"
"How is it that you've managed to make my gender an-insult?" Sheldon looked at her with his 'quizzical' look-usually reserved for Leonard, but trotted out for Penny almost as often recently-a raised eyebrow with a nose wrinkle.
"That's because," Penny laughed, "women have been bemoaning the fact that their men work too hard, and hang out with the guys too much."
"I highly doubt," Sheldon said tightly, "that Amy is bemoaning anything."
Penny doubled over laughing this time, "Probably not." Penny wiped a tear from her eye and tried to be serious again, "Ok, shelving the 'Amy' thing for now," Penny shifted closer to Sheldon, putting her hand on his thigh this time-just past the knee that she had claimed as her hand's resting spot for most of their conversation, "Sheldon, you simply can not just opt out of a part of life this way."
Sheldon looked down at Penny's hand on his thigh, but only said, "I can, and I have."
Penny let out a frustrated growl, "Sheldon, life just isn't as precise and controlled as you make it out to be," Penny looked at him as earnestly as she could, "life is messy, unpredictable and uncontrolled."
"No-o-o," Sheldon began, "your life is messy, unpredictable and uncontrolled. Mine has been the work of many years, and I control most, if not all, of my daily interactions within it." Sheldon thought a moment, "Well, except perhaps for you. I can't control my interactions with you because you are so unpredictable-but that itself is predictable, so I'm ok with it."
"I'm not sure if you just insulted me," Penny started with a wry smile, "by calling my life messy, or if you were being kind by saying you liked me anyway."
"Well of course I like you Penny, but the messy," Sheldon looked around her apartment, "is obvious."
Penny swatted his leg where her hand was, "One of these days, you'll come here and my apartment will be clean-without any midnight cleaning sessions from you!"
"That," Sheldon smiled slightly, "would be an interesting day-as pigs would fly, I would start whistling, and Howard would start wearing baggy pants."
Penny laughed, "Ok, you got me. No need to start whistling. How about-a deal?" Penny said before she thought much more, "You can come clean my apartment whenever you want, and in return, I'll do something for you."
"I don't mind cleaning your apartment Penny," Sheldon stated only the truth, "it is too hard for me to live next to such entrophy anyway. No need to reciprocate."
"Still--" Penny had a thought, hmm, I wonder? "I feel like I'd want to, uh, reciprocate anyway."
Sheldon looked at her with a wary eye, "How?"
Penny took her hand off Sheldon's thigh, "If I'm correct, with everything you've told me," she paused slightly, but she was a big ol' five after all, "you've never been kissed, except for---"
Sheldon interrupted with a shudder, "Beverly Hofstadter."
"Ya, her--" Penny began, but was interrupted again.
Sheldon's cheeks were slightly pink again, "Whom you got drunk--"
"Ya, sorry, again, about that," Penny's hands were palms up in front of her in contrition, "how was I to know she had a latent attraction to you? You're the same age as her youngest son!"
"Be that as it may," Sheldon was beginning to have a strange thought as to Penny's motivations, "why bring this unpleasant experience up again?"
Penny chewed her lip, "Well, only to--suggest--a better-more positive experience with a kiss."
"Are you suggesting--" Sheldon's jaw dropped ever so slighly, but Penny noticed.
"Yes Sheldon," Penny moved as close as she could to him without actually sitting on him, "you need a better memory to cross out that bad one."
"An eidetic memory doesn't work like that," Sheldon started, noting his heart rate rising and had to take a deep breath to steady his voice, "but I take your point. However, Penny, do you--really think this---is a good idea?"
"Yes," Penny was sure, "you need to see, with someone you trust, that there are good experiences to be had with women."
Sheldon was quiet, thinking. Penny could almost see the process he was working out. Kissing. Friendship. Germs. Penny tapped her foot, "I have a dinner shift to get ready for sweetie," Penny prodded, "what's the verdict?"?
Sheldon nodded, "Ok."
"Ok?" Penny was a little dissapointed with the lack of enthusiasm.
"Yes," Sheldon had managed to keep his voice even, but his knee shook slighlty, "Ok-I'm willing to risk the germs to test your hypothesis that a kiss from a friend would be a positive experience."
Penny smiled, "Ok then."
"What is the protocol?" Sheldon didn't want to make anything more awkward than he already thought the situation to be.
"You sit still-I'll kiss you." Penny moved her upper body closer to him.
"Alrighty." Sheldon was a master at sitting still.
"And close your eyes" Penny almost whispered-she didn't want to scare him off.
"I never understood that--" Sheldon closed his eyes anyway.
Penny placed a hand on his cheek to pull him down a bit-even sitting next to her, he was taller. She looked at his lower lip-as she had always wondered how soft it was-she only meant to graze it with her lips-before she closed her own eyes.
And brushed his lower lip with hers she did. Hardly any pressure at all. She then began to move away-when he chased her lips with his own and he applied some pressure. Penny was shocked-they must have kissed now for a total of five Mississippis when she felt Sheldon's hand go to the back of her head-in her hair! And her hands, she noticed now, had landed on both of his thighs for leverage. She lost count of the Mississipis. Oh-oh-oh dear! Penny opened her eyes and met with Sheldon's blues looking at her. Penny sat back a little, with Sheldon still attached to her hair.
Penny took a deep steadying breath-and she noticed Sheldon doing the same. He slowly disentangled his hand from her hair, and sat again with his hands on his knees-seemingly steadying them. Penny mirrored him, as she was a little shaky herself.
"And?" Penny asked expectantly.
"Better." Sheldon still didn't trust his voice yet.
Penny smiled, pleased with herself. She managed to reduce Sheldon Cooper to a one word answer. She patted his cheek, "Good. Now I've got to get ready." She grabbed one of Sheldon's hands to pull him off the couch.
"Ok," Sheldon stood, still trying to steady himself, "I need to go brush my teeth anyway to ward off any possible Cheesecake Factory germs." Sheldon smirked a little.
"Off you go then," Penny laughed, while pushing Sheldon towards the door, hand between his shoulder blades, "feel free to come and clean later too."
Sheldon opened the door and took a step out in the hallway, "Oh I will-and I'll try not to wait until you're home and asleep."
Penny laughed again, closing the door behind him. Just before she turned to her bedroom for her uniform, she thought she could hear the faint sound of a cat, meowing to be let out of the box.
Finis