Sheldon x Penny

Chapter 3: The Friends With Benefits Explanation (part 1)

{(A month or so after the events of Chapter 2: 'Sheldon's sleepless night') Leonard, Howard and Raj have gone to Vegas in an attempt to cheer Howard up after the termination of his relationship with Leslie Winkle. Sheldon insisted on staying behind, excited for an evening of solitude. This however doesn't go to plan after discovering that he has forgotten his keys and is subsequently locked out of his apartment. Luckily penny takes pity on him, inviting him over to hers until Leonard returns.}

"Okay that's question 20, you have to guess" Sheldon stated, in anticipation of penny's answer. 

"Ugh I don't know, Sheldon. Are you Star Wars?" she asked, rolling her eyes at the thought of spending another minute playing the tedious game. She knew she had answered wrong and watched as his blank expression morphed into a smug grin. She braced herself, in preparation of the condemnation she knew would follow. 

"How can one person be a whole movie?" he enquired, condescendingly.

 "Okay I give up. Can we just do something else?"

"Fine".  Sheldon was reluctant to end the game, but penny had opened up her home to him for the night and he was grateful (He was also locked out of his own apartment until Leonard returned home and considered the idea of sleeping in the hall on the stairs to be repellant). "I was Spock" he said with a smile as he absorbed his somewhat underwhelming victory. 

There was a comfortable silence as penny walked over to the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of wine. He watched as she lifted it to her lips, taking a long sip before placing it back down onto the kitchen counter. 

"what is meant by the term 'friends with benefits'?"

"What?". Penny's eyes widened as she struggled to comprehend what Sheldon had just asked her. Looking down for a moment, she attempted to string together an answer in her head that he would understand. She was aware of his lack of sexual experience but his overall knowledge of the subject eluded her (although privately, she did like to entertain the idea that he was some sort of secret sex genius). He had never really spoken about sex before, unless of course he was scolding her for her unnecessarily loud appeals to deity on nights she had spent with Leonard, in earshot of his bedroom. Even this he hadn't spoken of much since acquiring a pair of noise cancelling headphones. 

"what is meant by-" 

"I heard what you said Sheldon!". Her cheeks burned pink as she began to organise her thoughts. 

"well.. Sheldon, ' friends with benefits' is where two people enjoy all the aspects of a physical relationship without actually being  committed to each other" .

"Okay. I see." 

"why are you asking?".  She picked up her wine glass once more, taking another sip as she made her way back to the sitting area, perching next to him. Her elbow brushed his as she leaned into the right arm of her unconventionally tiny couch, making herself comfortable. His eyes did not follow her this time and his gaze remained fixed on the coffee table in front of them, lost in the labyrinths of deep thought. His attention was diverted back to her however at the subtle waft of green apple that danced its way into his nostrils as she flicked her hair away from her face and behind her shoulders. The sweet scent reminded him that he was with Penny. That made him feel safe. 

"Im curious about the whole social construct." he told her. Admitting that he had a lack of understanding regarding any subject would ordinarily cause him to feel profoundly insecure, but it was Penny. He could speak to her about anything without facing the ridicule he would receive from his other friends. 

"On its face, the notion of satisfying ones sexual appetite, assuming one is afflicted with such, without emotional entanglement - That seems eminently practical. What iv observed however is Howard Wolowitz crying like a little girl over Leslie Winkle."

She observed as he wrestled with the notion. "Some people just can't handle that kind of relationship I guess". 

Sheldon turned his body to face her, leaning forward as he absorbed the information that penny was bestowing upon him. It wasn't often that she could tell him something he didn't know, but when she did the feeling was electric. She possessed something that he did not and he found that fascinating. He both envied and admired her ability to understand the way a person was feeling without them having to verbalise it for her. 

"can you?" 

There was a pause. Sheldon could feel that the atmosphere had shifted however he struggled to identify under what circumstances. 

"excuse me?". Penny leered at him, defensively. She stood once more, retrieving her bottle of wine from the kitchen, this time pouring a significantly more generous amount into her glass. "Sheldon I really..would rather not yuno". 

"No I do not know, Penny." 

"-have this conversation with you". His head tilted to the side, unable to identify his mistake or how he could have possibly offended her. 

"Im not sure I understand. Have I upset y-"

"IM UNCOMFORTABLE SHELDON!"

The room fell silent as Penny lifted her drink for the final time, grasping it firmly with her right hand as she consumed its contents in two big gulps. He watched as a single droplet escaped her mouth and dribbled down her chin. She placed the glass back onto the coffee table, her cherry lips glistening as she wiped it away with the back of her sleeve. 

"Im sorry." he said, moving closer to her. "I now recognise that might not have been an appropriate question". Timidly, he placed his hand on top of hers. "I hope you can forgive me". 

She watched it resting there for a moment as he resisted the urge to 'Purell'. He had surprisingly broad, masculine hands, laced with deep blue veins that run like tributaries all the way up to his forearms. His knuckles and fingers were sharp and defined like the rest of his features. 

"It's okay Sweetie."  Her eyes lit up in appreciation of the sincerity of his gesture. Sheldon apologising was a rare phenomenon and there was something about his behaviour in this current moment that she found rather appealing. It made her feel warm and floaty - however the wine could have been to blame for this particular sensation. 

 With a long sigh, she hauled herself off of the couch, collecting the empty glasses from the coffee table and placed them into the sink. "Well, it's getting late. I'll get you some blankets and a pillow". 

"I can't sleep on your couch. I sleep in a bed. And given its dimensions I have no intentions of living out E.M Snickering's beloved children's book 'The tall man from Cornwall'. "

"What?". Immediately, she regretted asking. 

"There was a tall man from Cornwall, who's length exceeded his bed. My body fits on it but barely upon it, there's no room for my big Cornish head." Sheldon recited, demonstrating that his length did in fact exceed the dimensions of her sofa. 

"Alright, I will give you my bed under one condition" she said, reluctant to argue with the man who now lay on her couch, his legs dangling off the end. He did have a point.  "That you promise to zip your hole for the next 8 hours". 

"May I say one last thing?" he asked as he stood with a grin, satisfied by her compromise. 

"As long as it doesn't rhyme"

"alright". He started towards her bedroom, coming to a halt before entering. He turned back in Penny's direction, locking eyes with her for a brief moment. "Goodnight" he said cheekily before racing into bed.

She hung her head with a smile, amused.