AN: This is just fluffy ramblings that entered my head and got trapped until it spilled onto the keyboard. It's just meant to be fun and playful and you can make up your own ending. (I had trouble with that). Hope you enjoy!
It was innocent enough, at first, this game they were playing. Or so they thought. It started with the look she gave Sheldon after threatening to draw a smiley face in ink in one of his comic books. It was the first time Sheldon felt stirrings in his mid region and floaty things in his stomach when she squinted her eyes in that provocative way and then flashed him a blindingly brilliant smile. She knew exactly what kind of reaction it would stir, so he had to remain stoic and feign ignorance, pretending it didn't affect him. Not enjoying the satisfied smirk she taunted him with, he decided to reciprocate. He wasn't sure how to play these sorts of games with a member of the opposite sex, but he gave it his all. If she was going to be forever meddling in his life he might as well have fun. Never one to be bested, he appreciated the challenge. He was almost sure his raised eyebrows, crossed arms, and tilted head beckoning "game on" had stirred something in her as well and like he, she feigned any affect it might have had.
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And so it went. When no one was looking, they would shoot the "look" to one another. The unspoken rules being, there are no rules, and the first one to show reaction would be the loser. Sheldon's looks were fleeting and powerful, omniscient or dominant. Penny's were frisky and impetuous, bewitching or pouty. Although no words were ever spoken, both soon learned which look to use in which situation to make the air and tension between them as thick as molasses.
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So Penny upped the ante one night. She started adding "the brush" when she was beside him on the middle cushion of the couch. When standing or sitting, she would purposely press against the outer edge of his leg. Sheldon behaved as though rubbing thighs against women were a mundane task, and although he sighed like he was bored, he was dangerously close to blushing a time or two.
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Well he could parley with the best of them. He began his own version of "the brush" whenever he handed her a water bottle, a game controller, or plate of food. His fingers would inadvertently glide up against her own, and she would have to ignore the tingling it gave her on the back of her neck. She almost thought Sheldon noticed goose bumps on her arm one time, but she managed to stare him down in his eyes long enough to draw the attention away. A moment was all that was needed for her to regain control.
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After the "look" and the "brush" came the "bump" which was pretending they didn't see the other, or know when one was coming around a corner. This most frequently happened in the laundry room and the stairs, and was always followed by profuse apologies and excuses. The more outlandish the subterfuge, the more fun was had. Penny thought she would be the best at this maneuver, as she had the most experience rubbing up against men. However with his vulcan hearing, Penny actually lagged behind and Sheldon most often had the upperhand (although sometimes he let her run into him on purpose).
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It would seem as though Sheldon Cooper actually did have extreme control over his baser urges, something Penny never was interested in controlling at all. The score seemed to be slightly tipped in Sheldon's favor, but she was not one to be bested either. Improving upon her offensive strategies, she decided to use various combinations of techniques they had attempted over the years. Her favorite was the "bump", followed by the "brush" on his arm or back, accompanied by a variation of the "look" called the "batting of her eyes". Much to her chagrin she had to admit Sheldon had her whooped on "the look" with a simultaneous "brush" culminating in an added move, which was the "lick of his lips". His defense held up against her offense as baby blues always were her weakness, and she found herself more often than not, feigning a misplaced eyelash to conceal her noticeable dilated pupils.
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One morning, not planned by either party, both had a close call. Penny had been in the fridge returning pilfered milk at 5:00 am after having been up all night. Sheldon was at an obvious male disadvantage, having just awoke and deciding to start the coffee prior to relieving himself. He managed to come around the corner of the fridge just as Penny was closing the door, and both slammed full body into the other in the dark, Penny with hardly a stitch on. Sheldon had to grab her around her bare tiny waist to prevent her from falling backwards and Penny grabbed hold of his shirt with both fists. They hung there, for an eternity while balances were regained. Penny just knew Sheldon had noticed the catch in her breath and felt her heart pound. Sheldon believed Penny felt his rigid form. And since neither wanted to call the other one out, thus ending the game, they gave their apologies in the dark under blushes and goose bumps and all other kinds of perky body parts, hid to the other in the cloak of darkness. Penny scurried away, feeling Sheldon's hands on her all the way into her apartment and beyond, and Sheldon took a hot shower, relishing the heat that his eidetic memory felt from her near naked body.
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Changes in rules were never vocalized, just understood, telepathically between them with their furtive glances, smirks and stares. After that morning, it was becoming painfully obvious that they couldn't continue the charade for much longer. Thus "time Outs" were declared mentally by a knowing nod, which meant no contact for at least a week. But when the game resumed, neither one cared any longer if the other happened to breathe more heavily, sigh deeper, rub harder, or gaze longer. They could have easily placed entry into the Guinness book of World Records for the longest foreplay in history.
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Of course the main unspoken rule was "this can never be", due to the overlapping of Leonard's continual forwardness, Raj and Howard's discovery on a dating site, and when "the game" started becoming intense. Since Sheldon and Penny were the only players, they deemed the others to be "interference" and so in defiance, Sheldon refused to be intimate with Amy, and Penny would never accept Leonard's proposals. It was believed that the stalemate would continue indefinitely until that fateful day, when one of history's greatest turnovers occurred.
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Sheldon had stolen Penny away from a double shift for a needed ride home from the airport after returning early from Texas. When they entered the apartment, the noise could be heard instantly and after sharing confused yet determined looks, the two stealthily crept down the hall, peering slightly into the door that was ajar to Leonard's room. Their significant other's seemed to be enjoying each other quite lavishly, if not awkwardly, and as if minds could be read, Penny and Sheldon tip toed back away together and beat a hasty retreat out the door and back down to the car.
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The word was simple and understood, as Sheldon held onto the dash and questioned "where?"
Penny simply replied, "I have an idea".
She pulled into a strange driveway and declared "house sitting for a friend".
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They ran to the door, and in her excitement, Penny fumbled too long for the keys. Sheldon moaned out "hurry, please" sucking in his lower lip in agony. Once inside, the door was slammed shut by Penny's body being shoved up against it in Sheldon's arms. He pinned her against the door with his weight while Penny wrapped her legs around his waist. He crept hungrily up and down her neck. His hands were everywhere at once and Penny's were pulling off his shirts. He carried her to the couch, but they winded up on the floor. They started for the bedroom but got stalled on the stairway. Remnants of their clothing were left scattered throughout the house. They finally made it to the room mostly naked and quite disheveled . He placed her on the bed and his legs went weak as he slid to the floor on his knees, burying his head in her mid region not knowing how to stop, nor how to begin. Penny took over initially and orchestrated the events until Sheldon's mind had a chance to savor and relish the deluge of sensations. It took several times for them to experience all they had ever fantasized.
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The game went into overtime.
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Hours later, Sheldon and Penny lay breathless, wrapped in sheets drenched with evidence of their wantonness, fingers interlaced.
As if on cue, they each raised to an elbow, propping up their heads and saying to each other in unison "I won" which instigated more "looks", "brushes", "bumps", and further playfulness until both fell exhausted into a peaceful much needed sleep.
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And thus ends the story of the biggest upset in the history of romance.
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Game Over
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(or has it just begun?)