Sheldon is glaring at her. He's just bitter that she kicked his ass in halo, she knows. But she can catch the looks out of the corner of her eyes. Sees the way he sulks at her. She can almost feel his eyes on her. The intensity with which they trace her form.
It makes her heart beat faster.
She catches herself smirking, egging him on every time his interest is in danger of being pulled away. She like's teasing Sheldon. Likes watching him react. Blue eyes dark, and intense, trained squarely on her.
x
Penny is looking at him. Sheldon doesn't have to turn his head to catch her in the act. He simply knows. Penny is always looking at him when she thinks he doesn't see. When he's bent over, loading laundry. When they sit in the dark watching movies. Even when he's at the fridge, looking for snacks.
He doesn't know how he can tell, how he can always quantify the angle of her head, or the way her eyes track him. But he does.
Works the mystery of it over in his head before he falls asleep. Dreams of the color of her eyes.
x
Sheldon is someone that draws her eye. Penny doesn't know when it started, constantly catches herself in the act. But she's not sure she wants to stop. Sheldon is worth looking at. The planes of his face, the intensity of his gaze, the open door that is his face. She's sure Sheldon could be one hell of an actor if he ever decided to go that way. He's so expressive.
As an actress, Penny can appreciate that. So she tells herself the interest is professional. That her fascination stems from respect. She's not hurting anybody.
It's not like she's touching him, it's not actually as intimate as it feels sometimes, meeting Sheldon's eyes and feeling breathless. She's only looking.
x
Sheldon starts looking back. He gives Penny the same courtesy she grants him and only observes her sparingly. While she's busy and not liable to catch him in the act. Indulges his own curiosity about the shape of her smile and the curve of her spine. Penny is vastly more visually appealing than the others he has a chance to see during the day. She is pleasing to look at, and he finds himself looking forward to feasting his eyes on her form.
It's quick to spiral. He's soon attentive to the glimpses of her he can catch from the corner of his eyes, cast's his gaze in her general direction as often as he can justify. Occasionally catches her looking back.
It makes his face feel hot. Ears warmer than they should be, considering that his apartment is temperature controlled.
x
The thing is, Sheldon lacks subtlety. Of course she notices when he starts looking back. Penny can feel it. The way his eyes burn into her. It's the same way he looks at his whiteboards. Focused and intense, sometimes the attention is so compelling she has to remind herself to breathe. It feels good, better than good, even. It's validating. Because she can hold Sheldon's attention the same way the mysteries of the universe can.
She doesn't mean to, actively tries not to, in fact. But she manages anyway, Penny falls in love with Sheldon's eyes.
It's almost suspicious how easily the rest of it follows.
x
Sheldon doesn't know when they stopped needing words. He is a creature of words. Enjoys the ability to communicate his standards and boundaries in detail. But somewhere along the line, he and Penny began to communicate with their eyes.
He's had entire conversations with her this way, communicated his thoughts merely by looking this way and that. And more startling still, he's learned to divine the meaning behind the flicker of Penny's own gaze.
It's almost like they've both learned a new language. Achieved a superior form of understanding where words are clumsy and unnecessary.
x
Penny lacks self-control. She knows this, it's a defining character trait. Penny lacks self-control. So she asks. She meets Sheldon's eyes over a container of fried rice and flicks her eyes to the door. She gets a slow blink of confirmation. They wait until their friends leave, and Leonard goes to shower. Sheldon follows her into her apartment as like they'd agreed.
After so much watching, touching is a revelation. A slow combustion of heat ignited by the soft press of Sheldon's lips. It's chaste, Penny's hardly a virgin, it shouldn't wreck her the way it does. She meets Sheldon's half mast eyes and she knows.
It's soul deep.
x
So...I found this sucker while going through my folder and realized it was complete? If you guys understood the sheer volume of crap that I write, and slog through every time I pursue my shenny folder you would understand how easy it was to over look things like this. My obsession with the medieval has finally lulled, but if manage to edit the Chapter for Release the dragon today I'll post it later tonight.