Penny for Your Thoughts
Title: Penny for Your Thoughts
Pairing: Penny/Sheldon
Rating: K+
Summary: Four years ago, Penny left for the stars of Hollywood. Five years ago she made a pact with Sheldon. An agreement, a promise. "If you see me and I don't see you, throw a penny at me. That way I'll always know it's you."
Spoilers: Up to The Robotic Manipulation
Word Count: 3,360
Disclaimer: The characters and the show remain the wonderful creation of Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady.
Author's Note: This is my first Big Bang Theory fanfic, so I'm a little nervous about posting it. I've been lurking around the Sheldon/Penny community for a while, having fallen in love with the banter, looks and fights that these two wonderful characters share. The idea for this fanfic came to me when I was scrolling through the Love Gives Me Hope site and stumbled upon the following entry:
Growing up, me and my best guy friend had a joke that if he saw me and if I didn't see him he would throw a quarter at me.
This never happened because it was only a joke. He moved 3 years later.
2 years ago, I was at a bar and a coin hit me and he was standing behind me.
The idea hit me like a freight train and I had to write it down, but due to various commitments, academic and the like, I haven't had the time to write it in full. I only recently finished writing this, and am quite satisfied with its outcome – I can only hope that all you wonderful readers are too.
Forgive any errors and the lack of anything scientific. I'm not exactly a student of science, though I will be taking up physics next year as part of my studies. Please leave a comment, critique or review etc. I don't mind what you write, whether it be criticism or jubilance, just throw it at me. I thrive on reviews as most writers do.
It was exactly four years to the hour since Penny from across the hall had hit it big and moved out of her too small, too messy apartment. Four years in which she had come in and out of 'her boys'' lives, drifting farther and farther away from them until one day the calls never came through, the emails were never sent and the visits were reduced to waiting for nothing. They had all expected it at one point or other, knowing that the cost of fame was something that would take a hold of her and make her forget the four nerds she had waiting back home.
They'd expected it, and accepted the fact. However, the chasm that had ultimately been left by her departure often reminded them of the hurt they felt in knowing she wasn't going to be there to beat their arses at Halo, walk into Sheldon and Leonard's apartment unannounced to steal their coffee or join them for their dinner rituals.
The loss had affected them all. Raj became even more nervous around women, needing to retreat to the bathroom several times in one sitting whilst in their company. Howard's disgustingly creepy double entendres became far and few between, his relationship with Bernadette the only thing keeping his unique sensibilities intact. Leonard went back to being the man he was before Penny came along, retreating into his shell of work and awkwardness, and finding it harder to approach women.
And then there was Sheldon. Dr Sheldon Lee Cooper, PhD. Genius man-child with an IQ of 187 and the social abilities of a goldfish. For when Penny left for her great adventure into the world of stardom, he was perhaps the one that suffered the most. Not only was his only female companion taken away from him, but his best friend, sparring partner and perhaps... something else... too. Of course, she had frustrated him to no end; what with her ridiculous spending habits, her coffee addiction, her serious lack of an extensive vocabulary, her ignorance of physics and constant need to be in the company of incompetent males.
But even the most stubborn of men could yield. For when Penny left, Sheldon's heart seemed to break, though that was physically impossible. He had pondered the implications several times since her departure, going so far as to check in at the local hospital to make sure that nothing was indeed the matter with him. The doctor attending him – "I requested Dr Stephanie Barnett specifically; she is the only person who has any sense in this entire building." – told him that nothing was seriously wrong, that he was just suffering from a case of 'broken heart syndrome', that he was merely missing someone.
A ridiculous notion.
Sheldon never missed anyone – his Memaw being the exception. He never missed his mother, nor his sister or brother. He definitely never missed Leonard, Raj or Howard. But when Penny had left and a wedge between them began to grow, he couldn't help but feel as if a part of him was missing. He couldn't help the feelings of sheer disappointment when she didn't walk into the apartment in the mornings to steal milk and coffee, or when she didn't show up to join them for Halo Night. He couldn't help but miss her, because, because, because. He couldn't help it even if he tried. Penny had wormed her way into his particular schedules and accommodated him with warm smiles and sarcastic humour, teaching him to grow within himself and allow others into his life.
Penny had become everything to him. She had warmed him with her bubbly persona and annoyed him with her ridiculous habits. She had managed to frustrate him and cheer him up, nurse him back to health and prove herself as a worthy sparring partner. Penny had sung Softy Kitty when he was sick and taken him in when he had locked himself out of his apartment. She'd driven him to the comic book store and to his 'date' with Amy Farrah Fowler. And in return for everything she had done, Sheldon had allowed her to break through his cold, clueless exterior and take up residence within his heart, though the notion is completely unethical and entirely impossible.
Sheldon sat in his spot, contemplating the thoughts running through his mind, and wondering what he should do.
"Leonard, I'm going for a walk."
Leonard, who was sitting at his desk and reading some sort of website, raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You don't go out for walks," he stated. "Why the sudden change?"
"Does there have to be a reason for why I want to go out for a walk?" Sheldon asked in response, reaching into the bowl to retrieve his keys. "I'm simply going for a walk to clear my mind. It seems that my usual way of working through a problem and understanding is useless, thus I have to resort to more tactless measures to understand it."
His roommate gazed at him sceptically. "Uh... Okay? Don't get lost," he replied, shrugging and turning back to his laptop.
"Really Leonard, do you think that I am that irresponsible? I have an IQ of 187 with a working knowledge of the universe; do you really think that I am incompetent enough to become lost in the city in which I live?" He raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms, looking at Leonard expectantly. He didn't respond. "Well? Do you?"
"Look, just forget I said anything okay? I'm just... distracted." He didn't even turn around, and Sheldon took this as an offence, walking up behind Leonard to gaze over his shoulder at his laptop screen. A familiar face smiled back at him and he struggled to swallow.
"Why are you looking at Penny's Twitter page?" he asked, attempting to regain his composure.
"I just wanted to see what she's been getting up to," Leonard answered, scrolling down to check her latest tweets.
Sheldon read the first few entries.
On the set of my latest movie.
Eating Thai food.
Watching Star Trek.
In Pasadena.
"She's in Pasadena," Leonard stated, pointing out the obvious.
"So it seems."
"Maybe we should invite her over." Leonard's eyes brightened at the suggestion. "Her number's still the same and since she's in the area... It'd be nice having her over again."
Sheldon looked down at him pointedly. "Leonard." The man in question looked up. "Haven't you learnt from previous endeavours to contact Penny that she is simply too busy to spend time with us anymore?"
His face fell. "Oh... Right... I was just hoping that maybe she'd be able to spare an hour or two to catch up..." he mumbled. "I miss her."
"It seems that I do too," Sheldon replied in kind, his voice quiet. His tone immediately changed though as he said his next words, "Now, I'm going out for my walk. Good day, Leonard."
"Uh—"
"Good day, Leonard."
The slam of the door as he stepped out signalled the end of the conversation.
The streets of Pasadena were bustling with busy citizens, business men and women on their lunch hour, students on excursion and families picnicking in the parks and playing games of soccer. The cafés and bars were bursting at the seams with diners, and in particular The Cheesecake Factory, where one Penny Austen, star of the latest sci-fi hit, was having lunch.
"Do you really think this is a good idea?" asked her personal assistant, Deborah. "If you haven't noticed, there are a lot of people ogling you right now."
Penny shrugged nonchalantly, smiling as a waitress set down her food. "I used to work here Deb; and besides, I haven't been in Pasadena for almost two years since I hit it big. Despite the mostly crappy time I spent working here, I still have memories that happened here. I also wanted to see if a friend of mine is still working."
Deborah rolled her eyes. "Couldn't you have called ahead?"
"Well geez, Deb. I never said you had to stick around. You can go wait at the hotel if you want. I'm going to hang around, have lunch and then go for a walk or something. I'll see you around, 'kay?"
"That's fine with me. See you later." She gave Penny a quick wave before disappearing into the crowd of star struck fans desperately waiting to be seated.
Penny sighed happily as she gazed down at the plate of food before her: a bacon cheeseburger with fries on the side. It'd been a long time since she'd stepped foot inside The Cheesecake Factory, let alone within the vicinity of Pasadena, having been too preoccupied with her various acting roles.
"Penny?"
Her head whipped up instantly, the voice registering. Her eyes lit up and a smile graced her lips. "Bernadette! Oh my god!" she squealed, jumping up from her seat and pulling the other woman into a crushing hug. "It's been so long! How are you? What have you been up to?"
Bernadette laughed. "Um... It has been a long time. I'm great! I've mostly been working my way through grad school, but I've still found time to see Howard."
Penny smiled awkwardly at the mention of one Howard Wolowitz, knowing full well that Bernadette had just paid her an unknown jest. "Yeah, how are the boys?" she asked, unsure if whether or not she should even be asking. Since moving out of her apartment, the relationship she once held with the geeks next door seemed to wane. Of course, it didn't help that she had neglected her duty as a friend to keep in contact with them. A sudden pang of guilt hit her and she felt her heart clench as she waited for Bernadette's answer.
"They're good," she answered thoughtfully, "But I think that since you moved out of your apartment they've been more closed off."
Penny's eyes dimmed. "Oh..."
Bernadette caught the hurt in her tone, and took the seat across from her. "You couldn't have helped what happened. They all understand that your career is important."
"Yeah, but you're—them—they're my friends. And I've been so selfish ignoring them the way I have..."
"You can always drop by tonight," she suggested, smiling.
Penny chuckled despite herself. "It's Halo Night."
"Yep. Oh, I've got to get back to it." She stood up, acknowledging a waving customer. "It's been great seeing you again Penny. Maybe I'll see you tonight."
Penny nodded, standing up to hug her friend again. "It's been great seeing you too."
She sighed, watching as Bernadette left and began taking a diner's order. She used to do that too back in the day... Back in the day when she was still stealing coffee and milk from Leonard and Sheldon. Back in the day when she would kick butt at Halo. Back in the day when she would sit on their couch and watch Star Trek. Back in the day when she would contemplate the feelings that she suddenly found growing for one Dr Sheldon Cooper.
"I think I need a drink."
Sheldon rarely walked anywhere, let alone for recreational purposes or to 'clear his thoughts' as some lower rate people did. However, having found himself in a slight debacle over his growing feelings for Penny, he felt that just this once he could make an exception. It was odd then, that he found himself standing outside the establishment of her previous occupation. Even more odd was the fact that there was a line of people waiting outside the restaurant to be seated.
Naturally, of course, he walked to the front of the line and demanded he be seated at his usual table. The waitress directing the flow of diners teetered a moment, knowing full well that this was the infamous Mr Crazy who would make you cry just by opening his mouth if he didn't get what he wanted.
"Um—"
"Save us all the complaining and put him at the bar," the manager replied, coming through the crowd to stand behind the nervous woman. "You're table is currently being cleared. I'll have a waitress get you when it's ready."
"That is acceptable." Sheldon followed the manager inside, ignoring the shouts of protest from the other prospective diners.
"I'm sure you can make yourself comfortable." He left with a nod, and Sheldon was left to assess where he should sit. Scanning the slightly overcrowded bar, his eyes came to a stop upon a head of blonde curls. Very familiar blonde curls...
Penny.
His hand instantly went to his pocket, the barest of smiles playing on his lips as he recalled a memory he had vowed to lock away and remember always.
It was Saturday night. Laundry Night.
Penny was already in the laundry room when Sheldon had stepped in, sitting on an unused washing machine while she flicked through a magazine.
"Hey Sheldon," she greeted without looking up. It was eight fifteen after all, so who else could it have been?
"Good evening, Penny," he returned in kind, walking over to his usual washing machines and putting in his colours. He did the same with his whites and darks before putting in appropriate amounts of laundry detergent and fabric softener and starting the cycles.
He chose to stand silently by the table as he waited for his laundry to run through its cycle, watching Penny turn the page.
"What do you want Sheldon?" she asked, feeling his eyes boring into her.
"I'm only observing, Penny." He paused. "Your eyebrows crinkle together when you read," he stated finally.
She looked up from the article she was currently reading, an eyebrow raised as she took in Sheldon's nonchalance. "Okay? Where did that come from?"
"I was merely making an observation," he answered. "What are you reading?" He sounded genuinely interested and it irked Penny a little bit.
"Just this thing about how friendships can fade if regular contact isn't kept." She said it with such casualness that the depth of her words didn't register until much, much later. "Apparently people who go into the acting profession have a higher rate of falling out with their friends because of how demanding their job is."
Sheldon looked at her pointedly. "Would you be one of those people?"
The question caught Penny off guard, and she had to wonder at whether or not she would be. "I... don't know. I'd like to think I wouldn't be."
"Penny, statistics show that you tend to follow what is said to be 'the mainstream'," he replied, his hands going up to imitate air quotes.
"What's that supposed to mean? I'm unoriginal? I'll forget you guys?" She had jumped off the washing machine which groaned in protest as her weight was lifted, leaving a residual echo in the room.
"I never said that."
"What do you mean by 'I follow the mainstream' then?" She raised her eyebrows, stepping into Sheldon's personal space. He in turn took a step backward and answered her question.
"It would seem, Penny, that you are one to follow the precedent. No, it does not mean that you are unoriginal – in fact, you are far from it," he added, catching the glare she threw his way, "You, Penny, are one of the most unique people I know. Not only do you not have a sound understanding of physics—" She raised a threatening eyebrow at his offhanded insult, "—but you also have an uncanny ability to make rooms light up with your smile. You have little strategic skills, and yet you can beat me at Halo. You are a unique woman, Penny – far from the stereotypical American blonde."
Penny blinked slowly, Sheldon's speech still registering. After filtering the words, she said, "Did you just say you think I'm special?"
"You may interpret it that way."
"Huh. Wow. Thanks Sheldon!" She stepped forward, her arms manoeuvring to wrap around his waist for a tight embrace. "You know what Sheldon..." she started, pulling back slightly once he had ceased to squirm uncomfortably in her arms and wrapped his own around her frame awkwardly, "I'll make a deal with you."
"What sort of deal?" He raised an eyebrow sceptically, knowing that entering any sort of deal with his next door neighbour could result in a lifetime of torture.
"Say I become famous—" He snorted and she whacked his arm. He quietened instantly. "Say I become famous. If that article is true, and I become selfish and self absorbed in my career and this friendship that we have begins to fade... If by sheer coincidence, you see me and I don't see you, throw a penny at me. That way I'll always know it's you."
Penny stared into her empty shot glass, unsure of whether or not she should call the bartender to get her another. Or get one herself. That was when it hit her – some small, hard, metal thing hitting her in the back of the head. She let out a low a growl of annoyance, slamming her shot glass down. Whoever the hell had thrown that thing at her was going to pay. She may be a movie star, but she was still Penny who could go all junior rodeo on whoever's arse.
As she turned, she was met with the sight of a man straightening up after bending down to pick up what looked like a penny.
"Sheldon?" Her eyes bugged and she jumped from her stool, throwing her arms around the lanky man-child before he could protest. "Sheldon, I can't believe it's you!" She hugged him tighter, only letting him go when he didn't respond a few seconds later. She let her arms fall by her sides and she looked up, a questioning look in her eyes. "Sheldon? Are you—?"
Her sentence was cut off as Sheldon leaned down and hastily, albeit gently, pressed his lips to hers. It lasted only a second, but it left her breathless nonetheless. As she gazed up at him, dazed, he let his eyes drop to the floor, his cheeks colouring a bright pink and his bottom lip jutting out into a pout.
"Sheldon?"
He looked up shyly, his bright blue eyes burning with unspoken passion. "I believe it is a custom for one to greet friends they have not seen for long periods of time with a kiss."
She broke into a dazzling smile, and like he once stated, the whole room seemed to light up. In an instant, her arms were around his waist again, this time his wrapping themselves cautiously around her smaller frame.
"I've missed you," she said softly, watching his face for his expression.
His head lowered in response, his lips grazing against her ear. "It seems that I have missed you too," he whispered.
"Hey, Sheldon?"
"Yes, Penny?"
She rose up on her toes, placing a kiss on the side of his mouth. "Thank you."
He gave her a puzzled look. "For what?"
"For being my friend."
"Penny..." He bowed his head, keeping eye contact with her intense olive gaze. "I would do a lot more than just be your friend if it meant that I could see you sneak into my apartment for coffee every morning again."
"Really?"
"When have I ever gone against my word?"
"What about that time you peeked at my tattoo?"
He gave a small chuckle. A real, Sheldon, chuckle. "With the exception of that incident; though in defence, I was obligated to peek."
"The hero always peeks," she laughed, recalling the words he had spoken on their slow drive to the hospital.
"Yes. But Penny, do not deter the subject matter." He looked at her properly, all Mr Blue-Eyes with an intensity he usually only reserved for when he was figuring out one of his algorithms. "What would you have me do so that I may see you sneaking into my apartment for coffee every morning?"
"Sheldon?"
"Penny?"
"In response to your question..."
He raised an eyebrow, waiting for her request.
"Just..." Her breath hitched watching him gaze at her, "Be you."
"That is all you ask?"
"Well... I—Maybe—Sheldon?"
"Yes, Penny?" He watched her expectantly, memorising the way she blinked and how her lip quivered just a little bit as she fumbled over her words.
"Can I have another kiss?"
"If you wish." He smirked down at her, his eyes patronising, and waiting for the correct question. She huffed, placing a hand on the back of his neck and yanking him closer, their noses touching.
"Might I have another kiss?"
"If it means that I will see you every morning, then yes, Penny, you may."
And he kissed her.
Finis.