This is my first fic for this fandom, and my first fic at all in, let's just say, a really long time. Apologies to anyone still following Take Me Out to the Ballgame. :(
This little ficlet is inspired by "Photobooth" by irrel, at DeviantArt. .com/art/BBT-Photobooth-110298009
Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, or Macy's either, for that matter. I'm just borrowing them.
"Explain to me again, please, why I'm here," Sheldon says in a tone that is dangerously close to a whine, as Penny pulls him by the hand through the mall.
She stops and turns to him, keeping her fingers intertwined with his. She gives him a reassuring pat on his arm and answers, "Sheldon, sweetie, we talked about this in the car. We went to the comic book store, which was something you wanted to do. Now we're here because Macy's is having a clearance sale, and that's something that I want to do. That's what couples do, sweetie. You might call it equilibrium or quid pro quo."
He gives her a small smirk, pleased at the improvement in her vocabulary since their relationship had moved into a romantic paradigm a month ago. "I accept your premise, I suppose; but what do you expect me to do while you are off buying things you likely don't need?"
Of course, Penny has an answer for that, too. "Hmm, let me think," she says, pointing to the bag of comic books in his other hand, "if only you had something to keep you busy."
"I hardly think sarcasm is required," he answers. He is rewarded with a smile for catching the sarcasm. "Fine," he continues, "I'll sit here and read my new comic books, while you go buy shoes or something. Try not to be gone too long, however, as Leonard and the others will be expecting us."
"You got it, Moonpie," she answers with a grin. "See you soon!" They share a brief kiss before she heads toward Macy's.
He's all the way through the latest issue of Batman and nearly done with The Flash before she finally reappears, a bag in each hand. "Oh, good, you're back," Sheldon says as he carefully puts his comic books back in their bag. "Did your little expedition yield sufficient results?"
"What?"
He rolls his eyes. So much for her improved vocabulary. "Did you find everything you were looking for?"
"Oh. Yeah," she holds up the bags as evidence. "I can't believe what a great deal I got on this stuff!"
"Well good. Now we really should go home. It's movie night; plus, if I'm not there, Leonard is sure to get my food order wrong. Not that that's not a distinct possibility anyway."
So Penny shifts her bags so that they're both in the same hand, and then takes Sheldon's hand in hers again. Sheldon revels in how warm her hand is and how well it fits into his own as they start walking to the exit. Penny is chattering on about all the "adorable" shoes she'd seen, and how she wishes she could have bought more, but he is not really paying attention until she suddenly stops walking and practically squeals, "Oh, sweetie, look! An old fashioned photo booth!" She seems excited, even if he can't for the life of him figure out why. He just stares at her.
"Let's get our pictures taken, Moonpie!" she chirps happily.
"What on earth for?" is all he says.
"It'll be fun," she replies, as if it were the simplest thing in the universe.
"I highly doubt that. Besides, as I've already stated, it's movie night. We don't have time for extraneous diversions. It's Wolowitz's turn to pick what we watch." He shudders slightly at the thought.
"Come on, Sheldon. It'll only take a minute." He quirks an eyebrow at her, and she rolls her eyes. "Okay, more like three minutes. Please?" She finishes him off with a smile that makes his heart rate speed up.
Damn this woman and her secret weapons, he thinks. "Oh, alright," he says with a sigh,"but if we end up watching a stupid movie because I'm not there to put a stop to it, it'll mean banishment for a week for you, Woman."
"Whatever you say, sweetie," she replies, but the sarcasm goes right past him this time.
They settle into the photo booth, with Penny on Sheldon's left. They look into the camera, but while she smiles, his expression remains blank. CLICK goes the first shot of the camera.
"Sweetie, you should smile, you have such a nice smile," Penny encourages, and she uses her fingers to push up the corners of his mouth. CLICK goes the second shot.
Suddenly Penny she thinks of a way to make him smile. She caresses the collar of his shirt, leans over and whispers in his ear, "I can't wait to show you the sexy little nightie I bought. I think you're really going to like it." His eyes go wide, and CLICK goes the third shot.
She thinks that will make him smile for the last picture, so she's surprised when without a word, Sheldon turns toward her, reaches his hand up to the back of her head, and kisses her. Big Old Five that she is, she places her hands at the base of his neck and deepens the kiss. CLICK goes the fourth and final shot of the camera, but neither of them is paying attention to it. Sheldon enjoys practicing his new-found kissing skills, mentally calculating the best angles and the optimal amount of pressure. Penny is not thinking any of that; she's simply reveling in the feel of him, and marveling at how far he's come in such a short time.
Neither feels inclined to end the kiss until they hear the booth itself DING, signaling that their photos are ready. So they gather their bags, and then take the little strip of photos from the slot. Penny looks at them with a smile, while Sheldon looks over her shoulder with a slight blush at the last one, although he can't help but smile slightly himself.
"See, Moonpie?" she says triumphantly, "I told you it would be fun."
She was indeed correct, but Sheldon has no intention of saying so out loud. He hates when she's right.