Title: The Alternate Universe Paradox
Summary: Penny Cuoco is a lot of awful, terrible, completely true things. But she is not indecisive and more than anything, she wants Doctor Sheldon Lee Cooper, she just doesn't completely comprehend why yet...AU. Shenny
Rating: M
Disclaimer: I do not own Big Bang Theory or the pairings would be Penny and Sheldon/Amy and Leonard, not the other way around.
Chapter 1 Song Pairing
"Migraine" by Twenty One Pilots (Listen to it like you're Sheldon)
Doctor Sheldon Lee Cooper had spent nearly every moment of the past 7 years wondering what had possessed him to become a University Professor. Before he had even considered the possibility of teaching he had known that the world of academia had become a cesspool of inflated egos with slightly above average intelligence individuals flinging their seemingly drug-induced theories and postulations at other individuals dumb enough to think them potentially valid. Perhaps Sheldon had taken on a persona of self-righteousness when he'd taken the position, believing he alone could sanitize the infection the undeserving primates had laid before him. And what better way of doing it then by cultivating the minds of the future physicists, microbiologists, and (Sheldon shuttered to think) engineers?
But today was truly straining the extent of his God Complex. Because today he was beginning a new semester with new students and one of which was severely late. He had spent half an hour breaking the expectations of every student in the room, another half hour giving a detailed description of the next few weeks, and the last hour attempting to make String Theory remedial enough for them to attempt to understand it and that last student had yet to have the nerve to show up. Not that he expected the student in question to understand a single word he had said if she'd bothered to show up based on the name on his roster.
Penelope Cuoco, Dr. Cooper thought. With a name like that she would probably fit in better with the Performing Arts and Humanities branches of the University.
Dr. Sheldon Cooper felt himself smirk lightly at his own joke as he continued scribbling away on his whiteboard, the Higgs Boson particle at the center of his scribbling. It seemed only a few minutes when his concentration was interrupted by the door to his classroom lightly scrapping the floor. Sheldon sighed, he had told administration multiple times that the door was set unevenly in the frame and that the scrapping was enough to drive any rational person insane, but they just chose to ignore his complaint multiple times over.
"Doctor Sheldon Cooper?" he heard a small voice ask behind him and the door scrapped shut again.
Sheldon sighed once more, not willing to break his concentration on the ever expanding problem in front of him by looking at the visitor.
"If the plaque on the door is an indication and the obvious elimination of yourself as the potential candidate, then I believe it would be safe to assume that I am indeed Doctor Sheldon Cooper."
He heard the woman behind him chuckle.
"I see," She said, "and based on your response and the equations on your board, then I believe it would be safe to assume that you're one of those 'Beautiful Mind' geniuses as well."
Sheldon turned quickly, completely caught off guard by the woman's quick witted comment only to find himself caught off guard by what he saw. Remaining completely objective, she was quite the sight. Long, heavy golden curls clung drunkenly to her shoulders and ample breasts for support. Her eyes were a deep green reminiscent of the ever seeing and scrutinizing eyes of feline predators. Using the door frame as a reference he could tell that she was easily 5 foot 6 inches, perhaps 5 foot 7 and only 120 pounds soaking wet and with bricks in her snuggly fitting jean pockets. She was smiling softly at him, a battered Calculus book and scientific journal resting precariously against her wide, childbearing hips like a small toddler. It took Sheldon a moment to come back into himself long enough to respond.
"I'm going to make the presumption that you are Miss Penelope Cuoco."
"Most people just call me Penny." She said nonchalantly as she set her books down on a nearby desk.
"I am not most people," Dr. Cooper corrected, "And I hate to be the individual to point out the painstakingly obvious, but you are three hours, twenty three minutes, and thirteen seconds late for Introduction to Theoretical Physics. You are welcome to join myself and the rest of the class at one thirty tomorrow afternoon."
Penny sighed as Dr. Cooper quickly packed his messenger bag and made his way to the classroom door, obviously no longer interested in the problem on the board. She stood to leave as well, following him down the university hallway to the parking lot.
"Doctor Cooper, I do apologize for my absence earlier. My car was having trouble starting and I had to improvise."
Sheldon scuffed as they continued to walk.
"Miss Cuoco, as much as I may appreciate your eagerness to appeal to my better nature I should advise you that I do not have a better nature. Your ability to arrive to class in a timely fashion does not affect me in any way, shape, or form. And by following that vein of thought, I could not care any less about your apology."
Penny threw Sheldon a nasty look before hurrying away and jumping into her car nearby. If the manner in which she sped away was any constellation, Dr. Sheldon Cooper was fairly certain that he would not be seeing her again (not that he really cared in the first place).
Sheldon Cooper couldn't have been more wrong when he believed that Penelope's driving off in anger would be the last that he would see of her. As luck (if he believed in such hokum) would have it, his neighbor directly above him had decided to move out not too long ago, much to his pleasure. For the past 2 weeks, the noise overhead had been pleasantly nonexistent and he had been dreading the day when his landlord would be capable of filling the vacancy. As he entered the lobby to his apartment complex, his stomach turned; it was filled with moving boxes, miscellaneous appliances, and a lightly used mattress. Sheldon couldn't help himself when he followed his desire to run up the 4 flights of stairs to apartment 5A to make sure that what he was assuming was correct.
As soon as he made it past the fifth floor landing and saw the apartment door open, a couch sitting in the middle of the open room, Sheldon let loose a sigh of defeat. And when he saw the alluring curvature of a woman, a woman who looked surprisingly like his previously missing student, he couldn't help the words that came tumbling out.
"You're doing this deliberately, aren't you?"
He watched transfixed as Penny turned, the blonde of her hair shining gold in the light that flooded in from the window and the setting sun.
"I'm sorry?" She replied as realization dawned on her as to who she was speaking to.
"You were anger with me and out of that anger must have devised this plot to live directly above my own apartment to further torment me."
Penny's face morphed into a type of confusion.
"Doctor Cooper, I'm not that vindictive. I was looking for a new apartment and came across this one a few days back. I had no idea that you lived in this building until just now."
Penny turned away as she placed a handful of wine glasses into a cabinet before heading out of the apartment to make her way down the stairs, Sheldon following close behind her.
"Since you appear to be making yourself comfortable, there are a few requirements that I need to go over with you…"
"Requirements?" Penny squeaked, "What are you, my landlord?"
"Of course not," Sheldon said, "And that brings me to the first requirement, please refrain from idiotic and unnecessary questions and-slash-or statements whenever we are in immediate proximity of one another. I am your professor and, as of this moment, your neighbor, not your friend. Second requirement, please refrain from any whistling, stomping, instrument playing, or all around ruckus inducing behavior at all times. The tenants prior to you were freakishly feline with their silence. Lastly, get an area rug."
At his final statement, Sheldon stalked off and made his way back to his apartment where he locked himself away before Penny could object. And, in all honesty, Penny wasn't in the mood to object (she had kind of skipped his class earlier that afternoon).
Penny wasn't spectacularly bright, that much was obvious when you took one look at her. She hated the stereotype of the "dumb blonde," but she'd be a fool to believe that stereotype didn't pertain to her in some fashion. Shoes, she understood. Celebrities, she got. Science, that was a bit of a grey area to her. Yet, without fail she had made an appearance to Dr. Sheldon Cooper's Introduction to Theoretical Physics class every day over the course of the past three weeks. There was something to his madness, something to his enthusiasm and love for the field that shined through his lectures and his biting retorts that compelled her to sit and listen, even if she had only the vaguest idea as to what he was saying.
It was on day number 23 that he had approached her.
The class had been dismissed already, but Penny was still trying to scribble down the still fairly incoherent symbols sprawled across the whiteboard. Dr. Cooper had made it readily apparent that there would be an exam by the end of the week and Penny was nowhere near ready, but if there was one thing that growing up in Nebraska had taught her, it was to never admit defeat, even when that defeat appeared imminent. It was as she was scribbling another lambda into her notebook that she saw her professor approaching her.
"Why are you still here, Miss Cuoco?" he asked, "Class was dismissed nearly fifteen minutes ago."
Penny looked up at Dr. Cooper, confused by his question. He could obviously see her notebook and the fact that what was written in it was a mimicry of what was on the board.
"I'm finishing my notes, Doctor Cooper."
"Why?"
Penny knitted her eyebrows together at the seemingly pointless question.
"We have an exam on Friday. I want to make sure that I'm ready."
Dr. Cooper scuffed at her before going to erase the board, much to Penny's anger.
"The exam is only over the more remedial subjects of theoretical physics. Basic differentials, Newtonian mechanics, and perhaps a little bit of work involving the Calculus of Variations. If you're incapable of understanding the more basic aspects of the field, then perhaps you should look into obtaining a new major."
Sheldon placed the dry eraser down, the board now pristine and clear.
"This is the only course I'm taking at the moment. I have no major."
Sheldon looked up at the dirty blonde, her brilliant emerald eyes piercing through him as she kept her expression neutral.
"Then why are you even here?" Sheldon asked abruptly.
Penny shrugged, "I don't know," She admitted, "Out of curiosity, to keep the boredom at bay, to spice things up, whichever answer suits you best."
Penny stood and gathered her things, ready to get out of the far too large classroom and away from her professor's far too personal questions and seething statements.
"I will see you tomorrow, Doctor Cooper."
Sheldon had begun to speak before Penny's hand had even touched the cool metal of the doorknob.
"Miss Cuoco," Sheldon blurted out, "If you believe that you need more practice before the exam, I would be willing to allocate a generous amount of time to insure that you fully understand the material by Friday."
Penny stood still for a moment, mulling over what was just said.
"Are you offering to tutor me, sir?" She asked as she turned around to face him, her expression leery.
"Why yes, it appears I am."
Penny flashed her teacher a brilliant smile, the happiness shining in her eyes.
"I would be delighted if you could do that, sir. My apartment would be best in terms of studying. You know where I live, Doctor Cooper."
And with that, Penny left the classroom, the scrapping of the door causing Sheldon to wonder exactly why he had offered to help her at all (what was wrong with him?).
Sheldon was a very punctual individual, as Penny learned fairly quickly. At 6pm on the nose every night Sheldon would knock on her door in triplicate. He would make his way in, a giant transportable whiteboard in hand as well as a half dozen composition notebooks and various worksheets. By the time Thursday night had rolled around, Penny felt as much prepared for the Exam as she had on Tuesday, but she wouldn't let it discourage her. No matter how much she wanted to simply quit, she couldn't bring herself to do it in the presence of Dr. Sheldon Cooper.
"Now, based off of this equation, what would you be able to deduce in regards to the object's mass?"
Penny stumbled as she attempted to formulate the correct answer.
"That the object's mass is…directly linked to…its gravitational pull?"
"Are you asking me or telling me, Miss Cuoco?"
"Telling you?"
Sheldon sighed, "Thank goodness this is a written exam and not an oral presentation."
"So, was that answer correct?" Penny asked hopefully.
"Yes," Dr. Cooper conceded, "That answer was indeed correct although unnecessarily apprehensive."
Sheldon picked up the eraser and began clearing the board, ready to construct another problem for Penny to attempt to deduce.
"Miss Cuoco, you actually have a fairly decent grasp of the material. I believe that you may even have the capacity of securing a passing grade on the exam tomorrow."
Penny's eyes lit up as she stared at Sheldon's lean frame as he began writing a new equation on the board. His slender hands moved quickly as he placed incomprehensible formulas and doodles on the whiteboard in front of her.
"Do you honestly believe that, Doctor Cooper?" She asked.
"Why, certainly." He replied immediately, "I am not opposed to giving credit where it is appropriately do and you're dedication to learning the material, although fairly labored and surprisingly time consuming, has been intensely beneficial to your overall understanding of the field. You just need to come to the glaring realization that you're more knowledgeable than you think and be confident in your answers. You'll be closer to correct than incorrect almost every time."
It was a very abrupt impulse that caused Penny to bolt from her chair to hug her professor across the back. She could tell that Dr. Cooper was immediately put off by the physical contact (after all, she had heard the stories about the man so adverse to germs that he would grow his own bacterial cultures if he believed himself exposed to potential disease), but that did not hinder nor deter her. All she could feel was his warmth and his presence and an all-encompassing wave of happiness because, even if Dr. Cooper hadn't actually said it, he had hinted that perhaps she was making the right choice after all. Perhaps she wasn't just a dumb blonde covered in the scars of her drunken mistakes.
Perhaps there was hope for her yet.
"Thank you, Sheldon." Penny whispered, her smile buried deep within his back.
And although she couldn't see it or feel it, Penny was sure that there had been the ghost of a smile on Sheldon's lips as he provided her a very small "You're welcome Penny."
A/N: Hallow folks! This is theWYSIWYGtype. I hope you guys like my AU Shenny story. I got the idea during the episode where Penny had Sheldon tutor her so she could have conversations with Leonard about his work (the plot of the story itself, not just the idea of the tutoring thing, obviously). I started working on it when I had resigned from my previous job and was job hunting and actually got a few chapters together. I initially wanted to wait until I was completely done with the story before uploading the first chapter since I am notorious for not finishing things that I start, but I'm so attached to this story and I'm planning on making it only 10 chapters long max and I'm already halfway done with it, so I figured someone out there may actually really want to read a nice AU Shenny story.
Personal note, they may be a little OOC, especially in later chapters. I hate the idea of Penny being a typical "dumb blonde." Maybe I'm biased because some of the smartest people I know are what others would consider without knowing them "dumb blondes" and "Barbie dolls" and other ugly stereotypes. So, this story is more playing off the idea that Penny went through her "dumb blonde" stage and just got so fed up with being the pretty-face, no-brains type and sort of bettered herself for herself because being a stereotype wasn't helping her and that's where her side of the story picks up. It also picks up where Sheldon sort of gave up on string theory much sooner and the next option that he could perceive for a failed scientist which, to him, is teaching. So the story plays off of the idea of what if their lives hadn't collided on a personal level, but a professional level. I don't know. I think its an interesting concept, trying to balance business and pleasure, especially a business/pleasure relationship between a teacher and a student.
Also, I will be pairing each chapter up with a song that I feel best exemplifies the chapter or that I pulled inspiration from for a chapter. For this chapter the song is "Migraine" by Twenty One Pilots. Listen to it thinking in Sheldon's shoes, that's the best advice I can give you.
If you liked the story, please comment and follow. I'm hoping to get this story completed in the next month and just sort of rapidly update from now to October at the latest (finger crossed).