"Happy birthday!" Penny squealed, grinning from ear to ear as Leonard opened the front door to her.

"Thank you." Leonard chuckled slightly at her enthusiasm, only realizing a few seconds later that she was hugging him. He patted her on the back as he returned the gesture, before she pulled away and bent down to pick up the two weekend bags by her feet. "That's a lot of stuff for one night."

"Well I wasn't going to come over here in my dress. And I needed to bring your present and stuff so yeah, two bags." Penny shrugged, walking in behind him. "Are your parents home?"

As she put down the two bags, Leonard raised a brow and answered "no."

"Good." Penny chirped, before flinging her arms around his neck and kissing him full on the mouth.

Once they had pulled apart, Leonard managed to get out "best birthday ever already," with a smile plastered to his face.

"Yep, that was the plan." After he had told her a few weeks back how awful and empty his birthdays had been, along with his siblings, she had decided that she'd treat him to the full birthday experience. And since she was his girlfriend, it came with extra treats such as unrestricted kissing upon greeting. "Now, I have a cake in here. You're not allowed to see it yet but I have to put it in the fridge. So go upstairs and take off your hoodie, it's not fair that you hide your arms away all the time. I know it's your birthday but I should get a treat too."

Stunned, Leonard simply blinked, uttered an "okay" and made his way upstairs. It was difficult to argue with a demanding Penny. And he didn't particularly want to either - not only was it hot, but she always had good intentions. Removing his hoodie, he wondered what it was about his arms that she had decided was worthy of being deemed a 'treat'. Shrugging to himself in the mirror, he chose not to decline her compliment; he didn't get many as it were, so he was taking what he could.

He sat down on his bed, looking over to his desk at the three birthday cards that were displayed there. One each from his brother and sister, and a noticeably plainer, duller one from his parents out of obligation. Kate's had arrived with a package of brand new t-shirts and a blue hoodie which he recognized as a fairly expensive brand from one of Penny's online 'dream shopping spree trolleys'. Michael had sent him a few shirts and a new video game he'd had his eye on but decided couldn't justify spending his money on yet. Both of them always sent generous gifts, a tradition between the three of them to make up for the lack of birthday celebrations with their parents. Usually, his friends would come over in the afternoon or they would meet up somewhere and he'd get a few small presents from them. But he was excited to see what Penny had gotten him, considering her excitement over the past few days and the grin from her parents when he'd been over two days ago and they'd asked about his birthday plans.

"Okay, you're not allowed to look in the fridge." Penny announced, entering his room and placing one of her bags down by his desk. "So if you want anything, I'll get it."

Amused, Leonard nodded. "Alright."

"I see you took my advice and took off your hoodie." Grinning, Penny came over and sat next to him on the end of his bed, folding her legs beneath her and placing the other bag she hadn't put down onto her lap. "I'll give you the present from my parents first."

"Your parents bought me a present?" Leonard asked, shocked.

Shrugging, Penny opened her bag. "Just something little."

"It's not another bag of condoms, is it?"

Laughing, Penny pulled out the neatly wrapped gift her parents had given her to give Leonard. "No, it's not. I hope, anyway. My mom put me on the pill and had this huge go at me for missing it a few times but I don't think she'd be this extreme."

"Good. I think one gift of condoms is enough."

"I think one gift of condoms is too much, but whatever."

Leonard nodded thoughtfully. "True."

"Yeah. Now open the present!" Penny clapped her hands together excitedly as her eyes focused back on the wrapped box in his hands.

"Alright." Leonard's curiosity was heightened by his girlfriends excitement, so he began unwrapping the gift. He could feel her eyes on him as he opened the box the present had been placed in, pulling out what he instantly recognized as a collectible Yoda figurine, complete with a glow-in-the-dark lightsaber. "Wow!" Pulling it out properly from the box, he grinned like a child as he held it up. "This is awesome!"

"Uh-huh, we thought you might like it." Penny giggled at his excitement. "Dad says it's especially cool because it's mint-in-box, whatever that is."

"Oh, mint-in-box means it's brand new and still in the box - the item itself is untouched. Stuff is much more valuable that way." Leonard explained.

"Ah. Now my mom's comment makes a lot more sense." Penny frowned. "And why Dad looked really unimpressed when she said it."

"What?"

Knowing that Leonard wasn't really listening, Penny shook her head and grinned. "Don't worry, just another typical Mom comment. So, you wanna open mine now?"

Looking away from the boxed figurine and back to Penny, Leonard raised a brow. "The kissing earlier wasn't my present?"

"No, silly." Penny giggled. "But if you think that was a present, what's gonna happen later is gonna be like a... a Nobel Prize!"

He looked at her fondly, smiling. "You're cute."

"I try." Penny put her shoulders up to her ears, giving him a wide smile, before dropping them again and pulling a larger wrapped box out and holding it out to him. It was tied with blue ribbon, a card tucked neatly beneath the hold of the ribbons on the box. "Ta-dah! Happy birthday!"

Unsure of whether or not he should point out that she had already told him happy birthday, or if people normally said it more than once in the day, Leonard grinned and accepted her gift, placing the box on his lap. "Thank you. Should I open the card first?"

"Umm... yeah, you can open the card first." Penny nodded. "I didn't write about your presents in there."

"Presents?"

"Hello, you're talking to a girl with a shopping addiction, you really think I was going to stop at just one thing?"

Laughing, Leonard nodded and began opening the envelope. "That's a good point."

Tugging the card carefully out of the envelope, he chuckled instantly at the design on the front, which featured the 'Me to You' bears Penny loved so much; one of them holding out a large present to the other, on its tip toes to carry the too-large gift. He could feel her smiling as he opened up the card to read the message inside. She'd carefully written out a birthday message on the right hand side, and it was easily the most thoughtful message he'd ever read in a birthday card. However what drew his attention most was the small poem she had written on the left hand side. She'd put at the bottom in brackets that she'd written it for him specially, since she knew he had liked the Creative Writing work he'd read before. Incredibly touched that she'd taken the time to think of this and write it, he looked up at her with a grin, slightly speechless.

"What do you think? Was it good?"

"It was." Leonard nodded. "It was amazing. Thank you. Best card I've ever received."

"Aww, really? That's sweet." Penny placed a hand on his knee, giving a contented hum. "The poem was a kind of pre-present, I guess. Now open your actual presents!"

"Okay." Putting the card to the side, he eagerly began unwrapping the box after tugging the ribbons off. Removing the lid, his face lit up as he saw the comic book at the top, jaw dropping in surprise. "Oh my God!" It was one he had been after for a while, showing it once to Penny online (though he thought she hadn't been paying attention) and explaining that he couldn't really afford it right now if he wanted to keep up his current collections. It was a rare Superman comic book; one he'd looked at many times at the comic book store. Brows furrowing, he looked up at her. "How did you get this? Where?"

"I got it at the comic book store." Penny said simply, as though it were a very obvious explanation and she shopped there all the time. "You told me you'd seen it there a few times when you showed me it on your laptop. Remember? So I asked the guy who works there for it."

"You went to the comic book store?" Leonard asked in disbelief.

This, Penny was less enthusiastic about. "Yeah. On my own."

"Wow. You are amazing." Leonard leaned forward, placing a hand on her cheek and kissing her softly.

"Ooh." Penny giggled, biting her lip. "I had to do extra work with my Mom and save my allowance for ages after looking up how much it cost, but your reaction just there was worth it."

"Well this is truly amazing. Thank you so much. I love it."

"Good." Penny grinned widely, rubbing his arm. "Now take it out of the box. The rest of the stuff is just silly little things I saw at the mall."

Removing the comic book, he found a small collection of random objects. These included a set of colorful patterned socks, Superman boxer shorts, assorted candies, a notebook with the 'pi' symbol on the front, a new Geometry set (which made him laugh, as Penny had viciously snapped his Protractor the week before), and a Dark Knight phone case.

"Wanna hear a story?" Penny asked, as Leonard picked up the comic book in amazement again, after thanking her for the extra presents in the box.

"Sure."

"My Dad likes Star Wars too."

"Really?" Leonard's attention went back to her.

"Yup. Apparently he has a lightsaber but Mom makes him keep it in the closet."

Chuckling, Leonard raised his eyebrows. "Like mother like daughter."

"Hey! I let you show off your lightsaber, don't I?" Penny reminded him, before smirking. "Lightsaber could be such a great euphemism. Huh, Star Wars has its perks after all."

"That's probably not why your father likes it."

"No, I doubt it." Penny agreed. "Anyway, I showed him the comic book I bought you. He was so amazed by it. And he was proud of me for saving my allowance to buy it for you! So then we went to the comic book store the other day after school when you had your chess tournament thing going on. Man, he loved it in there. Anyway, that's where he got your present. Mom stayed in the car. So now, my Dad likes you even more!"

"That's so cool that he's into Star Wars." Leonard grinned. "We can talk about that next time I come over."

"Yeah... like, when me and Mom are in the kitchen and you two aren't. I don't want in on this conversation." Penny winked.

"Alright, fair enough."

"Good." Penny smiled sweetly, before shuffling closer to him. "Now... you've had your pre-present, and your presents... so all that's left is a post-present."

It turned into the best birthday Leonard had ever had, if not the best day overall. Not wanting to damage the presents on his bed, Penny had decided his post-present should take place on his armchair - an adventure he had been eager to agree to. After that, she had agreed to watch an episode of Star Wars with him, though he had offered to just watch whatever was on television at that moment. To his surprise, his friends had come over soon after that with cards and presents and Chinese takeaway. They ate, and then Penny disappeared off only to shortly re-appear with the cake she'd hidden away in the fridge earlier, the candles lit, as everybody starting to sing him a slightly out of tune rendition of 'happy birthday' to Leonard. The cake was Justice League of America themed, and Sheldon told them that it was both dairy and nut free because Penny and Howard had viciously insisted that it be carefully made to avoid any food-related accidents, and his mother had offered to make the cake. They left late in the afternoon, and Penny decided they had time for another episode of Star Wars before they had to get ready to head out for dinner. He was ready in under ten minutes, and since Penny had just started working on her make-up, she told him to watch another episode downstairs.

When she did finally come downstairs, his attention was instantly drawn away from one of his favorite episodes and over to his girlfriend. She had straightened her hair, parting it in the middle so it fell neatly over her shoulders. Her make-up had been kept minimal, though her green eyes were greatly accentuated by carefully applied eyeliner and a hint of purple eye shadow to match her dress. The dress itself seemed to hug her figure carefully, the neckline flattering and the hem showing off her legs. The look was completed with a pair of black heels and a matching black clutch. She grinned at him from the doorway, before coming over and shutting off the television for him.

"That's the reaction I was hoping for."

"You look amazing."

"I know." Penny stuck her tongue out, holding her hand to him. "Come on sweetie, we have to leave in a bit and I want a photo first. You look pretty amazing yourself."

"Aw. Thanks." Leonard smiled as he got up, blushing at her compliment.

Putting her phone on the Timer app she had downloaded, Penny took a few full length photos this way, wanting to show off their entire outfits rather than just their faces. At sixteen, she was still slightly shorter than Leonard in heels, though she though she'd probably catch up with him soon enough. As Leonard drove them under Penny's instruction (she had wanted to order a taxi, but he insisted he drive since he could), she decided the last photo was her favorite, in which she'd turned into him and kissed him, rotating them slightly for a better angle at the camera. They had time to put their arms around each other before the timer finished and the photograph was taken. She uploaded it to her Facebook, setting it as her profile photo, finding a pleasing amount of likes and comments by the time they were driving home.

Dinner itself was a pleasing, successful affair. Leonard was amused when he realized that Penny had directed them to the restaurant they'd gone on their first date to, not having picked up on the familiar directions or roads. The food had been excellent and they waitress had even given him a free slice of cake, Penny taking advantage of the whipped cream on top by scraping it off using the large strawberry that had sat atop it. He'd been surprised when she slapped his hand when he went to get out his wallet to pay the bill, then as she pulled cash out from her clutch purse and explained that she'd also been saving her allowance for this. He was truly amazed; from what he'd learned of her spending habits, saving money was not something she cared for - apart from this instance, apparently. It was touching, really, that she'd gone to all of this effort to be able to celebrate his birthday properly. He promised himself that when the time came, her birthday would be at least equally well celebrated.

Penny seemed incredibly pleased with herself on the drive home, something she mixed up with casual touches to his arms and leg. The moment they'd gotten inside and seen that his parents had retired to bed, she'd explained her earlier motives by whispering in his ear as they made their way upstairs that she had some tips from Cosmopolitan magazine she wanted to try out - an activity he had no objection to, based on what he'd (unwillingly and painfully) overheard from his sisters conversations with her friends over the years.

Frowning slightly at the pain running through her, Penny shoved her gym kit away into her locker before pulling out her cleaned cheerleading uniform to take home with her.

"Ooh I recognize that look." Kim grinned as she joined Penny by her locker, waiting to give her a lift home from practice. "Which one did you try?"

"What?" Penny turned to look at her as she shut her locker, confused. "How do you know this you weirdo?"

"Please. Have you met our cheer team? It's like, a sixth sense. Besides, Cosmo has been my bible since... well since Lexie let me read it, really. We're all eager to know."

"All?"

"You were mostly okay at the start of practice but gradually seemed to be beginning to pay the price for whichever idea you tried. Come on, you've been with us in practice when this happened to... almost everyone! There's only one explanation for this occurrence." Kim raised a brow seriously at Penny as they walked out of the school building, lowering her voice. "It's only logical."

This made Penny laugh, and as they reached the car park she finally gave in. "Fine. Seventeen."

"Ah, seventeen." Kim nodded fondly. "Yeah, you should probably stretch before that one. It's like forgetting to stretch before learning some of the Advance routines at practice when you come in late. Ouch!"

"Well I know that now." Penny rolled her eyes.

"Boy, you're really becoming quite the experimental minx, aren't you, Little Slugger?"

"Oh, gross, can you please not refer to me as Slugger when we're talking about sex?"

"Yeah there is something really disturbing about that." Kim frowned unpleasantly. "My bad. You were just very much Little Slugger for so long. It's weird. Good weird! You're like a little grown up now, using ideas in Cosmo rather than just giggling at them."

"You sound like Mom on one of her 'oh you're so grown up now' rants. Which she has way too many of these days, it's so irritating."

"Oh trust me I had those too. Still get them. I bet our Moms talk about this when they're together. She wasn't like she was with me when it was Lexie growing up."

"No, Mom wasn't like this with Bridge either."

"Yeah but you're like, the baby of both our families!" Kim explained, getting into the car. "Obviously she's going to be going on about that. And you're Daddy's Little Slugger. Well, not anymore. Not if he knew what you were doing, at least. Cheeky." Kim smirked at Penny, before starting the car and driving off.

"It's just annoying." Penny folded her arms. "And so is Cosmo. They should have a warning. Beginners: this may be painful the following day if you do bendy exercises."

"Sex aside," Kim laughed, "this whole thing with you is new to your parents so your Mom is gonna be on your case for a bit. Even I find it weird that you're doing stuff like this. Though I am proud," she grinned, "you get in there girl. You should have told me about all of this this morning on the way to school!"

"Yeah but that wasn't part of the answer to 'so how was Leonard's birthday'." Penny pointed out. "I only realized this after we started practice. It's like when you have cheer practice in two consecutive days and afterwards you think your muscles are going to die. Not quite as extreme, but somewhere along those lines."

"Take a bubble bath." Kim advised, pulling up outside Penny's house. "And, you know, don't tell your parents about that."

"I'll have to wait for the bath. I'm going up to the stables to help Mom."

"Right, she said you were doing that." Kim nodded, before her face filled with glee. "Have fun with that. Oh! Expert tip. Do not try number eight if you're going to ride a horse the next day."

"Got it." Penny stuck her thumbs up. "I'll see you tomorrow, have fun at work - and don't be late to start your shift because you were with Sandy."

Glaring at Penny, Kim shook her head. "Shut up."

Grinning innocently, Penny got out of the car and bent down to the window. "Love you."

"Yeah, yeah, love you too, Little Slugger."

Unimpressed, Penny stood back up straight and folded her arms, shaking her head, before Kim drove off with a wave.