Disclaimer: I don't own The Big Bang Theory, or any of the characters.
A/N: OOC Sheldon later on, but with reasonable explanation. You'll understand as you read the story. Critics appreciated. Or any reviews at all. I almost have the next chapter ready. It's the last. I'm just wondering if I should make it an M rated story.
So, enjoy!
"Would someone please kindly remind me why I agreed to participate in this ridiculous and immature activity?" Sheldon groaned in frustration.
"Because it's fun!" Penny beamed, sitting across the table on the ground, holding a glass of wine. Howard was sitting next to him on the couch and Raj was on the armrest to his left on his spot. Sheldon had informed him that there was plenty of space to sit on the couch but he insisted that the closer their proximity was, the friendlier their game got. Which puzzled him.
Sheldon glared at her.
"Fine. We bribed you." She rolled her eyes in annoyance. "But seriously, at least try to relax and give it a shot." She offered with a shrug.
"If I remember correctly-which I do, due to my eidetic memory- the last time we played this game, it resulted in a fight between you and Leonard." He narrowed his eyes at her, wordlessly questioning her ability to understand.
"That was a long time ago sweetie. We're way past our insecurities and misunderstandings!" She reasoned. "Also, you guys might wanna dumb the sentences down a little and make them less nerdy. I don't get a lot of them." She shot a look at everyone.
Leonard nodded. "You're right. Sorry. I'll go next." He scrunched his face in concentration and made a loud humming noise, much to her amusement.
They were playing a drinking game. Never Have I Ever involving alcohol. When she first suggested the game, everyone had an enthusiastic reaction to it, except Sheldon, of course, who wasn't easy to convince. She had not been surprised. So she made him a deal to drive him to the train store without a time limit for him on the weekend. The thought of watching Sheldon run around the store with a look of a toddler's fascination made her think of innocence and joy. Boy, that deal was a win-win.
Penny admitted that she thought she'd be the first to get drunk. Assuming the questions were about relationships, reckless behavior and such.
But up until now, they were mostly about geeky stuff. And apparently scandalous on their own terms. The boys seemed to be having the time of their lives. Putting so much excitement into boring topics about science that she didn't get. It seemed like they had found out some interesting facts about -a-doodle too. She might not have understood about 90 percent of them, but the look on his face was enough. He'd looked away in shame or fidgeted uncomfortably in his spot which was hilarious. But she did get that for a few months, he'd actually gotten into Geology. It was quite interesting, since he had always said he hated it.
Right now she was sitting on the floor, mostly observing the game which became boring pretty quick. She had barely took a sip of her glass. Leonard, Raj, Howard and Sheldon were almost tipsy.
"I got it." Leonard exclaimed, drawing her attention." Never have I ever, been to a nude beach."
Penny cringed as Howard grinned and took a sip from his wine.
"Dude!" Raj said, surprised. "Didn't it get a little uncomfortable there?"
"Not after it got me laid." He shrugged, putting his glass down.
"Oh dear lord.." Sheldon muttered as he scooted away towards Raj.
Penny snorted." Alright, my turn. Never have I ever.. cheated on someone." She knew exactly who her target was. Everyone stared at Leonard as he looked away and quietly drank from his glass. She felt a stab of guilt. That was a long time ago and they were both over it. And each other for that matter. So she was grateful when Sheldon broke the silence.
"I am starting to feel dizzy. Please try to refrain from asking questions relatable to me. I really would not appreciate becoming inebriated". He furrowed his brows, trying to focus on the box of pizza on the table.
"And make it more relatable for me." Leonard shrugged.".. in a good way."
"You're just making this easier for me." Howard clasped his hands together, squinting his eyes and still grinning like a maniac." Okay, never have I ever, seen Penny naked."
Penny raised an eyebrow at Howard, while Leonard brought the glass to his lips. Everyone else froze when they saw Sheldon do the same. He didn't sense their shock as he drank the intoxicating liquid and set it down with a disgusted expression and a shudder. As he looked up to scold Howard for the question, he noticed everyone was staring at him.
"Why are you all looking at me like that?" He crooked his neck in innocent confusion.
Howard raised his eyebrows. "You saw Penny naked?" As if Penny wasn't sitting there, hiding her amused snicker.
"Yes. What are you implying?" Sheldon frowned, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Saw her naked as in..?" Raj looked at him expectantly. Sheldon just blinked.
"Her wearing no clothes."
Penny did her best not to laugh. "I'm not even going to interfere. This is too fun to watch." She rested her head in her hands on the table, remembering her accident in her bathtub.
"O..kay?" Raj glanced at Sheldon one last time." I'll just assume it's not what it sounds. My turn." That just added to Sheldon's obvious confusion.
"Ask something to get us all to drink." Howard whined.
"Not me." Sheldon grumbled.
"How is this a drinking game then?" Raj raised an eyebrow. But shook his head immediately. "You know what? It doesn't matter. Never have I ever thought about attempting to start a relationship with Penny."
Penny watched thoughtfully as Leonard, Raj and Howard, each took a gulp from their drinks. She was about to say something which she forgot about completely when Sheldon brought up his glass with hesitation and drank from it. Her eyes went wide and she gaped. The boys followed her gaze to Sheldon.
"Wait, what?" Leonard sat up straight, staring at him like he had grown a second head." You thought about dating Penny?" Howard and Raj exchanged looks.
Sheldon looked annoyed as he rolled his eyes. "Don't be so surprised. I think about a lot of things Leonard. And to clarify, I once 'thought' about having coitus with you and yet, here we are." He snapped.
Leonard just stared at him. "Well, the argument is over but I don't know if I should be flattered or creeped out."
"Whatever you want but my point is, my thoughts do not matter unless I act on them. Can we go to the next one now? Without the word 'Penny' in it, if possible?" He brushed it off, but his nervous tone gave away at the end.
Penny was awestruck. Her mind went blank. Then a visual image of the word 'WTF' appeared and she felt like she was transferred to an alternate universe. Her mind failed miserably trying to pin point a single moment where he showed any sign of attraction towards her, finding none. He wasn't twitching, so he didn't lie. For her own peace of mind, Penny reasoned herself with his explanation. Besides, he was Sheldon. His ideal mate would probably be chosen by the healthiness of her uterus to carry and deliver his progeny. And she did grow up on a farm. She was pretty tough.
She noticed with total shock that he was avoiding her eyes. He also wanted to avoid answering questions related to her. He can't be more subtle, because he can't lie if the question comes up. Impossible. He was Sheldon freaking Cooper. She seriously isn't thinking he might have feelings for her. If he thought about doing it with Leonard, then this shouldn't be a surprise.
Oh, what the hell.
"Can I go again?" She smiled at him, a bit shakily.
"Of course. It is your turn." He let out a breath, looking less tense. He probably thought she was getting the attention off of him.
Poor bastard.
"Never have I ever," she paused for dramatic effect. "Been sexually attracted to my neighbour."
He froze like a dear caught in headlights. She felt everyone else watching the two of them with interest, as if this were a drama show or some crap. She stubbornly kept his gaze, even though her mind screamed at her to take it back and laugh it off, because there was no way out of this if she knew the answer.
But ignoring it completely, she studied his facial expression. To anyone else, it looked blank. But she's been dealing with this stupid slash handsome face for years. His left eye slightly twitched. Did that mean he was about to lie or was he nervous?
For a second she thought his piercing blue gaze went dark, but it was so quick she thought she might have imagined it. Her heart gave a leap and her breath hitched anyway. He broke his gaze and stood up, looking tense.
"I don't like this game." He murmured and abruptly turned on his heels to walk away, but stopped. Only to turn back, pick up the glass and down the whole damn thing. Penny almost slapped herself at how hot it looked to her. She and the others watched in complete disbelief as he then placed it back and stormed off to his room, slamming it shut.
After a minute of silence, Leonard broke it. "I think we went too far." He admitted softly and Penny nodded along Howard and Raj.
"He... he was willing to keep it to himself and we just.." Penny trailed off. Then face palmed. "Oh god, what can I do to fix this?" She moaned.
"It's alright. I was the one who started it. Raj had a part in it too." Raj nodded. "It's our fault too. I'm sure we can come up with something." Howard attempted to comfort her.
Penny took a deep breath. "You're right. But we should leave him alone for tonight." She looked in the direction he disappeared. Down that hall to the right was the door to his room. She wondered what was going on in his head. But took two sips from her wine to her own statement anyway.
She relived the past few minutes in her mind to grasp the importance of this new found information and her eyes widened in realization. Holy crap on a cracker. Sheldon Cooper had a deal. She was his deal. He wanted to date her.
But what kept him from doing so? She narrowed her eyes. Usually it was what-Sheldon-wants-Sheldon-gets. And hell she would have accepted if he asked. He always did say his work was more important and everything else emotional was a distraction. A threat, she assumed with dread. That's what he saw her as. She excused herself and headed to her apartment. Wine. She needed a lot more wine.
She woke up the next day on the tiles of her kitchen floor, feeling cold, sore and with a horrible hangover. She groaned in pain and drowsiness as she opened her eyes, expecting them to burn by the light coming out of her window. But panicked as her vision stayed the same. Completely black. Had she gone blind?!
Hyperventilating, she let out a sob, forgetting about her sore body and headache. She quickly grabbed into something and got up, her hands roaming on the walls of the kitchen until a click was heard, and for the first time, she welcomed the pain that went through her skull as she stared at the kitchen light.
Calming down after a few moments, she chuckled in relief at her silly thoughts. Apparently she slept through the entire day. Good thing it was a Saturday.
Laundry night.
Penny wasn't sure if she was happy to get an opportunity to talk to Sheldon about his little 'attraction', or was she to brace herself against the stinging words that were going to come out of his mouth.
The worst part was that he doesn't mean them to be offensive. They're just facts. Pursing her lips together, she checked the clock. 7:10 p.m.
She took a warm shower to ease the tension in her muscles and soon found herself entering the Laundry room, where he stood with his back to her, separating his white garments. She cursed her stupid crush for bringing her here and took a deep breath, stepping closer to the machines to make her presence known.