A/N: All of your feedback is so appreciated and I can't tell you how encouraging it is that you all are continuing to give this story a chance. I love how you guys convey your feelings in the reviews about these characters.

And if you have favorited and followed my story, thank you so much! But if you'd make time to leave me a tiny little feedback to let me know just how you're feeling about it, too, I'd be overjoyed! :D

Hope y'all aren't opposed to some sexy Shenny time that these two desperately need after such a long day…

*Warning: Slight smut that I know you dirty birds will enjoy. ;]*

Like a spark in the woods, what he could only assume was overwhelming desire suddenly ignited from the center of Sheldon's body until it spread all over and consumed him entirely and every inch of his skin was on fire. Holding Penny so tightly now, his mouth covering hers, he had never felt so alive. It didn't feel like this last night; a mess of tumbling limbs and clumsy kisses, longing glances in Penny's direction to determine if what her sighs and groans meant he was doing was incorrect or just right, a race to the finish before his biological urges decided he was up for another round.

No, right now, Sheldon felt rampant (burning, wanting, primal?). His hands still securely intertwined in her hair and on her waist, his hips instinctually grinded into Penny's whom he had up against his kitchen table, eliciting tiny moans from the back of her throat, until the contact actually began to warm him to an uncomfortable degree. He broke the kiss, breathing hard as he left his forehead against hers, and realized that the reason he was so uncomfortable was because he needed there to be no clothing barrier between the two of them. "My room," he gasped, then allowed himself to be pulled by the wrist and led down the hall. When they reached his bedroom door, Penny let Sheldon close it and lock it since she had become preoccupied with removing her jeans. She turned to face him, her face flush and the hollow at the base of her neck moist with perspiration. It seemed as though her need to disrobe was palpable as well.

"Lay down," he advised, motioning to his bed with a jerky hand movement. He had not mastered the ability to 'talk dirty' as it were, but he knew what he wanted, and saying exactly what it was seemed to be the best bet. He watched as Penny smirked and sat on the edge of his bed, facing him, then rocked back onto her elbows, sliding upwards onto the bed. His eyes dutifully began the task of studying every inch of Penny from head to toe, from her sleek blonde locks that framed her face, to the tight Nebraska t-shirt that she still wore, to the black lacy thong that had revealed itself after her jeans pooled to the floor. He appreciated it all as he took tentative steps towards her. Literally hundreds of words began to fly through his mind, bunching together and competing for a turn to be said, as they often did, but for the first time, Sheldon realized that this was not a time for words or explanations. All questions could be held until the end. So instead of articulating what to do next, he let his body do the talking. He finally took the last step until he was right in front of Penny, standing between her knees that still hung off the edge of the bed. Her hands began to roam over her own body, one quickly disappearing into the front of her panties, the other firmly grasping one of her breasts over the top of her t-shirt.

Even if Sheldon wanted to, he wouldn't be able to make a sound.

"Touch me, Sheldon," she pleaded, demonstrating just how she wanted to be touched with her own digits that were now moving curiously between her legs. Their eyes met after a moment, and Sheldon fumbled with the zipper of his slacks, removing his pants and kicked them across the floor until they met Penny's. His underwear went next and then they removed their own shirts simultaneously. He finally began his descent to the bed as Penny scrambled up until her head met his pillow. He kneeled beside her open legs, studying her as she removed her bra and tossed it to the floor. Her breasts were round, perky, and begged to be acknowledged. When she made a move for her underwear, he shook his head from side to side.

"I'll handle those," he offered, surprised by the husky demeanor in his own voice and sudden bravery. His heart sped up, pounding unforgivingly in his chest, and he suddenly felt the urge to gulp down an ice cold 8-ounce glass of water. He struggled to remain focused while his fingers made their way to the soft, silky skin of Penny's hips, hooking them into the waistband of her thong. She sighed contently as he slid them down, tugging slightly so that she could lift her hips and allow him to remove them completely. He watched her thighs as he pulled down the material, careful to avoid the generous view of her heated center. Last night, their intercourse had transpired in the dark, with only the faint sliver of light from a street lamp outside of his bedroom window to illuminate his room. Now, in the late afternoon sunlight pouring from his open curtains, Penny was fully exposed to him, and he quickly became aware of how exposed he was to her. As if sensing his hesitation, Penny spoke to him from her prone position.

"Are you alright, sweetie?"

Sheldon wanted to nod, but that would require him to look up, possibly grazing over her vagina with his eyes. "I can see you."

"Huh?"

He cleared his throat, swallowing hard. "I can see…all…of you." He could feel the tip of his ears and tops of his cheeks getting hotter by the second as he remained kneeled beside her closed legs, avoiding looking her way.

"And I can see you," she replied softly.

"It's rather graphic," he said stupidly, not sure if he meant that his exposure was graphic or hers was. Or maybe all of it. It had been easier to do this in the dark, where he wasn't so completely on display and she was doing most of the work. In the harsh light, Sheldon's inexperience and shortcomings were quite literally brought to light. He felt discouraged, and he hated it.

Penny giggled and rubbed her calve against Sheldon's thigh. "I like it graphic."

"Penny, please," Sheldon said, rolling his eyes. He had grown frustrated all of a sudden, feeling foolish at how readily he had initiated all of this with a fiery kiss in the kitchen. The bottomless confidence that Sheldon presumed in his everyday life suddenly was nowhere to be found. He felt his erection begin to wilt, causing further humiliation, and he collapsed on his rear, sitting down at the edge of the mattress with his back to Penny. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" She didn't sound angry or frustrated, only concerned, which made it worse for him when he felt her scoot down and place an open palm on his bare, hunched over back.

This was difficult enough to admit to himself that he wasn't sure how to proceed without explaining it to Penny, but he felt as though he owed her that much. "I know I did not perform at an exemplary level during coitus last night," he began carefully, still with his back to her. "And I'm afraid that the bright sunlight of the California sky that is glaring at us through my bedroom window right now would only further admonish my inability to perform." He looked to his window, and realized that at this time of day, even if he shut his curtains, the room would still be bright.

Penny was quiet for a moment, then began to rub her hand up and down Sheldon's back in a soothing manner. "What I think you said was, you like doing me when the lights are off?"

Sheldon huffed derisively, still facing away. "In so many words, yes."

"But if the lights were off, I wouldn't be able to see your gorgeous blue eyes looking back into mine."

"You already know what my eyes look like; they're no different in the dark."

"True," she admitted, removing her hand from his back. He almost regretted losing the feeling of her warm palm on his skin, but didn't turn around. He was about to reach down to the floor to grab his underwear when he felt the mattress situate under an abrupt lack of weight, and when he looked up, Penny was suddenly in front of him, invading his entire view with her naked body. He suppressed a gasp, biting his lower lip as his eyes directly went to her erect nipples. She posed confidently, both of her hands on either hip, her legs slightly spread apart, her back straight and chest out. She nearly resembled a severely underdressed Wonder Woman from the cover of one of his comic books. "But you wouldn't get to see how much I want you if the lights were off."

"Penny…" he started, his eyes lowering until they hovered at her belly button. All he had to do was look down a fraction of an inch further, and he would get an eyeful of what terrified him most, yet the part of her that he craved more than anything.

"Look at how much I want you, Sheldon," Penny commanded, and Sheldon obeyed. His eyes betrayed his will and he lowered his gaze. Now he couldn't look away. She glistened, her apparent desire on display between her thighs. It created a boiling rouse in his lower abdomen, and he slowly felt his member rise. "The best part of having the lights on, though," she said with a sly smile and removed her hands from her hips as she lowered herself to her knees, "is so you can watch me do this." She was kneeling before Sheldon now, her hands on his thighs as she slowly pried them apart. He almost cringed at how conspicuously his erection sprung out into her face, just missing her chin. And that's when the sudden proximity of Penny's lips to his groin suddenly dawned on Sheldon, and he nearly groaned as the realization hit him, causing his skin to tighten. Before he could protest, as if he had it in him to protest which he most certainly did not, Penny's tongue snaked out of the crooked grin on her lips and slowly ran itself across the sensitive tip of his member.

"Lord!" Sheldon inhaled sharply, his face twisting into a grimace of slight horror and equal parts arousal. He had never felt anything like it before! Penny scooted her knees closer and her tongue shot out again, this time running itself along the length of the underside of his shaft. His erection was almost blindingly acute now, his earlier inhibitions leaving him entirely. Hovering her open mouth over his tip, Sheldon wanted nothing more than to feel her lick him again, and by the wild look in her eyes, Penny knew it. She placed an open palm on Sheldon's chest, urging him to fall back and relax, then her other hand came up to grip him firmly, working him up and down at a treacherously slow pace. "Penny," he whimpered as her mouth finally closed over him. Her jaw clenched slightly to create a vacuum all around him, surrounding his member with her warm breath and slippery tongue. She began to suck, and Sheldon watched in awe, propped up on his elbows, as every few reps, more and more of him disappeared further into her mouth.

"Mmmm…" She winked at him before closing her eyes and subtly began to suck harder.

Penny hadn't done this to him last night, and he realized that she was right; he was glad the lights were on to see it.

Sheldon studied the reactions his own body was displaying. He watched the taut muscles of his lower abdomen flex, his thigh muscles clench and unclench, the rise and fall of his chest, all while looking down at the blonde haired beauty bobbing between his legs. Of all five senses, his visual abilities were heightened the most, causing every erotic image to affect his arousal tenfold. He was then distracted by the familiar tightening of his testicles that were coupled with the wet, sloppy trail Penny had begun to leave as she took each one in her mouth, pumping his member with her firm hand. He was about to lose it all over her, and that wasn't acceptable. "Penny!" he yelped. "Come…come here." He was breathless, but the frantic waving of his hands that motioned for her to join him on the bed weren't lost on her. She gave one last, plump and sensual kiss on his shaft before jumping up and kneeling on the mattress. She pushed him all the way down on his back, placing both hands on his bare chest as she swung a leg over his body and straddled him. She assumed a position that was sure to get him off faster than he cared to admit, but after the fantastic oral performance she had just bestowed upon him, he could hardly be held accountable.

"I want to make you come," she declared in a purring voice while at the same time using her hand to guide his dick to her opening. Statements as such were abundant during last night's romp, but now, in the daylight, Sheldon was able to watch her perky lips as the dirty demand left her mouth, and it ignited the same fire of passion he had felt earlier in the kitchen again within him. He held on tight to her hips and thrust himself inside of her on pure instinct, trapping her hand between their bodies and causing her to howl with carnal satisfaction. The sunlight that poured into the room like rushing water hit Penny's golden hair just right, causing her to positively glow before Sheldon as he lifted his hips off of the bed, wildly bucking deep into her hot, juicy folds. "Sheldon!" she called weakly, her voice ringing in his ears as the sight at the corner of his eyes began to blur.

"Ah!" Sheldon cried out a few incoherent annotations of his own as his hands shot out to grab onto Penny's bouncing breasts and squeeze for dear life, his hips still pushing up, unrelenting and quicker in pace. It was by sheer divine intervention that he lasted long enough to hear Penny whine his name repeatedly and feel her insides clench him, signaling her orgasm. He was no hero; he followed right behind her and the exquisite feel of his release was encompassed by her tight, ever-welcoming hole. He clamped his eyes shut, his mouth slack as ragged breaths drew in and out, and the aftershocks of his powerful orgasm rocked him from head to toe. His hands had drifted back down to Penny's soft hips, and he relished the feel of her rocking against him still until it began to become uncomfortable. He brought her hips to a stop, satisfied with the sensation as she folded over and lied down on his chest while he remained inside of her. Her hair spread out wildly all over his face, and he blew a few strands away from his lips. "Penny?" he asked, still out of breath.

"Hmm?"

"I move for all future sexual activities to be done with the lights on."

She laughed so hard that he slipped out of her, her body racking with giggles. The vibration of her body against his as she chortled lulled him into a comfortable catnap, after which she quickly joined him.

Penny awoke disoriented and more tired than she had been before she slipped into an impromptu slumber. Sheldon's bed was narrower than hers, and when she tossed a leg behind her and almost fell off the side, she shot an arm out and grabbed onto Sheldon's exposed waist. He giggled, still half-asleep, at the sudden feel of fingers grasping his ribs.

"Stop tickling me," he croaked, his voice thick with exhaustion. The sunlight had died away, a pale twilight now colored the room a slight blue. She saw him squint disapprovingly at her and she clucked her tongue.

"I wasn't trying to tickle you, goofball," she said, removing her fingers from his waist. "I almost fell off the bed just now, so I reached out to grab something and you were the first thing I felt."

"Then come closer," he groaned. His arms were around her, and she turned so that her back was to his chest, as well as her ass to his upper thighs where she felt a very curious prodding. She smirked although he couldn't see her face, and settled back into him, sighing loudly. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said. "Just so tired."

"We can go back to bed," he suggested, but was interrupted by the sudden growl in Penny's stomach. She cringed as he chuckled. "Or not."

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, looking over her shoulder. "I guess I'm hungry."

"As am I."

"It's Tuesday night," she said with a smile. "By now you'd be pestering me about getting your order wrong at work."

"How hard is it to remember that I love my barbeque bacon cheeseburgers with the barbeque sauce, bacon, and cheese on the side, Penny?"

"It's not hard to remember," she said with a bite of sarcasm. "You've been ordering the same thing for six years. You ever think that maybe I purposely do it to piss you off?"

"You are a terrible waitress," he murmured in her hair, then tightened his grip on her waist.

"Yeah," she agreed with a giggle. They remained still before Penny's stomach grumbled again. "God, this is embarrassing." She regretfully detached Sheldon's long arms from her and sat up, stretching her back gingerly. Her breasts ached and she knew she would probably be facing more bruising after he used them like stress balls during sex. "Want to go to the Cheesecake Factory?"

"Nah," Sheldon answered from behind her. She perched an eyebrow and turned around, eyeing his silhouette as the room darkened further.

"I'm sorry?" Penny knew that Sheldon Cooper was a creature of habit, even if his actions as of lately were not so in character.

"I don't want to leave," he clarified. "Maybe Junior can bring us some Cheesecake Factory to-go?"

"I don't see why not," she said thoughtfully. "Want to call him while I take a quick shower?"

"Alright," Sheldon agreed, and they both finally peeled themselves out of the sheets and into motion. As Penny gathered her clothes from the floor, Sheldon walked to his door and flipped on the light switch to his ceiling fan. The light caused them both to wince and laugh. As her eyes adjusted, she turned to face Sheldon in all of his naked glory. He stood with a certain Greco-Roman contrapposto, valiant yet casual, his entire body firm and slim yet long and powerful in the arms and legs. She felt her face flush; Sheldon certainly wasn't afraid of the light anymore. "What?" he asked, acknowledging her sudden shyness.

"Sheldon," she began as she pulled on her jeans. "You're beautiful." She didn't bother to reapply her bra as she slipped on her t-shirt.

"Beautiful?" he echoed, his eyebrows furrowing together. Penny couldn't help but giggle as he stood before her, still naked as the day he was born. "Well, thank you for the compliment, Penny."

"You're welcome," she supplied, grinning from ear to ear. "Now put your pants on so we can eat." She sauntered over to him and planted a sweet kiss on his lips, and purred in satisfaction when he pushed his mouth against hers to comply. She withdrew and walked around him to reach for the door knob, but was whirled around when Sheldon grabbed her elbow. She looked up at him, his blue eyes boring down on her in a way that left her breathless, and waited for him to speak.

"Beautiful isn't sufficient," he whispered. Now it was Penny's turn to furrow her eyebrows. Can't the man take a simple compliment without correcting me? Before she could say anything, he continued. "To describe you, Penny, beautiful isn't sufficient. Yours is the type of beauty that the Trojans declared war for."

"Sheldon," she breathed, reddening by the second. "When did you become so poetic?" She grinned up at him as he shrugged. "Okay, I'm going to run across the hall and shower at my place. Call Junior. Order me a large Cesar chicken salad and a large lemonade."

"Very well," Sheldon said, nodding before he finally let her elbow go. He looked reluctant to let her out of his sight, but she winked at him and told him she'd be back, then left him to get dressed, closing his bedroom door behind her. She made her way through the empty apartment, stopping first to glimpse inside Leonard's dark bedroom to see if Junior had come back, but all signs pointed to no, so she continued down the hall. She stepped lightly and reached the apartment door when she heard the unmistakable sound of knocking. But it wasn't on Sheldon's door; it sounded like it was on her door. She froze, quickly racking her brain to figure out who would be coming to see her today. She rolled her eyes at herself and remembered the peephole (damn my blonde roots). She pressed her eye to the hole and gazed out. Her breath caught in her throat at the unmistakable blonde waves and short stature of Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz who was shifting her weight from foot to foot as she resumed her knocking on the door of apartment 4B.

"Shit!" she cursed in a high whisper.

"What are you doing, Penny?" Sheldon's sudden appearance behind her caused Penny to scream before clamping her hands over her own mouth. "What on earth?" the physicist asked with a puzzled expression.

Before Penny could explain, she heard another round of knocking, but this time, it was on Sheldon's door. She watched him freeze and suddenly took notice of his casual attire. He only wore a white t-shirt, the same kind of plain shirt he wore under his flannel pajama shirts, and his trusty flannel bottoms. His hair was askew, making him look oh-so cute with the bed-head, but if he were to open the door looking like he did, and with Penny next to him in her ruffled jeans and t-shirt (with no bra on), they sure would have some explaining to do. "Shh, Sheldon," Penny pleaded, holding a finger to her lips.

"Penny, I heard you scream in there. Sheldon, I know you can hear me, too. Open up." The tiny yet stern squeak of a suspicious Bernadette caused Penny's blood to run cold. Her eyes remained on Sheldon as he began to fidget slightly, physically torn between wanting to open the door or judging by the looks of him, jumping out of the window. She sighed and took pity on him; this entire situation was uncharted land to both of them, but at least she could handle the heat. She decided to take the bullet and answer the door herself.

"Sheldon, go to your room," she urged. "I'll handle Bernadette."

"What are you going to say?" he asked quickly, his eyes darting to hers.

"She probably wants to know why I haven't returned any of her calls. Don't worry, I won't say anything about Junior. I'll take her to my place and make something up. I'll be back in a little while." She motioned with her hands for him to go away and he slowly backed up, watching her carefully the entire time. She knew that he didn't want to leave her alone, but the sight of them two together with their respective after-sex glows and fragrances wouldn't help matters. When he was finally out of sight, Penny took a deep breath and opened the door just as Bernadette had begun to knock again. Penny put on a wide smile and greeted her friend cheerfully. "Hey, Bernadette!"

"Don't 'hey' me," she growled. Which was more like a purr coming from her. "Where's Sheldon?" She craned her neck around Penny's shoulder, trying to catch a glimpse with a watchful eye. Penny closed the door behind her and smoothed her hair behind her ears, causing Bernadette to back up into the hallway.

"He's in his room changing," Penny said before quickly adding, "He just kicked me out so he could change. We were gonna go have some dinner at the Cheesecake Factory."

"I see," Bernadette said, the curiosity still evident on her cute face. "Why haven't you called me back? Or answered Amy's texts? The woman is freaking out!"

"I'm sorry," Penny said and began to guide Bernadette towards her own apartment. She fumbled into her back pocket for her keys, which were thankfully still snug inside her jeans instead of on the floor somewhere in Sheldon's bedroom, and unlocked her door. "I've just been so busy with work, and driving Sheldon around, keeping him company…you know he's like a child and with Leonard gone I'm like a single mother, running around like a chicken with her head cut off." By the time she quit rambling, she was sitting on her couch and her friend was standing by the door, clutching the strap of her purse and staring down at her. "Is everything okay? You want a drink?"

"Yes to everything is okay and no to the drink," Bernadette answered. "I was just concerned that I hadn't heard from you in awhile. And Amy has been Skyping me every day to complain about Sheldon. What is his deal? Howie said he took a week off of work?"

"Yeah," Penny answered carefully, rubbing her knees with her palms. She was scrambling to think of an explanation but Bernadette was firing off questions faster than Penny was able to answer.

"Well if he hasn't been going to work, where have you been taking him?"

"Nowhere," Penny said quickly.

"But you just said you have been busy driving him around?" Bernadette's face softened. "What's going on, Penny?"

"Nothing!" Penny said a little too loudly. "I just meant we go everywhere and nowhere. He just wanted a little vacation from work, so I've taken him to run some errands, or whatever."

"Sheldon taking a break from work?" Bernadette was unconvinced, but her tone began to lighten. "Well, does this have anything to do with why he's been ignoring Amy?"

"I really couldn't say." Penny shook her head from side to side. "He hasn't said anything about it, and I haven't brought it up. Seems like a sensitive issue." Penny felt her heart begin to pump faster, knowing that she was probably doing more harm than good by not supplying Bernadette with any explanation, but decided to focus some attention away from Sheldon. "I'm so sorry I haven't called you back Bernadette. Crazy week at the Cheesecake Factory. Gus has been asking me to pick up more bartending shifts, so I go in early, come out late, it's insane. But we should get together this weekend. I'm off on Saturday!"

"Well," her friend said slowly. "Alright. But Penny, are you sure everything is okay? You seem a little…off." Bernadette was staring at Penny so intently that she felt maybe it was written across her face: I've just been having sex with Sheldon Cooper, no big deal. So she bit her lip and told a horrific lie.

"I've just been missing Leonard so much, that I'm trying to keep busy. Being around Sheldon is helping." As the words left her mouth, Penny regretted it. She was simply fucking with her karma like she never had before, but she was committed to protecting Sheldon. To her relief, she watched as her friend's face immediately relaxed as she began to nod in understanding.

"I see. Well, I'm glad you're alright. And if you think time with Sheldon is helping, then you are definitely overdue for a girl's night. Call me this weekend." And with that, Bernadette took a few tentative steps towards Penny's door. "Seriously, Penny. Call me. I've missed you."

Penny's heart suddenly felt heavy. She missed her friends, too. All of them. But her promise to Sheldon was more important right now. An unwanted vision of what Marky did to Kurt earlier that day flashed across her mind, and Penny knew that all of her friends were safer not knowing anything, even Amy and Leonard, no matter what may happen in the future. "I miss you, too. I promise I'll call. Say hi to Raj and Howard for me."

"Okay." Bernadette waved over her shoulder as she left. "Bye, Penny." And as the door shut behind her, Penny leaned back into her couch, covering her face with both of her hands. She sat there for a good five minutes, allowing her breathing and heart rate to return to normal. Her stomach had long since stopped growling and instead was doing cartwheels. She suddenly missed Sheldon fiercely, the short distance between his apartment and hers suddenly seemingly like miles long. She sighed and headed for the bathroom to take that long-awaited shower, when a few heavy bangs on her door startled her. She waited for Bernadette's voice or even Sheldon's signature Penny? but neither followed and she went to open her door. What she saw on the other side both confused her and terrified her at the same time.

Sheldon paced in his room, feeling lower than low. He wrung his hands together as his feet shuffled back and forth, torn between wanting to be there with Penny and frightened of seeing Bernadette. He was grateful Junior had not been in the apartment, which would have been cause for Bernadette to run back to Howard and spill the beans. At the same time, he worried that Penny might slip up and say something as well. But he trusted her, so that errant thought left his mind quickly. He waited on his bed, his legs bouncing up and down before he jumped up and began to pace again, all the while coming to the conclusion that this situation with Marky had to be resolved sooner rather than later. He would tell Junior tonight that they would have to somehow sneak into Marky's gym in disguise or at least well-hidden so that they could watch him train once or twice, then Junior would have to make the call to initiate the fight. Sheldon would not put Penny back in the same situation again, never leave her alone and unprotected with that monster.

As his thoughts boiled down to the fight between Marky and Junior, Sheldon suddenly began to wonder where his brother was. It had been at least five hours since he left them at the apartment, and although it wasn't unheard of for his brother to spend that much time training in one day, he had thought that Junior would come back by now to quiz Penny about what she saw. It had been on Sheldon's mind, too, to ask Penny the kind of fighting styles that she could best describe when she saw Marky fight. But he felt it insensitive being that the exact moves that he showed off put her ex-boyfriend in the hospital, so he had declined to ask, rightfully so. He looked down at the bed beneath him and a sudden heat of pressure began to stir in his loins. He cursed himself for becoming such a slave to his biological urges so quickly, becoming undone at the thought of everything he had done with Penny in the last few days. The kisses, the sex, it was not the type of man Sheldon ever thought he was capable of being. But the intrigue that came with expelling furious and passionate energy into Penny when his hands were on her, when he was inside of her, well, it was too satisfying to ever think of going back to who he once was.

And with this last thought, Sheldon rose from his bed and left his room, unwilling to leave Penny alone any longer. Let Bernadette think what she will; Sheldon would not confirm nor deny any assumptions she might make. His place was with Penny now, by her side from here on out.

He turned the knob to his front door in time to hear Penny scream his name, her voice so panicked and hoarse that it sent multiple chills up his spine all at once. He ripped the door open and watched his older brother, bloodied and battered, slump over Penny's threshold to the floor and lay unmoving at her feet as she screamed Sheldon's name again.

Kurt was on morphine. He felt the wave he had been floating on for what seemed like days begin to push him to the shore. He fought against it, waving his arms and kicking his legs to try and get pulled back into the current because it was so mellow, so comforting. His face didn't hurt when he was underwater. The more sand he felt beneath his body meant he was coming closer to the shore, and at the shore awaited conscious thought. He would be able to feel everything when he woke up. He had a high threshold for pain, but he hadn't been beat up like a carcass on a meat hook being punched by Rocky ever in his life until Rob got his hands on him.

Rob, that son of a bitch. Evil motherfucker.

He always had an agenda, always had to show off. He showed off alright, by kicking his ass in front of Penny. Fucking Penny had to come into the gym looking all good. Kurt knew Rob wanted to impress her the moment he laid his eyes on her.

And Kurt was no better, accepting a fight he knew he wouldn't win in order to impress Penny as well.

Just once, if he could get Rob alone without his pair of goons that were always surrounding him to get his back. He would kill him for doing this to him. He might not be able to best Rob in hand-to-hand combat, but he'd bring a gun to a knife-fight, he didn't care. Kurt wasn't exactly an honorable man himself.

The morphine was thinning out now, burned up by his massive size. He felt his eyes flutter and even though he fought it to the very end, he woke up. His eyes were swollen shut, but through the small slits he was able to make out a figure right in front of him. He didn't recognize the man, but he flinched immediately when he saw the bulk of his body. The man hovered over him with a thoughtful expression on his face, and when he understood Kurt was afraid, he leaned back.

"Whoa there, boy," the man said, his voice thick with a Southern drawl, causing Kurt to feel panic rising up in him again. "I ain't gonna hurt you. Looks like someone else already did." The familiarity of the stranger's accent and muscly figure in front him made Kurt's heart stop, but the stranger's eyes were a deep ocean blue that he didn't recognize. He remained quiet as the man spoke again. "I'm here to offer you a little help, Kurt. Of course, if you're willing to help me, too."