ch2

When he came down the stairs, he found her back in the kitchen making tea. From her elbows to her fingertips she was scrubbed clean, but the rest of her was in disarray. Her shorts had smudges of dirt from where she had wiped her hands on them earlier in the afternoon, and her tank top was sagging slightly.

A true farm girl, she had worked hard at the task she had set herself to, and he had to admit that the job had been more enjoyable with her company, though they hadn't verbally said much. As she turned to face him he saw a tiny smudge of dirt on one cheek and felt guilty.

"Would you like to take a shower?" He offered awkwardly.

Her smile lit up the room in response.

He led the way back up the stairs, cautioning her on the tricks of the facet and the tendency of the hot to kick in late, then fetched her his Tuesday pajamas to wear while he cleaned her own clothing. Now that he had his own personal laundry room, he felt he could be magnanimous.

She was suitably impressed by his offer of the clothes and took them into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

A brief thought that the bathrooms teal and white colour scheme suited her had him scurrying back down the stairs to await the pizza.

~P~

His bathroom was cute. All white, with blue tile accents, it was more sanitary than the kitchen at work without a doubt. Even his tub stickies were blue.

With a sigh of relief, she stripped out of her sweaty clothes and dropped them on the floor. She didn't know if she looked that bad or if he was just being a good host, but she was thrilled that he had actually offered her some clothes to wear. His pajamas no less! They would probably be too tight and too long, but oh well! It was like a slumber party! Pajamas and pizza, and maybe a show on tv. The perfect end to a day.

She turned on the shower and waited a few minutes like he had advised, then got in and began washing her hair. He still used the same old shampoo. The sight of it made her smile, and she was secretly relieved at the proof that although his surroundings had changed, and he had acquired a bit of a tan, he was still the same Sheldon.

Which meant she had better hurry up if she wanted a chance to veto the channel selection.

Quickly finishing up, she jumped out of the shower and dried off. His pajama pants actually didn't fit too bad, if she rolled them up at the ankles, but the top was like a nightie, so she pulled an old cheerleader trick and tied the front into a knot. After giving her hair a shake, she grabbed her dirty clothes and hung up the towel and headed downstairs.

~S~

He had just opened the pizza box when she thundered down the stairs and disappeared into the laundry room. Having already set up the washing machine for her, he knew it would be mere seconds before she was back, so he put some pizza on a plate for her.

It was odd seeing someone else in his pajamas. Even odder that they had somehow been altered, and now looked very feminine.

After years of having a room mate, living alone had been a bit of an adjustment so far. The house seemed more alive now that Penny was there. More homey.

To quell his thoughts, he lifted up his pizza and shoved some in his mouth. He was being ridiculous.