2023 MPF Tic Tac Toe: Square: Top Left - Prompt: Pajamas
2023 Tropes & Fandoms: Square: 49/Regular - Prompt: Opposites Attract
The Pajama Deal Extrapolation
Penny could not sleep.
She tossed and turned, flipped her pillow a few times, and repeatedly threw off her blanket before she automatically replaced it again. However, no matter what she did, she just could not get comfortable enough. Consequently, any kind of rest remained just out of her reach. After all, she found that she simply could not turn her thoughts off. In fact, for some odd reason, they instead kept returning to her quirky new neighbor...and the unlikely...perhaps even crazy...train of thought that had started when she first caught sight of his impressive weekly assortment of pajamas.
...
Penny normally would have gone out with her friends on Saturday night. However, on this particular weekend, she had worked both the Friday night dinner shift and the Saturday afternoon lunch shift at the Cheesecake Factory. Both days had been extra busy, as well. Therefore, she was more tired than usual and just did not have enough of her normal energy left to party.
As a result, she decided to stay home for once and do the laundry that she had been putting off...as usual...instead. Otherwise, she was going to have to resort to "floor clothes" soon. Since it was also Saturday night, she assumed that she would have place to herself. It was simply an added bonus.
To her surprise, however, when she entered the downstairs laundry room, she realized that she was not alone. Apparently, it was also her neighbor's scheduled night to complete that particular chore and Penny had accidentally set herself up to spend the evening with Sheldon Cooper.
She did not know exactly what to expect, but what an eye-opening experience it had been – especially since she left the laundry room with vastly different feelings about the man than the ones with which she had entered it.
...
"You have seven pairs of pajamas...and you've actually assigned one to each night of the week?" Penny asked in disbelief as Sheldon unloaded the massive pile of nighttime clothes into one of the machines. That was after he had educated her on the proper ratio of detergent to fabric softener for such materials, of course.
"Eight," he corrected her. "There is also a "just in case" pair in my dresser drawer for emergencies. Well, actually there are nine...if you count the holiday pair that my Meemaw always sends to me as a Christmas gift. However, those colors and patterns are usually too stimulating to actually try and sleep in, so I just save them and donate them to the homeless shelter before the next holiday. I wouldn't want to hurt her feelings, after all."
Well, that's just freakin' adorable...a little weird...but adorable! Penny thought to herself. "What in the world could be considered a pajama emergency, though?" she asked aloud, before she added another thought. "And even if you had one of those emergencies, couldn't you just switch out one of the pairs from another day and wash it later?"
Sheldon just gave her a disappointed look before he told her that under no circumstances could he do laundry at any other time except for Saturday night. Nor could he wear Monday's pajamas on Tuesday...or on any other day of the week, either.
"That goes for the rest of them, as well," he insisted. "I simply do not do things all willy nilly and loosey goosey like that. How would I possibly get everything done, otherwise?"
Even though he had a point...and it really seemed to work for him...Penny just could not understand the appeal for such extreme organization. After all, she never put much thought into when she did laundry, much less as to what she wore to bed – especially if she was alone. She just threw on whatever she could find before her head hit the pillow - mismatched pjs, an old boyfriend's tshirt, a pair of sweats off of the floor, or sometimes even her work uniform if she was too exhausted to take it off. Anything would do.
There were even some nights when she wore nothing at all – especially if she had not done laundry in a while.
Well...maybe I could actually use some extra organization and a better routine in my life, after all, Penny conceded at the sudden realization that having a steady stream of clean clothes would probably be a huge improvement over her current situation.
In fact, she thought that Sheldon's head might actually explode if she told him that sometimes she had to sleep naked...but not for the same reason it would for most men. She really thought he would be much more concerned about the state of her laundry pile...laundry mountain, actually...than her body.
After all, Sheldon was obviously different. In fact, she had definitely noticed that he had not even tried to sneak a peek at her cleavage...or her ass...or anything...the entire time they washed, dried, and folded their clothing together. In fact, he had been a perfect gentleman all evening and Penny found that to be very refreshing.
After all, even though the other guys were nice, too...especially Leonard...they were all still obviously trying way too hard to impress her. Therefore, she knew that deep down inside (Well...maybe not so deep in Howard's case) they still wanted the same thing from her that the other men always had.
Sheldon, on the other hand, seemed less keen to get into her pants and much more eager to show her the most efficient way to fold them...or rather her socks and underwear – especially after she had thoroughly shocked him by just tossing her clean ones haphazardly back into the basket they came out of. Even more interesting to her than that, however, was that he neither made crude jokes about...nor shied away in embarrassment from...the sight of her bras and panties - not even the skimpiest ones.
To her, that proved that he was almost the exact opposite of any guy she had ever done laundry with before...and that even included her gay male friends! Because of that, she could not help to wonder if Sheldon was straight, gay, bi...or something else entirely.
Could Leonard and the others have been right when they assumed that Sheldon didn't have a "deal," at all?
Penny was just not sure about that. After all, in her experience, there usually turned out to be a perfect someone for everyone. Whether they were similar in personality or even exact opposites, they were simply meant to complete each other. She may not have found her other half, yet...or if she had, she had not realized it at that point...but she was sure he was out there somewhere. She was almost positive the same thing was true for Sheldon, as well.
Nevertheless, despite that...or maybe even because of it...she had decided that she liked the adorkable scientist...no matter what his deal...or no deal...turned out to be.
In fact, even though the other guys made fun of him for it, she had figured out that night that she really liked the way that he had his life so well put together that it practically just flowed – especially when she compared it to her own one of complete chaos. He was generous with his gift, too. After all, he always seemed willing to help her – just as he had done in the laundry room.
Plus, she could not deny what a fabulous job he recently did with her apartment – especially with the organization chart...complete with illustrations...he had left for her closet. That was true even if the stealthy way he had gone about it had creeped her out at first.
However, she had only felt that way because she did not really know him very well at the time. Now that she understood him better, she realized that he had meant no harm. It was just the way Sheldon was. Even though it was all a bit weird, she still liked it...and she was beginning to realize just how much she liked him, too.
...
Amazingly, it was while she was contemplating those intriguing thoughts that she was able to relax enough that sleep was finally able to come to her. Unbeknowst to her at the time, however, her subconscious continued to think about Sheldon...even in her dreams. In fact, some of those nocturnal fantasies actually evolved into the particular variety that made her suddenly understand upon awakening...with the telltale warmth still pooled deep in her core... exactly what could be considered a nighttime pajama emergency – especially for a guy!
Oh! She shot upright in bed at the realization. I don't care what Leonard and the others say. He definitely has a deal if he does that!
Penny was so intrigued by the possibilities...and by the memory of her dream...that she decided right then that she would not rest until she found out exactly what Sheldon's deal was. Then, if it turned out that his deal and her deal were compatible...even though others might think it was crazy...she was going to do her best to snag Dr. Organized Perfectionism for herself.
It was certainly true that he was the exact opposite of her normal type. However, perhaps that simply meant it was well past time for her to reconsider what kind of man she really needed. After all, ever since she started dating in middle school, she had been continuously attracted to big and muscular guys...and look where that had gotten her. Dumb cheater gorillas like Kurt were the perfect examples of that kind of repeated insanity!
At the very least, she definitely needed to learn from her mistakes.
Sheldon, on the other hand, may have traded in muscles for brains. However, it was an exchange that really seemed to work for him. After all, he had a streamlined life, an impressive career, a steady income, and a future! That was something that could not be said for any of her former boyfriends who simply seemed to fumble through existence without any real plan...which is probably why she continued to do the same, as well.
Plus, even more importantly...despite the fact that she had not known him very long...he had still helped her more and treated her better...albeit in that quirky way of his...than any of the others ever had. The fact that he did not seem to expect anything in return for such favors was really the icing on the cake, though.
Penny finally recognized then that Sheldon...because he was the absolute opposite of everything she used to look for in a man...was probably the one who was best qualified to round out her life and finally make it whole in a way that it had never really been before. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she could probably do the same for him, too. She could help bring him out of his shell a bit and add a little more much needed fun into his strictly organized routine.
Plus, it was very easy to see that he often struggled when it came to dealing with people. She could certainly help him with that, as well. After all, her mama had always called her a social butterfly.
Consequently, she knew it was time to pay more personal attention to the guy with the big scientific brain...along with those large smooth hands...and the slim wiry body that held so much hidden potential under those fandom tshirts. Also, when she considered how meticulous he was in the laundry room...and in everyday general life...she could not even imagine the attention to detail he would surely bring into the bedroom when that time came!
That intriguing thought was what finally propelled her out of bed and into her now neatly organized closet filled with clean clothes...thanks to the man in question...in order to prepare for her new mission. She was extremely excited at the idea...and the best part about it was that there was no real possibility of complete failure.
After all, in the best case scenario, their deals would match up and they could be the finishing pieces to each other's puzzles. That was what Penny now realized that she really wanted. However, she would not be greedy. Even if it did not work out that way, for whatever reason, she would still have a new best friend who could help her get her life organized and on a steadier track...and she would help him in any way he needed, as well.
Either way, it would be a win-win situation for them both.
