Things were progressing slowly, which suited Sheldon just fine. Penny had begun to kiss him on the cheek each morning when he and Leonard left for work. She kissed him again every night before going to bed. They spend a portion of every evening watching something on the television, their bodies touching, often with his arm around her shoulder and her head on his chest. In the beginning she made no demands on his attention and he had felt little urge to push for more.

The only 'fly in the ointment', as his Meemaw would say, was that things were beginning to feel as if they had stagnated. He couldn't see any progress being made in furthering their friendship towards that 'something more' that his friends were sure Penny felt for him.

He had no idea how to move things forward. He had no idea what the next move was. He had searched the internet, and none of the things he read were things he could do. There was absolutely no way that he could try to seduce Penny. Especially without being positive she would not reject him. He could not take that sort of rejection. Not from her.

So, he was at an impasse. He thought about asking Leonard for advice. However, even though Leonard was supportive, he still had a crush. It was awkward asking Leonard to help him with Penny. Raj was useless. He kept suggesting overblown romantic gestures he had learned from chick flicks. Howard was helpful to a degree. He would offer encouragement, but he was no expert when it came to attracting women.

The front door opened and Penny walked in. He looked up to smile at her but stood quickly. "What is wrong?" he asked anxiously. "Why are you limping?"

Penny dropped her bag by the end of the couch and sat down. "I'm okay, Sugar. Just a bit sore. I twisted my knee."

Sheldon hurried back to the bathroom, re-emerging with a rather large first aid kit. He sat down beside her and lifted her leg onto his lap. He eased the yoga pants up and winched at the way her knee was swelling. "We need to apply ice to reduce the swelling once I have it wrapped."

Penny swallowed as he began to rub sports cream into the joint. His fingers were gentle and sure as he worked. She felt her stomach flutter and heat spread through her. She tried not to squirm, worried that he would get skittish.

She had been trying her best to move slowly with him. Howard had told her often over the years that Sheldon hated being pushed to do what someone else wanted. He was like a baby deer and she had to let him come to her. So, she did her best to never push too hard at his boundaries. He was too important.

He began wrapping a bandage around her knee, his fingers smoothing it as he went. She tried to keep quiet, but a small moan escaped her lips. Sheldon's fingers froze and startled eyes met hers.

Sheldon's mouth ran dry as he looked at her. Her pupils were dilated, and the skin of her chest was flushed. He felt his own body begin to respond to the subtle cues hers was giving off. "Penny?"

The sound of her name seemed to shake her out of her daze. She closed her eyes for a moment and started to ease her leg from his lap. "I should go shower," she mumbled.

Sheldon gripped her ankle without thinking about it. He licked his lips nervously and slowly bent toward her. He could feel her breath on his skin as he got closer.

Suddenly her hand was on his chest. He frowned slightly as Penny closed her eyes. Was he wrong? Had he misread the signals?

"Are you sure?" she whispered.

He looked at her hopefully. She wasn't rejecting him, she was just asking for reassurances. He closed the distance between them before he could question himself.

The first kiss was a mere brush of the lips. The second was just as tentative, but slower. But the third? He sank into the kiss, pulling her closer as her arms wrapped around his neck. His body was quickly caught up in the emotions spinning inside him. The feel of her skin against him, the taste of her on his tongue, the silken hair tangled in his fingers. He groaned at how satisfying it felt.

She gripped him tightly as he held her. She had never felt this way about anyone before. What she had mistaken for love before was fear or need. Fear of being alone. The need to be accepted and cared for. Now she felt connected, as if there were bonds tying them together. It wasn't about her needs or even his. It was about the both of them. Together.

Neither of them knew how long them sat there, wrapped in each other's arm, but they were both breathless when they finally separated. Sheldon was stunned to find one hand cupping her bottom, pressing her tight against his arousal while the other gripped her hair, tilting her head to a better angle. Penny's right hand was under his shirts, teasing his back. The other hand was curled around his bicep, clinging to him tightly.

After a couple of seconds Penny let out a long, slow breath. "Wow," she whispered.

He blushed and started to release her bottom, but her hips jerked slightly against his. His eyes threatened to roll back in his head as his erection jumped within the confines of his chinos. "Penny." His voice held more pleading than questions.

"We can stop," she said softly. She cradled his face in her hands, her eyes understanding. "We can stop right here."

He stared at her for a couple of heartbeats while he tried to think it through. Earlier he had been trying to decide a course of action to move them forward. Was he really, truly ready for it though? These feelings had overwhelmed him so fast.

Then he thought about how dissatisfied he was with their current status quo. Suddenly his mind was clear and he was no longer torn or confused. "I don't want to stop," he said shyly. "I love you, Penny. Please," he whispered, "I want you."

"I love you too," she whispered. She wrapped herself around him like a second skin. Hands scrambled to undo buttons and zippers. Fingers stroked sensitive skin. Tongues tasted and lips caressed. When he joined their bodies it was as if everything around them stopped.

Leonard knocked a third time while Howard looked at his watch. "Where are they? It's Halo night. We are meeting here, right?"

Just then the door unlocked and opened. Sheldon was looking a bit disheveled as he let them in. "Good evening. I apologize for the delay. Leonard will you call in our pizza order while Howard and Raj set up the game?"

"Uh, sure. Are you okay? This isn't a Code Milky Green, is it?" Leonard asked nervously.

Penny walked out of the bathroom, her robe fastened around her securely. Sheldon watched her hungrily as she waved at the guys and headed to her bedroom. "Excuse me," Sheldon muttered. "I should see if Penny wants to join us."

"Do you think…" Raj wondered aloud.

"Oh yeah," Howard said with a smirk. "They did."

"About time," Leonard said dryly. "I was beginning to think they'd be senior citizens before they got their act together."

"We should probably hold off on those pizzas," Raj said as a soft moan floated back down the hallway.

Howard slapped both men on the back. "Come on. Halo at my place."

The guys left, Leonard making sure to lock the door behind them. Sheldon and Penny didn't even notice until hours later. Not that it mattered much to them. There would be plenty of time for Halo and pizza in the years to come.

I hope you've enjoyed my fluffy Shenny story as much as I did. It was a heck of a lot of fun to write, and put a smile on my face every single time I wrote part of it.