a/n: I ship Shenny so hard I'm afraid I might break something. I also wrote this about a year ago so it may not necessarily follow canon.

I don't own anything you recognize. Title from The Cure.

–

'it's friday'

'I don't care if Monday's blue,
Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too.
Thursday I don't care about you -
it's Friday, I'm in love'

–

saturday.

"Oh holy crap on a cracker," Came from the mouth of a very irritated Cheesecake Factory waitress at the sight of the Saturday night rush. Great tips were almost guaranteed, but she hadn't slept at all the night before because of aproblem she'd only just realized she had.

Bernadette gave her a pitying look and rushed off to her own tables, leaving Penny to suck it up and fulfill her job duties. It was lucky she was such a people person or else it would have been impossible not to dump soup all over the perv at table five. If she were anything like Sheldon, god forbid, she would have been finding a new way to pay rent for the foreseeable future.

Thinking of Sheldon made her wince slightly because it was thanks to him that she hadn't gotten any sleep the previous night. Sheldon Cooper was a lot of things - blunt, sometimes cruel, a genius, a nerd, but really all she could really think of to describe Sheldon was, well, "Sheldon-y" and for some stupid reason she liked that about him.

Getting off shift at around eleven at least meant less traffic on the drive back to her apartment as she sang along with the crappy top 40 station to destress. Trudging back into her building with heavy lids, she thought of the mess of dishes and clothes she'd left littering her living room earlier.

"Did you have a rough night?" A voice cut into her mental anguish as she climbed the stairs and she turned to find Sheldon carrying a basket of laundry next to her, his sleeves pushed back and hair messy and for just a second she thought she just might be hallucinating.

"I only ask because the bags under your eyes are much more noticeable than the last time we spoke." And with that she was back to wanting to cause him pain.

"Gee, thanks, Sheldon." She snarked, rolling her eyes slightly before they each reached their landing.

"Oh, no need to thank me, Penny, I've been told asking about one's day is a necessary social convention." He said bluntly, genuinely not understanding the look of irritation her face as a sign that she was gleefully envisioning where to hide his body.

"Goodnight, Sheldon." She huffed, falling into her apartment.

She crawled in bed thoroughly exhausted that night, her eyes drooping before she really could get under the covers. Still, she thought of Sheldon and smiled at how stupid she was to even consider the idea that she could ever feel more than irritation towards her neighbor.

–

sunday.

Sunday morning passed quietly, it was her first day off in a week so she gladly enjoyed lounging about in her pajamas and catching up on her shows. It was a nice feeling for her to just be able to breathe and be herself all alone in her very own little bubble.

Until three knocks shatter her blissful bubble of relaxation, but she couldn't help the stupid smile that spreads across her face when the familiar voice utters her name thrice. At least with Sheldon things were routined and familiar, sometimes those things appealed to her over the free-spirited way she was currently living.

"Come in." She yells from the kitchen, fruitlessly trying to open a jar of jam for her toast. Sheldon walks in, ignoring the mess, thank god, before turning around abruptly.

"Penny! Do you mind?" He said anxiously and she looked up from her jar and realized a second too late that she wasn't wearing any pants. Then again, he'd seen her naked before so she didn't really understand his shyness now.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie." She laughed, grabbing a pair of sweats from her laundry pile and pulling them on. "Okay, you can stop having a heart attack now. It's not like you haven't seen it before."

"That was under completely different circumstances! You were injured and in a bathtub, I would hope you didn't shower with clothes on." He huffed and though she should have felt irritated, she just ended up smiling.

"Not to be rude, but is there a reason you're here?" She asked, watching him fidget from the mess cluttered around him. Just because she was sort of fond of him didn't mean she couldn't torture him with mess.

Sheldon looked around uncomfortably for a moment before answering, "As you know, Amy Farrah Fowler and I were pursuing a relationship," She rolls her eyes at his statement of the obvious but doesn't interrupt, "However, last night she... well, she broke up with me." The admission hadn't come easily from him and he sounded... hurt.

"I'm so sorry, Sheldon, did she say why?" She actually found herself a little surprised; Amy had been so proud of having a boyfriend and really did like Sheldon for just being Sheldon and she kind of deserved a medal just for that alone.

He shifted again, his fingers fidgeting in an obvious sign of being uncomfortable answering her question, "She... wanted to become physical and I- I did not. I don't generally like to be touched, nor do I see the point in touching others. She became upset when I wouldn't kiss her and told me that being in a relationship meant intimacy and, well, I couldn't share that with her." He breathed a deep sigh and Penny looked at him sadly.

"Oh, Sheldon, she has a point. Why date her if you didn't want to be... sexual with her?" She asked, trying to force herself to be rational.

He looked up at her in surprise, "Because I like her. Just because I found her compatible and enjoyable company doesn't mean I want to sleep with her." He explained this like it was the most obvious thing in the world, but Penny reached out and took his hand.

"Sheldon, when you date people it's usually expected that at some point you will sleep together. Haven't you ever wanted to...you know?" She asks, genuinely interested in his answer.

His mouth turned down for a second, "Not really. I was generally too busy for such frivolities. I do admit, it would be an interesting experiment." His eyes got a little misty at this new idea and she felt the need to interject become very important.

"No, sex should not be an experiment. It should be.. beautiful and wonderful and intimate." She said wistfully, then depressingly realized how long it had been she'd actually been intimate with anyone other than her Ben & Jerry's carton.

Sheldon just stared at her for a moment, something different crossing his features for the hair of a second before he could compose himself. "Well, thank you for your metaphorical 'shoulder to cry on,' Penny, but I must get back to my work." He left abruptly and she wasn't really sure what the hell had just happened.

It's too late when she realize that the look on his face was a mixture of interest and confusion. She goes to bed with her head full of Sheldon Cooper again that night.

–

monday.

Mondays were the bane of her entire existence, mostly because it means work and getting out of bed at a decent hour. She dragged herself through her normal morning routine, stumbling into the bathroom and pulling a brush through her tangled hair. She woke up on the wrong side of the bed, which only served to ruin the rest of her day as well.

It's colder than usual outside and her fingers had turned blue by the time she stepped out the door, looking to buy groceries before her shift that afternoon. She's not really sure what she did to deserve finding a freezing Sheldon Cooper sitting outside their building, but there he was.

He's a little blue, but looks more pissed off than anything.

"What are you doing out here?" She asked, looking down at him with concern and he gave her a look that let's her know she's going to regret asking.

"If you must know, I usually ride to work with Leonard every morning, however due to his illness he was unable to drive me. I called Howard but he and Raj had already left, thanks to Leonard throwing off my routine by spending the entire morning in the bathroom. However, Howard claimed he would come and get me on his break and he has yet to show up." His irritated rant ended more quickly than she had anticipated and she looped her arm through his and pulled him off the cold bench.

"I'll take you, I'm just going out to grab some groceries." She smiled, "Unless you secretly want to ditch work." Her mischievous wink went straight over his head and he gave her a confused look.

"Why on earth would I do that?" He questioned sincerely and she rolled her eyes.

"Because it's fun to break the rules sometimes, Sheldon." It was like trying to explain how algebra worked to an infant. He gave her another strange look and shook his head.

"No, it's nearly lunch time already, I've missed several crucial hours waiting on this bench." He gave the bench a glare and she found herself laughing.

"Okay, how about we get lunch and then I'll take you in. Don't argue, you won't win." She gave him a stern enough look that he didn't dare argue, and instead he followed her to her car.

They ended up at a local Chinese buffet and he must have been known better than to object at her choice because he simply walked in and chose a table for the both of them. The wind had blown his hair askew again and he was using a spoon as a mirror to try and fix it.

"I think it looks good when it's messy." She admitted casually after they've gotten their food, setting her purse down and shooting a smile up at him.

"I can hardly see why, I don't find looking like a hoodlum attractive at all." He retorted, examining his fork to make sure it's clean.

She rolled her eyes and resists the urge to flick food at him. "It makes you look more relaxed. Handsome." She said, twirling her fork around her lo mein and wondering why she's just told him she thought him to behandsome.

He didn't answer, but she swears he smiles a little bit before eating his sweet and sour chicken.

When she drops him off at work she reaches over before he can get out and ruffles his dark locks gently and he leans into her touch for a brief moment. He doesn't bother fixing it for the rest of the day for some reason he can't really explain.

–

tuesday.

It rained and rained and rained so much that she wondered if she'd have to build an ark to escape drowning. By the time she managed to find her rain boots and umbrella she was already late for her evening shift and she knew Sheldon would have a heart attack if she wasn't there to serve him. Warmth pooled in her stomach at the thought of Sheldon asking about her.

She never took Tuesdays off, even if they offered them to her, because she liked the banter she's used to experiencing every Tuesday night. She pulled into the employee lot only five minutes late and managed to clock in without being spotted by her manager.

It took a few hours for the guys to show up and she felt a little silly for being excited about Sheldon's tall frame finding his customary seat. Sometimes when she just watched Sheldon she found more than she bargained for. He was careful in every move he made, and even though she would think he'd be robotic in his moves, mostly he's fluid and graceful. Sometimes she caught herself thinking of the strangest things about him - like wondering what he sounds like when he sang and what his favorite season was. He probably had an algorithm to select his favorite color.

"Hey guys, what can I get for ya?" She asked brightly, smiling at her friends expectantly. They all order their usual dish and she didn't bother asking Sheldon but as she turned he reached out to grab her arm.

She looked down at him in surprise and he seems to have surprised himself because he's still looking at his fingers wrapped around the warm skin of her forearm. His touch sent weird vibes through her body and momentarily she never wanted him to let go.

"Yes, Sheldon?" She asked when her voice returned and realized everyone else was staring at her too.

"Oh, nothing, never mind." He said quickly, dropping her arm and turning away from her, his eyes downcast.

They don't look each other the rest of the night and she wondered what the hell happened.

–

wednesday.

She called in sick on Wednesday even though she felt fine, but she really just wanted time to clear her head and breathe. Mostly, though, she really just wants a day of not seeing Sheldon. He had somehow managed to complicate everything even more than before and she needed time to just notthink about him for just a few minutes.

It's all for the better anyway because it's still raining on Wednesday; sometimes she wishes it would snow but then she remembered how much she hated the cold. She wrapped her blankets around her and drank four cups of coffee by noon, just watching the rain streak her windows.

Sheldon, by all definitions, should not be attractive to her at all. She didn't know when he shifted from an irritating neighbor to a beloved friend, but he managed to do it faster than she could keep up with. They were different in every sense of the word - the things they liked, the way they lived their lives, their dreams and desires. Still, she understood Sheldon better than most people did and he tended to have a soft spot when it came to Penny. Sheldon was charming in his own way, even if he stumbled through human interaction and was completely disinterested in being intimate in any sense of the word.

Three knocks ruined her train of thought for the second time in a week and it took a second to register who was on the other side of the door chanting her name. She stood carefully and reached for the door handle with anxiety. She pulled it open and found that she was not near as much a mess as Sheldon Cooper. He looked like he hadn't slept, with messy hair and only a t-shirt on with no long sleeve undershirt.

"Hey, swe-" But he cut her off by walking in without registering her words and looks around for a few moments.

"Penny, do you think there's something wrong with me? I know mother had me tested, but I think there must be something wrong." He looked even more panicky than usual, and she found herself really confused because this might actually mean him admitting the fact that he had a flaw.

"I don't understand what you mean, sweetie." She stated calmly and he tutted in irritation before looking back down at her.

"Why didn't I want to sleep with my significant other? Most males quite enjoy engaging in coitus multiple times with the same partners." He reverted to his usual way of speaking in an effort to get a handle on this situation.

Penny gave him a small smile and reached out a hand to encompass his with warmth. "Did you ever think that maybe Amy wasn't the right person to... do.. that with?" She asked tenderly and he seemed caught by surprise, like this thought had never occurred to him.

"If you don't have chemistry with someone then they probably aren't right for you." She whispered, squeezing his fingers gently.

Sheldon's expression shifted back into that strange show of curiosity and before she can register him leaning down, his lips were brushing across hers ever so gently. She breathed softly against him and before she could fully get over the fact that Sheldon Cooper was kissing her and she was actually kissing him back, he had pulled away quickly.

"I... don't know why I did that." He admitted quietly and she doesn't really know what to say back. "I wanted to kiss you, but why you? Why not Amy?"

His words were like a slap to the face, because she should have realized that it would come back to Amy. Sheldon admitted to liking her and he'd never shown any interest in Penny in the least before now. She thought it shouldn't hurt as much as it does because she knew Sheldon, but affairs of the heart never usually dealt in fairness.

"I think you should go." She said firmly, opening the door for him and he walked out, completely unaware that he'd just punched a hole through her chest.

She slept uneasily, dreaming of Sheldon's mouth over own.

–

thursday.

She woke up angry on Thursday and couldn't even bring herself to care that the rain had gone and it was a bright and beautiful day outside. All she thought about was how much men sucked and trying to list reasons for why going home to Nebraska would be a great idea. So far she had five and they all involved Sheldon. It was a promising start.

She didn't see or hear from him all day, though she hadn't expected to. Things like kisses and heartbreak meant nothing to him but it made her even angrier that he couldn't understand that it did mean something to her. It meant everything to her because guys like Sheldon didn't go for girls like her. They went for girls like Amy. She never would have thought there would come a day where she would be jealous of Amy Farrah Fowler, but life seemed to liked surprising her lately.

No one at work dared to comment on her fairly terrible attitude and scowl. She made crap tips but she didn't really care. She found that she didn't really care about much anymore. Her shift passed slower than usual and she dropped at least two dishes before it was time for her to go back to her apartment so she could seethe in solitude.

She liked working the early shift because it was usually easier and because she got to have her nights to herself. Today she dreaded having the night to herself because she knew that it was only going to lead to tears and alcohol. Still, at least she didn't have to see his stupid face and if he came knocking she was about a hundred percent sure that she'd throw something heavy at him.

As it turned out, she didn't need to worry about him knocking because she ran into him in the lobby at the mailboxes and she contemplated beating her head against the nearest wall when he looked around and saw her with his usual expression of disinterest.

"Hello, Penny. How was your day?" He said casually but she just glared at him and his stupid perfect hair and dumb smile.

"You know, Sheldon," She started heatedly. "You really don't have to worry about social conventions with me. I get it." She pushed past him to the stairs and sprinted up them as quick as she could before she started crying.

She left a thunderstruck Sheldon in her wake, without realizing he had been asking out of a legitimate concern. Penny didn't stay around for him to remark that he probably should to talk to Leonard about this because the entire situation has simply gotten out of control.

–

friday.

She didn't sleep well, in fact she didn't sleep a tall. Out of all the things Sheldon had done over the years to piss her off, she had never been more angry than she currently was. Of course, it didn't help that she caught on far too late to what was happening between them. They were smack dab in the middle before she realized with a horrible sensation that she liked Sheldon.

She actually liked his stupid rambly explanations, and that his seat was next to her's on his couch, and the way he smiled at her in a way that the other guys couldn't understand. She liked that he had schedules for his schedules and how he made her feel balanced in her own chaos. She liked that he left his hair messed up after she mentioned how she preferred it that way. She liked that he moved his laundry day to coincide with hers and, holy crap on a cracker, she loved Sheldon Cooper.

Of course he still drove her crazy and he talked too much and insulted her apartment and insisted that she folded her shirts after they finished drying. But none of that mattered at all when she thought of bickering with him over the radio or hugging him or the sight of his face moving towards hers.

The knock at her door made her jump a little, but no more than one came and when she pulled the door open she found Leonard looking a little sheepish.

"Hey, Penny. Can I, uh, come in?" He asked and she nodded, moving to the side to let him in.

"So what's up?" She asked, shuffling to the kitchen, and directing herself straight for the coffee pot. Leonard didn't follow her, instead he shifted awkwardly, looking so out of place in her home.

"It's... well, it's Sheldon." He said, and she swore mentally. "I think he's sick or maybe his brain finally cracked from the pressure."

Despite her sworn oath to get over Sheldon Cooper, her brain was programmed to worry about him. "Why? What happened?"

"I don't know exactly," Leonard sighed. "He came home yesterday afternoon from getting the mail and locked himself in his room and hasn't come out. Not even for his pre-morning moisturising routine."

Penny sighed, "What am I supposed to do, Leonard?"

"I don't know! Talk to him? He actually listens to you sometimes." Leonard shrugged. "I have to get to work, and I don't want to leave him to accidentally create a rocket from his lego collection or something." He looked pitiful under her gaze. "Please, Penny, he needs you."

She felt something in her chest constrict at the thought of Sheldon needing her and was nodding before she could fully register it.

"Okay. I'll go over there, you go on to work." She rubbed Leonard's shoulder and grabbed her robe.

It took a few minutes to build the courage to actually walk across the hallway and face what might be on the other side.

Sheldon's door was firmly closed when she raised her hand to knock. She made the motion three times in quick succession.

"Leonard, I thought I made it quite plain that I have no intention of opening that door anytime soon." The familiar disgruntled tone floated through the door and she could picture his exasperated face with fondness.

"It's not Leonard, sweetie." She said calmly and was surprised by how quickly the door pulled open.

"Penny, what on earth are you doing here?" He asked, taking in her messy hair and disheveled robe with a raised eyebrow.

"Leonard was worried about you." She sighed, leaning against his doorframe in exhaustion.

His eyebrows knitted together, "I can't see why."

"Sweetie, you wouldn't leave your room and you didn't even go to work. So, what's wrong?" She glanced up to meet his eyes from where they towered over her, but he didn't look down at her in return.

He gave out one of his usual small sighs, "I haven't slept in approximately 72 hours, Penny. I have been trying to solve a problem, but I can find no logical solution."

"What's the big problem, maybe I can help?" She offered kindly, noticing the darker circles under his eyes and thinking that they probably matched her own.

"I highly doubt it seeing as you are the root of my problem." He answered bluntly.

"Me? What did I do?" She asked, rather affronted. He was the one who had kept her up the past week straight with no remorse or acknowledgment.

"Approximately two months ago as I was entering the laundry room for our customary weekly tradition, I observed you singing a Simon and Garfunkel song. Though your voice strained to capture some of the higher notes," He didn't seem to notice the glare he was receiving. "Your usual musical interests revolve almost exclusively around the Billboard Hot 100, and I realized my hypothesis about your musical tastes was incorrect, which then later led to me the conclusion that perhaps I had misinterpreted other observations I had made about you."

She frowned at his pause, certain that she had no idea where he could possibly be going with this train of thought. He took another breath and pushed forward, hands wringing.

"I therefore redoubled my observations of you, but all the data remained inconclusive, and that's when Amy Farrah Fowler ended our relationship as she believed me to be emotionally distant and most likely asexual."

"Oh, Sheldon. She just wanted some attention," Penny started, but Sheldon gave her a look which quite clearly said he wasn't finished yet.

It seemed obvious from where she stood that Amy probably knew about her boyfriend's sudden interest in understanding another woman, and that thought made Penny feel like a pretty crappy friend.

"Then of course came the kissing incident, which I will admit did not go as I planned. For the first time since I entered the scientific field at five years old, my emotions had interrupted and changed the outcome of an observational study I was conducting." His words were calculated, but he was no longer looking her in the eye. "I never had any desire to physically stimulate Amy in any way, but I felt compelled to keep touching you. I've never found any interest in understanding matters of emotions, but I cannot ignore the increase in my heart rate when you're around, nor my ever growing urges to press my flesh to yours."

Of course Sheldon would make a declaration like this in the least romantic way possible, but Penny was so used to him by now that it only made her smile wider. Slowly, so as not to alarm him, she raised one hand and placed it on his cheek gently.

"Do you want to kiss me, Sheldon?" She asked, knowing that being direct was the best way to yield results.

He nodded once, barely moving his head at all, but he didn't move when she pulled herself up on her tip toes and pressed her mouth to his. At first, Sheldon showed no sign that he was being kissed by an attractive woman, but after a few seconds he seemed to melt into Penny slightly. He raised his own cautious hand to her face, breathing in sharply.

For the first time in the past week, Penny allowed herself to think what she had tried so hard to bury. Loving Sheldon probably wouldn't ever be easy, but it would probably be worth having him like this - completely hers.

Murphy's Law, which Sheldon had once exasperatedly explained to her, came in the form of Leonard, Howard, and Raj all stumbling into the apartment and stopping dead in their tracks as they tried to process what they were seeing.

Finally Raj spoke, "Do you guys want to get some Chinese food?" He asked awkwardly.

Without looking at Leonard, Penny smiled to Sheldon whose hair was mussed and lips were swollen, and then she nodded.

Later she climbed into her bed and slept soundly the entire night.