A Chance for Maybe (Leonard/Penny)
Title: A Chance for a Maybe
Ship: Leonard/Penny
Rating: PG
Summary: Leonard gets another chance.
Penny was lying down on their couch, her head near Sheldon's cushion and her feet crossed at the ankle on the arm rest. She'd come over after a morning shift claiming she was bored. Leonard wasn't sure what element of their apartment made reading a magazine more thrilling than her own, but he wasn't about to complain. She'd finished reading, though. The magazine slipped to the floor.
"Did you always want to be a scientist?" she asked, suddenly.
"Hm?" Leonard asked.
"Nancy, this girl at work, was talking about how she'd wanted to be a lawyer when she was a kid, but is now trying to make it as a writer. It's just weird to me. I mean, for me, acting was always it."
"Always?" Leonard saved his work so that he could focus on Penny instead. Her toenails, he noticed, were blue and twinkly. So were her criminally short shorts. And her legs... he swallowed and forced him to look at her face and not her long, perfectly-shaped, golden, sexy-- her lips were moving. He redoubled his attention.
"...just started clapping and I knew that that's what I always wanted to do. What about you?"
"Huh?" They were supposed to be just friends now, he knew that and he honestly did try. But she still featured in all his dreams (not all which were about sex, which was a whole other form of scary) and she still had the unique ability to melt his brain without trying.
Penny propped herself up on her elbows and looked at him. "When did you decide you wanted to be a scientist?"
Decide? Leonard laughed harshly. "In my family," he said, "there wasn't really much of a choice."
Penny made a face. "That sucks. What did you want to be?"
Leonard frowned and thought. He remembered his grandmother, her large hands, the cigarette smoke overlaid with a stuffy floral perfume, and the music that reverberated through every room in her house. "A cellist," he said. "I wanted to be in an orchestra. My gran used to take me to rehearsals sometimes."
Penny smiled. "Do you play?"
"A little."
"Will you play for me?" Her question was edged with hesitance. Leonard's mouth went dry, because he had so many dreams that started like this. He stood up and started moving toward his room.
"Sure," he said, even though he hadn't played in ages, even though he had no idea what to play for her. He couldn't say no. When he returned, Penny was perched on an arm rest. Sheldon would kill her if he saw her, but Leonard didn't say a word. She was beautiful and focused on him. His brain was melting again.
He focused on the strings, tuning them and checking their sound. He tightened his bow. What the hell was he going to play? Then he noticed the Penny Blossom in her hair and got an idea. He stilled his trembling fingers and started to play.
He was barely a full measure into the song, when Penny grinned, recognizing the song. She sang along. "All the livelong day. I've been working on the railroad. Just to pass the time away."
Leonard joined in. "Can't you hear the whistle blowin'?" They finished the song together and Penny laughed. Her eyes sparkled.
"Play something else," she commanded.
"What do you want to hear?" he asked.
She bit her lip. Did she have any idea how much that made him want to-- "-tic, please. Leonard, are you listening?"
"What?"
She gave him a sly look and leaned over. Her shirt gaped just enough. "Play me something romantic," she said.
Something romantic. He swallowed, closed his eyes, and thought. Then he began to play. The notes slid out from beneath his fingers and hung like stars in the room. Penny closed her eyes and listened.
"What was that?" she asked, when he finished.
"Part of 'The Swan'," he said.
"That was gorgeous." She was gorgeous. Leonard heard someone coming up the steps. A bit early to be Sheldon, but not impossible. Penny heard it, too. She hopped off the couch and stretched, her breasts pushed against her shirt and-- he looked at his hands, his bow, and breathed. "I should probably go," she said.
He glanced up. She was looking at him and Leonard realized-- this was a moment, a chance. He couldn't screw this up. "Um, Penny?"
"Yeah, Leonard?"
"I got some tickets to see the orchestra. Two, actually. Would you--?
"I'd love to," she said. His heart sored with hope renewed. She crossed the room and kissed his cheek, or the corner of his lips. He wasn't sure. "It's a date. Just tell me where and when."
He nodded, unable to speak. A date! She waved and left. Leonard sank back against the chair, one hand holding the neck of his cello. He, hereby, loved Camille Saint-Saens.
Ship: Leonard/Penny
Rating: PG
Summary: Leonard gets another chance.
Penny was lying down on their couch, her head near Sheldon's cushion and her feet crossed at the ankle on the arm rest. She'd come over after a morning shift claiming she was bored. Leonard wasn't sure what element of their apartment made reading a magazine more thrilling than her own, but he wasn't about to complain. She'd finished reading, though. The magazine slipped to the floor.
"Did you always want to be a scientist?" she asked, suddenly.
"Hm?" Leonard asked.
"Nancy, this girl at work, was talking about how she'd wanted to be a lawyer when she was a kid, but is now trying to make it as a writer. It's just weird to me. I mean, for me, acting was always it."
"Always?" Leonard saved his work so that he could focus on Penny instead. Her toenails, he noticed, were blue and twinkly. So were her criminally short shorts. And her legs... he swallowed and forced him to look at her face and not her long, perfectly-shaped, golden, sexy-- her lips were moving. He redoubled his attention.
"...just started clapping and I knew that that's what I always wanted to do. What about you?"
"Huh?" They were supposed to be just friends now, he knew that and he honestly did try. But she still featured in all his dreams (not all which were about sex, which was a whole other form of scary) and she still had the unique ability to melt his brain without trying.
Penny propped herself up on her elbows and looked at him. "When did you decide you wanted to be a scientist?"
Decide? Leonard laughed harshly. "In my family," he said, "there wasn't really much of a choice."
Penny made a face. "That sucks. What did you want to be?"
Leonard frowned and thought. He remembered his grandmother, her large hands, the cigarette smoke overlaid with a stuffy floral perfume, and the music that reverberated through every room in her house. "A cellist," he said. "I wanted to be in an orchestra. My gran used to take me to rehearsals sometimes."
Penny smiled. "Do you play?"
"A little."
"Will you play for me?" Her question was edged with hesitance. Leonard's mouth went dry, because he had so many dreams that started like this. He stood up and started moving toward his room.
"Sure," he said, even though he hadn't played in ages, even though he had no idea what to play for her. He couldn't say no. When he returned, Penny was perched on an arm rest. Sheldon would kill her if he saw her, but Leonard didn't say a word. She was beautiful and focused on him. His brain was melting again.
He focused on the strings, tuning them and checking their sound. He tightened his bow. What the hell was he going to play? Then he noticed the Penny Blossom in her hair and got an idea. He stilled his trembling fingers and started to play.
He was barely a full measure into the song, when Penny grinned, recognizing the song. She sang along. "All the livelong day. I've been working on the railroad. Just to pass the time away."
Leonard joined in. "Can't you hear the whistle blowin'?" They finished the song together and Penny laughed. Her eyes sparkled.
"Play something else," she commanded.
"What do you want to hear?" he asked.
She bit her lip. Did she have any idea how much that made him want to-- "-tic, please. Leonard, are you listening?"
"What?"
She gave him a sly look and leaned over. Her shirt gaped just enough. "Play me something romantic," she said.
Something romantic. He swallowed, closed his eyes, and thought. Then he began to play. The notes slid out from beneath his fingers and hung like stars in the room. Penny closed her eyes and listened.
"What was that?" she asked, when he finished.
"Part of 'The Swan'," he said.
"That was gorgeous." She was gorgeous. Leonard heard someone coming up the steps. A bit early to be Sheldon, but not impossible. Penny heard it, too. She hopped off the couch and stretched, her breasts pushed against her shirt and-- he looked at his hands, his bow, and breathed. "I should probably go," she said.
He glanced up. She was looking at him and Leonard realized-- this was a moment, a chance. He couldn't screw this up. "Um, Penny?"
"Yeah, Leonard?"
"I got some tickets to see the orchestra. Two, actually. Would you--?
"I'd love to," she said. His heart sored with hope renewed. She crossed the room and kissed his cheek, or the corner of his lips. He wasn't sure. "It's a date. Just tell me where and when."
He nodded, unable to speak. A date! She waved and left. Leonard sank back against the chair, one hand holding the neck of his cello. He, hereby, loved Camille Saint-Saens.