Here is my version of how Penny and Leonard might have got together.
Scene: Penny's apartment, Leonard knocks and enters.
"Hey Penny. Oh! Mood lighting, romantic! If you're expecting someone, I can come back?" Penny looks up from her couch with a bottle in hand.
"When I didn't pay my bill the department of water and power thought I'd like the 'ambience'." Her table is covered with more than a dozen empty bottles.
"Getting your recycling together?" Gesturing to them.
"Yeah, let's call it that. It sounds better than scouring the entire apartment for anything containing alcohol." Waving a bottle containing about half an inch of pee coloured liquid. "I call this a 'Hobo's cocktail', all that's missing is the brown paper bag." She takes a sip, grimaces, and offers it to Leonard. He sensibly refuses. "Mind you, I suppose I should get used to the hobo thing. I'll be out on the street myself if I can't sort out my finances." Glumly she puts down the now empty bottle, then her face lights up. "Hang on, there's a half bottle of tequila in the bathroom cabinet."
"Why would you have a bottle of..." Leonard starts to ask, but she jumps up and weaves off to the bathroom. "Never mind." He calls to her retreating figure. He sits on the arm of the couch waiting for her to return.
A moment later she returns triumphant, a bottle raised in salute. Dropping back down on the couch, he can't help notice the bounce of her braless breasts. Penny might be drunk, but her sixth sense, when a guy is checking her out, never fails. Just to tease him she exaggerates her wriggle as she pushed her ass back into the cushions. It's nice to know that with everything else going wrong in her life she can still rely on that. At least for the moment!
"They cut my hours at the cheesecake factory and I've fallen behind on a few bills." Patting the cushion next to her, Leonard sits.
"Can I help. "
"No! I already owe you hundreds of dollars. How much is it now?"
"About $600."
"Really? That much?" She asks dejectedly.
"Actually is $1,127.35, but who's counting."
"Well obviously you are!" She snaps, then softens her tone. "I can't take any more of your money. Not without any way of paying it back."
"You know the money isn't important to me?"
"It is to me. I have my pride. Admittedly not like I used to but..." she sighs. "Anyway I don't want things to be weird between us."
"Won't it be weird between us if you're living outside in a cardboard box, washing your hair with rainwater? I'll gladly help you with the rent?" He gestures to the pile of paperwork on the table. "Do you want me to take a look at your expenses?"
"I suppose it can't hurt!"
She slips to the edge of the couch, them pauses as an idea pops into her alcohol soaked brain. Why not tease Leonard a little more. He's harmless and she always gets a thrill from teasing guys. Standing in front of him, she leans down and accidentally on purpose pushes some of her bills off the far side of the table.
"Oops!" Putting a knee on the edge table she leans down and stretches over the table. Watching his reflection in the useless television, his eyes wide and glues to her ass. She can imagine how it looks in her thin shorts stretched tight across her yoga toned body. She'd adopted this pose before and could attest to the sturdiness of the table, when whichever boyfriend she was teasing, reached their breaking point. However, she knew Leonard isn't bold enough to take things that far. For Leonard's part, he was like a rabbit in headlights. He'd seen Penny in skin tight clothing on many occasions, especially when she used his apartment to do her yoga. Those times he could only surreptitiously take a look, unlike now when she's within arm's reach.
Penny is ineffectively trying to reach the documents on the floor, just to prolong the tease. Leonard seems to snap out of it as he notices her watching him in the reflection.
"Need a hand?" Jumping up without waiting her response. He rushes around the table and drops to his haunches, gathering up the papers. Looking up, he sees the view from the front is even better. Her scoop necked t-shirt is hanging open, so he can see her bra clad breasts, all her way down to her belly button. Penny smiles down at him, knowing what he can see, and is only disappointed she's not wearing a nicer bra.
Jumping to his feet, and always the gentleman, offers his hand to help her up.
"Thanks." She replies, more for the compliment of the slight bulge in his pants, than for his offer of help. As Leonard scurries back to the couch, Penny enjoys the slight tingle of excitement from teasing her nerdy friend. Until she'd met Leonard and his friends, she'd never appreciated how much fun it was just teasing a guy, without any expectations of having some sort of sex with them. Don't get her wrong, she loves sex, but this teasing doesn't need you to get all sweaty and sticky.
Grabbing a pair of glasses she cracks open the tequila fills them to the brim on the table and moves to sit next to Leonard. He's sitting squeezed up to one end of the couch. His head down and holding the papers close to his crotch. It looks like he's awaiting some rebuke for looking.
Penny drops down heavily and catches the flicker of him eyes as he catches the deliberate bounce of her bust. Slipping closer to him.
"Can you read that down there?" Leonard nods. "How about we move them into the middle so we can both see it?" reaching over to take his wrist. He tenses a moment, then lets her move his hand, exposing a sizeable bulge. He looks like he's expecting either to be mocked or an explosion of outrage. Neither thought ran through penny's mind. She was thinking what a respectable size it was. The moment seems to drag, before Leonard clears his throat.
"Here's something right off. If you don't have electricity, you don't need cable."
"Brilliant! I knew you were smart." wrapping her arms around him in a hug. Making sure to press her breasts against him. Pulling back to see him flush. "Let's celebrate." As she grabs the glasses a little of the fiery liqueur spills onto the table. Handing Leonard his, she leans forward, runs her finger through it and pops it in her mouth.
"Waste not, want not. Cheers!" She taps her glass against his but Leonard isn't expecting it and drops the glass onto his lap.
"Sorry!" He apologizes automatically.
"It's ok." She replies suppressing a laugh. "Want me to lick that up as well?"
Leonard jumps up, rushes to the kitchen and grabs a dish towel. Penny downs her drink in one, shuddering at the taste of the cheap liquor. Looking over to see Leonard, hidden from the waist down by the kitchen counter. One hand vigorously rubbing at his crotch.
"Do you need some privacy for that?"
He looks over confused, then down at what he's doing. Flushing with embarrassment, tossing aside the towel.
"What? No! It's not what it looks like. It's just... with you bending over and then I saw down your... I'll just go." The distance between him and the door seems to stretch out before him.
"No!" Penny leaps up. "It's only an accident." Grabbing the glasses and bottles heads towards the counter. Leonard slips closer to the counter to hide his embarrassment. "Anyway you've only just started helping me." Pouring another couple of glasses, she pushes one to Leonard and downs hers in one.
Watching Leonard study her bank statement she's struck with the fact he's actually rather cute. 'Whoa, where did that come from' she thought. He's not the type of guy she'd normally go for, but he's smart and caring, he'd do almost anything for her. Including standing up to her ex and coming home without pants.
"Apart from your rent, and we both don't want you to have to move. Your biggest expense is your acting classes..."
"I need those, I am a professional actress."
"Really? How many paid jobs have you had?"
"That's not the definition of professional."