Cabin Pressure: It's a Martin II

by ko-writes

Prompt: Arthur finds an alien plant that a Chinese man sold them. Arthur gets famous from the plant, and everyone wants to see the plant. Arthur falls in love with Martin, the young helper in 'Knapp-Shappey's Flower Shop' on Skid Row. OC or Douglas to be Orin the Evil dentist, and of course Carolyn would be Mushnik. TW: Domestic Violence, Implied Rape/Non-con, Forced Feminization

Arthur was stacking shelves, checking the inventory in the back room as Carolyn was on the shop floor.

He and his mother - well, adoptive mother - ran the flower shop on, what Fitton referred to as, Skid Row. The shop was called Knapp-Shappey's flowers; but he and Carolyn nicknamed it MFN - My Flowers Now - out of triumph against Carolyn's ex-husband Gordon.

The radio played some eighties rubbish that he didn't know the context of:

Little shop,

Little shop of horrors -

He shut it off so he could concentrate more.

"Where on earth is that boy?" Carolyn complained loudly, "He never used to be late and now he he's late everyday! It's four o'clock, he's eight hours late; we're only open for another hour! I bet it's that delinquent boyfriend of his!" She opened her newspaper and began to read and began to read about the total solar eclipse that happened last Thursday.

"Delinquent boyfriend of who's?" Asked a small, soft voice, in a fake high pitch.

"Martin," Carolyn began, eyes still on the paper, "If you're going to work here, can you at least be on -" She looked up and was instantly rendered speechless.

Martin had a black, swollen eye, his lip was torn and purple bruises decorated his face as well as painful looking aggressive 'love'-bites on his neck. Martin had tried to cover them up with the makeup his boyfriend made him wear - but it didn't work. He was also wearing a red shirt, but Carolyn could see blood stains on his collar and the cuffs. She also noticed the buttons were on the wrong side to be a man's shirt and the trousers were the wrong cut.

"Sorry Carolyn," Martin apologised, "I just -"

"Let me guess, you got tied up," Carolyn drawled. She was angry; not at Martin, but that boyfriend of his.

"No... Just handcuffed a little..." Martin admitted, pulling down his sleeves.

"Martin," Carolyn tutted, grabbing his arm; she tried to ignore how he flinched. She unbuttoned the cuff of his shirt - blouse, really - and rolled them up.

Martin's wrists were a mess. His pale skin was bruised and raw and chaffed where he'd obviously been pulling at the restraints. "Sorry Carolyn..."

"What happened to your face?" Carolyn demanded.

"M-my face?" Martin evaded, going to get the accounts books.

"Yes, all those bites and bruises. It's him, isn't it? He's beating you again," Carolyn accused.

Arthur may have been busy and concentrating, but he heard that. How could Martin's boyfriend do that to him?! If he was going out with Martin, he'd - he'd -

Martin and heard a startled yell and a loud crash as Arthur fell off the step ladder, taking all the ceramic pots with him. Martin grimaced, trying to forget how he flinched.

"Arthur, careful with the stock!" Carolyn called down.

"Sorry, Carolyn!" Arthur apologised.

Carolyn sighed and turned back to Martin, "You said he changed! Not that I'd believe that for a single second..."

"H-he... He's not beating me! He j-just... just got carried away..." Martin stuttered.

"Martin, I'm not stupid. And he's making you dress like a woman and wear makeup again!"

"I-it's fine! I-I'm fine! It's under c-control!" Martin exclaimed.

"Martin -"

"I have control!"

"Fine, I give up! It's none of my business! but I'm beginning to think he's maybe not such a nice man," Carolyn frowned.

"You don't meet nice man when you live on Skid Row, Carolyn..." Martin sighed.

"I got these pots unloaded for you, Carolyn..." Arthur informed, walking into the room with several trays of plants; but he tripped over his feet and fell, sending trays of pots flying across the room.

"Arthur, you clot!" Carolyn shouted.

"Don't yell at Arthur, Carolyn," Martin dissuaded softly in that faux-feminine voice used for his boyfriend's sake.

"Oh, hi Martin," Arthur greeted, looking up from the floor.

"I'll help him clean it up before any of the customers get here," Martin assured.

"Well that should give you plenty of time!" Carolyn exclaimed, "Look God, what an existence I have! Misfit employees, beggars on the pavement, business is awful. My life is a living hell!" She stepped outside and yelled at three teenage boys on the street, "Hey, you. Urchins! No loitering!"

"I wasn't loitering. Were you, Goerge?" One asked.

"Not me, Karl. Were you, Phil?" George enquired.

"You should be in school!" Carolyn yelled after them as they walked away.

"We're on a split shift," Phil smirked.

"That's right. We went to school until fifth grade, then we split," Karl explained triumphantly.

"How do you intend to better yourselves?" Carolyn questioned.

"Better ourselves? You hear what he said? Better ourselves? Girl, when you're from Skid Row, ain't no such thing," George shrugged.

Alarm goes off at seven

And you start uptown

You put in your eight hours

For the powers that have always been

Sing it, child.

Till it's five p.m.

Then you go

Downtown

Where the folks are broke

You go downtown

Where your life's a joke

You go downtown

Where you buy your token and go

All: Home to Skid Row

Yes, you go

Downtown

Where the cabs don't stop

Downtown

Where the food is slop

Downtown

Where the hopheads flop in the snow

Down on Skid Row

Uptown, you cater to a million jerks

Uptown, you're messengers

And mailroom clerks

Eating all your lunches

At the hotdog carts

The bosses take your money

Then they break your hearts

Carolyn sat Martin down in the back room and began cleaning his wrists.

Uptown you cater to a million whores

You Disinfect terrazzo

On their bathroom floors

Your morning's tribulation, afternoon's a curse

And five o'clock is even worse

Downtown

Where the guys are drips

Downtown

Martin gasped as Carolyn turned his wrist.

Where they rip your slips

Downtown

He slipped back into his some-what deep masculine voice.

Where relationships are no go

Down on Skid Row

Arthur scrubbed the floor on his knees.

Poor

A ll my life I've always been poor

I keep asking God what I'm for

And he tells me, 'Gee, I'm not sure.

Sweep that floor, kid.

Oh.

Arthur got up to sweep the floor.

I started life as an orphan

A child of the street

Here on Skid Row

She took me in, gave me shelter, a bed

Crust of bread and a job

Treats me like dirt

Calls me a slob, which I am

So I live

Downtown

That's your home address

You live Downtown

When your life's a mess

You live Downtown

Where depression's just... status quo

Down on Skid Row

Someone show me a way to get outa here

Cause I constantly pray I'll get outa here

Please, won't somebody say I'll get outa here

Someone give me my shot or I'll rot here

Show me how and I will

Downtown

I'll get outa here

There's no rules for us

I'll start climbing uphill

Who live

And get outa here

Downtown

Someone tell me cause it's dangerous to

I still could get outa here live

Someone tell Lady Luck Downtown

That I'm stuck here Where the rainbows just a no-show

When you live

Arthur stared out of the window and Martin looked into the distance as Carolyn cleaned his wounds in the back room.

Gee, it sure would be swell

Downtown

To get outa here

Where the sun don't

Bid the gutter farewell

shine

And get outa here

Downtown

l'd move heaven and hell

Past the bottom line

To get outa Skid

Downtown

l'd do I don't know what

Go ask any Wino

To get outa Skid

He'll know

But a hell of a lot

Downtown

To get outa Skid

Downtown

People tell me there's not Downtown!

Skid

A way outa Skid

But believe me, I gotta get outa Skid Row!