Hello lovies :) Here is my first attempt at a straight Little Shop of Horrors fic. As with most of my fics, I wrote it in my maths class. So if you like it, thank Trigonometry; if you hate it, blame Trigonometry. Reviews are kind!
Four days had passed since Seymour saw Orin slap Audrey across her face; three days were gone since he fed the scumbag to Audrey II; two days ago, Seymour told Audrey how he felt, and she did the same. And what a change there'd been! Audrey was less afraid; she was a little bolder, a little braver. And Seymour? Around her, all his nerves and anxieties went away; he was flirting, he was joking, he was falling in love. They were still just a bit shy, but these few days had been so wonderful for both boy and girl.
Unfortunately for the young couple, the days following Mushnik's disappearance were their busiest days yet, and with Seymour taking over for Mushnik, poor Audrey was working twice as hard as ever. By the time the pair managed to push the crowds from Mushnik's Skid Row Florist at 6 o'clock, neither could stay on their feet.
"Uh, Audrey…" Seymour began. The blonde turned to look at her boyfriend, giving him a tired smile. "There's one order left."
"Aw Seymour, can't it wait till tomorra? The shop's closed," Audrey pointed out. "Well maybe, but I think this guy needs to flowers soon. Please? You do make the best arrangements."
She walked to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Ya talked me into it," she teased. Heading into the room where she made arrangements, she called out "What flowers does he need?"
"Uh…daisies…white lilies…and one red rose," Seymour called back. "Oh, and here!" he dashed into the room and handed her a nice vase, the nicest in the shop, "use this." She smiled. "Daisies, lilies and roses? Got it! Great flowers. My favorites!" She smiled, and he smiled. I know.
She was arranging the flowers, and he was busying himself, when suddenly something fell to the tile floor with a crash! inside the room with Audrey. "You okay?" Seymour called out, rushing to her. What he found was a shattered glass all on the floor with bunched up flowers around, and a blonde woman bracing herself, eyes shut, the look on her face screaming fear. "Just…get it over with…" she hardly whispered, terrified. What? What am I supposed to-? And then, as if a light fell on it, his eye caught the fading but visible bruise on her cheek, the bruise from four nights ago. It hit him. She's scared I'll…
Four nights ago wasn't the first time he'd seen Orin hit her. It wasn't the worst, either. He remembered one night…he was looking out the window of the shop. The lights were out and he was just staying there, unable to sleep, when he heard the voice of a leather-clad man he'd never seen before. He was banging on the door of-is that Audrey's apartment? "Get out here!" the man was screaming, each word punctuated by a bang on the door. Finally the door opened—but his fist did not, hitting Audrey square in the stomach. Seymour recoiled; was this really happening? He yelled at her that next time she's late for a date it'll be much worse, driving the point home by punching her again, in the same exact spot. The man then grabbed Audrey by the neck and forced her against him, pressing his mouth roughly to hers and groping her like some kind of…thing, object. Audrey tried to pull away from him, saying something; Seymour couldn't make out quite what, but it looked to be along the lines of "stop it, not here." He slapped her straight across the face, getting a small cry out of the small blonde, and grabbed her again, with Audrey submitting this time. Then, forcing her into her appartement, the man shoved her, making her tumble to the ground. Seymour couldn't see the two anymore, but his imagination was running rampant with horrible images of what the man was doing to poor Audrey. He wanted to go over and stop the leather man, but he was too weak. What if he failed? He wasn't scared for himself, but the man would probably kill Audrey if he tried to stop him. Horrified, he turned away from the window. His dreams that night were plagued with images of Audrey, bloodied and bruised and used by that man. He wished he'd had the guts to stand up for her. He wished….
With Audrey's eyes still shut, Seymour moved quietly behind her. As if sensing him there, she stiffened in fear. The anticipation was worse than any actual smack. As she stood there scared, Seymour wrapped his arms around her waist and, ever so gently, kissed her cheek, just over the bruise from Orin four days passed. As his lips touched her cheek, she softened. As he pulled away, she turned in his arms, looking at him with her large, innocent eyes. He smiled at her. "Audrey, I'd never hurt you. You don't have to be afraid of me." Her eyes pierced him, and he smiled at the girl he held. "No more bruises. At least none from me." Audrey smiled a little. "Swear it?" she asked.
He picked up the flowers from the floor and wrapped them in a ribbon, and he handed her the bouquet. For me? Her eyes asked. "Swear it," he said. Seymour kissed her gently, pulling her closer to him. She was safe now; he'd be sure of it.
-Fin.