Coulda taken this in a fun fantasy-AU direction, but if I tried that, I know I would've ended up pouring too much time and thought into it, sooooo cheesy ship piece!

I can't include the lyrics b/c FF dot net rules, but the title is referring to the song from Little Shop of Horrors.

Maybe it wasn't the most pleasant working song, but he couldn't help it if the tune was catchy. And maybe janitor for a community theater wasn't the most glamorous job, but he wasn't about to start complaining.

"Oi!"

Thomas froze, one foot halfway off the ground. He looked left then right, before finally noticing the ladder. His eyes darted upward, landing on a woman holding onto a crossbeam with one hand, while the other was shoved into a wide lightbulb cover. "Uh, oh! Uh, hello!"

"Sorry, didn't realize you were in the middle of something!" She dropped her head, trying to look at Thomas around the wisps of raven hair falling loose from a messy bun. "So sorry, but can you fetch me one of the bulbs off of that table there? I thought I brought enough up here, but I guess not…"

"Of course!" Thomas tossed his armload of rags onto said table, before grabbing the lightbulb and turning back to the ladder. "Uh, h-here!"

Seemingly on instinct, the woman shot her arm below her, before looking to see that Thomas's hand was almost level with her eyes. She chuckled, and Thomas felt his face flush a bit, even as he lowered his empty hand and took a step back to give her space.

"...There. Thanks, mate!" When she reached the second-to-last step, she hopped to the floor, then turned to face Thomas with a grin.

"N-no problem!" He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Uh, sorry, I-I think I've seen you before, b-but I don't think I know your name… Y-you're, uh, one of the performers, right?" He often found his stutter a nuisance, but it felt all the worse talking to an actor. Nobody had said anything-at least not to his face-but still…

"Yeah, in theory, at least-"

"Janitor! Can I get some help back here?"

Thomas couldn't quite hide the way he jolted at the sudden shout, nor the eye roll that followed. "I-I have a name," he muttered, scooping up about half the rags (maybe that was what he was supposed to bring, maybe not). He started to hurry away, only to hear a second set of footsteps behind him.

"Sorry 'bout him," he heard, and when he looked over his shoulder, she was following him, the rest of the rags in her arms. "If it's any comfort, he's… not very good, so you shouldn't have to deal with him for much longer." The two of them both stifled chuckles, then she asked, "Carmen, by the way. And you?"

"Thomas."

The two of them didn't get a chance to actually talk again for another three days. He was especially busy as auditions went on and people came and went, and he could faintly hear her out on the stage. After the first day, he realized she'd centered on one of the three roles in the Greek chorus.

"I'm not quite leading lady material," she muttered, tapping the top of her soda can. Maybe it wasn't the best for her voice, but she was at the end of the day, and didn't seem to care that much. "Though I'm not quite right for the girls, either. Not that 'Hispanic-with-a-fizzling-British-accent' fits a lot of roles."

"I-I think you sounded great!"

Carmen looked up at him, a tiny smile on her face. "Thanks." She looked up at the ceiling, continuing, "I doubt I'm ever gonna reach Broadway or anything, but I'm not taking any guesses, I suppose."

"N-no, that's fair." Thomas drummed his fingers on his jeans. "I'm… a bit lost, as far as, uh, life , and career prospects go, so I-I'm not judging."

"Not sure what you want, or…?"

"Eh, I knew, but…" He'd actually had a plan, back when he graduated high school; unfortunately, when you see the things he saw in '87, it tends to turn you off of going into the medical field, especially pediatrics. "...wasn't sure I could handle it, y'know?"

When he looked up, he saw Carmen looking back at him, one eyebrow raised. He wasn't sure what he expected, but the warmth in her eyes caught him off guard. He coughed, then, trying to change the subject, said, "Uh, y'know, I've never, uh, never actually seen the stage version."

"Really?" He hadn't expected her to roll with it, had expected her to try to press an answer from him.

"Y-yeah." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, I-I rented the movie, back around when it first came out, watched it with a few friends. I-I heard the stage version had, uh, a darker ending, and I-I was a bit too… soft, I guess. Not like I had a lot of chances, but…"

"Well, now you can, I suppose. Assuming you're not just desperate to run for the door by the time you're done with a workday." Carmen tapped her heels on the ground. "If you want, that is. I don't want to pressure you into anything." And maybe it was his imagination, but he could've sworn there was something in her eyes, something that said she was talking about more than the show.

He smiled. "Y-yeah, that sounds great." Especially if you're on stage, he added to himself.

The green dress was, in his eyes, a bit on the nose. Not in a bad way, though.

Carmen looked over her shoulder, turning from the papers on the table in front of her. "I'll try not to be surprised, but…"

Thomas could almost feel his face fall. "Y-you didn't get a part?"

"Nope." She shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket as she turned away, taking a deep breath. "Maybe next time."

Without thinking, he rested his hand on her shoulder. She froze, looking back again, and Thomas pulled his hand away. He was about to stammer out an apology when Carmen chuckled to herself, then turned and grabbed his hand. "S'okay. I'll still be working behind the scenes, so I'm not going anywhere, And, hey, at least it means I can leave early today!"

Thomas was mystified by the sudden contact, but he couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face. "Well, uh, I'm glad you're not too down about it." He looked down at the hand wrapped around his own, trying to ignore the flush in his cheeks.

"Hey, uh-" He was surprised to hear Carmen stumble over her words. "I know it's a bit sudden, but I dunno when my schedule will be open for it in the future, so I was wondering… Do you happen to have any plans for dinner tonight? I know this place I've been meaning to hit up again, I've only been there once or twice, and, well…"

"Oh." Thomas nodded quickly, then caught himself and stammered, "Uh, well, n-no, I-I don't have any plans- that, um, that sounds lovely, actually!"

He didn't miss the twinkle in her eyes, the way she almost visibly regained her confidence. "Great!" She lingered in place for a moment, before she sighed and said, "Well, uh, I guess let me know when you're ready to head out?" Before he could answer, she added, "Do you want any help with the last of your work? You wouldn't get in trouble for that, would you?"

"I-I don't think so, but, uh, I don't want to take your time-"

Carmen finally dropped his hand with a laugh, and despite his best efforts, Thomas felt an uncomfortably familiar feeling in his chest. "Please. I would love for you to be the one taking my time."