Work Text:
It had been a quiet day with a lot of paperwork to catch up on. Meg glanced up from the pile on her desk and stretched as she looked about the room. Mansell was scratching his ear with his pen and playing solitaire on his computer when he thought he could get away with it. Miles was sat reading through a file in his familiar armchair in their DI's office and Chandler himself was typing away diligently at his keyboard, obviously immersed in a report.
Kent was sat with his head in his hands and files sprawled across his desk.
Realising that her coffee had turned cold, she put the kettle on and collected everyone's half empty mugs up.
As she carried Miles' coffee and Chandler's herbal tea back into the office, Mansell popped out for a smoke. Kent hadn't looked up when Meg had collected his cup but when she set it back down, he looked up balefully at her.
"Alright, what is it?" Meg drew up a chair and sat down in it, expectantly.
"No, it's nothing, don't worry. I'm just stuck on this file and I think I'm coming down with a bit of a cold..." The young DC trailed off as Chandler walked purposefully out of his office, headed in the direction of the loos.
Meg didn't miss how much Kent's attention was focused on Chandler as he turned his head to watch their DI. She thought he probably hadn't even noticed that his behaviour had changed. Chandler exited the room and Kent quickly moved his attention back to her, blushing deeply when he realised she'd noticed.
"Look, Emerson, if you want some help on that file I'll be happy to give it a look over. In fact, I could swap you for one that's probably even duller."
The man smiled briefly and looked more at ease, obviously assuming that Meg hadn't caught him staring, or if she had, that she was going to ignore it as everyone else in the station did.
"But that's not really what's bothering you, is it?"
Kent looked down, face falling, and started fiddling with his pen.
"Er...look, Meg, it's nothing."
"Bollocks is it nothing. You're obviously hung up on him. You should do something instead of just beating yourself up about it."
Meg smiled kindly at him and Kent finally met her eyes.
"You don't understand - it's been like this since he joined. He's completely oblivious to anything I do!"
"So you've asked him out already then?"
"Well...no."
"And you're expecting him to just figure it out? He's a bloke!"
"Well it's not like I'm the most subtle person in the world, is it?"
Mansell wandered back in.
"What's that? Your massive crush on the boss showing again?"
He sniggered.
"Well at least he's not shagging his way out of two marriages, is he?"
Meg countered.
Mansell looked appropriately abashed.
"Look," she said, turning back to Kent "you should just talk to him."
"You know him, he'd pull rank! He'd be mortified! It'd be totally inappropriate! I don't think-"
"It's already completely inappropriate! It's just his nibs hasn't noticed it yet." Miles' voice floated out of Chandler's office, interrupting him.
"Oh God." Kent blushed a deep shade of red and put his face in his hands again.
Meg patted his arm and stood up as Chandler walked back into the room.
"Everything ok in here? Riley, have you finished that file yet?"
"Not just yet, sir, Kent's said he'll give it a look over for me."
"Oh. Well, alright. Kent, are you alright?"
Kent took his hands away from his face and nodded without looking round.
Chandler smiled slightly.
"Well, back to work then everyone!"
Meg smiled at him as she passed him on her way back to her desk. Men, she thought, they're all the same!