Hello again,

I bring to you much fluffiness and schmaltz for an early Valentine's day present. Hope you enjoy it! :)

DISCLAIMER: I still don't own Whitechapel. ITV does.

Cupid's Little Helper

"What's going on between you and Kent?" Miles asked curiously when he saw that Chandler and Kent came in at different times. It hadn't been the first time it happened within the past week.

"There's NOTHING going on between us. We're fine," Chandler replied curtly as he kept his head down at the case file on his desk.

"No use trying to hide it, boss. I've been through it way too many times before. You two had a fight, didn't you?"

Chandler sighed in defeat. "It hasn't been just one fight. It's been several lately. I don't know how it happened, but those little fights became one huge blowup. We've been leaving and going home at different times to give each other a little space."

"That bad, is it?"

"Are you sure you want to hear about our domestic issues, Miles?"

"That never stopped you both before from asking for my advice," the older man replied drily.

Chandler grinned a little. "I guess every couple goes through a rough patch now and then."

"It's not something physical between you two, is it?"

"Certainly not!" Chandler protested as his cheeks grew red with embarrassment.

Miles smiled knowingly. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"He…he said that I've lost all sense of romance just because I like things to stay a certain way."

"Well, sometimes you need to change things up once in a while to bring a little spark back into the relationship."

"I'm not wired that way, Miles. You know how much I want normalcy in my life."

"Yeah, but you're with someone else now. You've got to consider Kent's feelings and how your actions affect him."

"That's what he said as well," Chandler admitted softly. "I told him that I can't change my ways."

"You don't have to change who you are completely. But if you don't want to lose Kent altogether, you have to make compromises. Hasn't he made some on your behalf?"

Chandler regarded Miles in contemplation. It was true. Kent had put up with all of his demands well as his other neuroses. And he never complained once, although heaven knows he had probably had much he could have complained about.

"Do you think Kent would leave me over this?"

"He loves you too much to do that. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to smooth things over with him. You can't always have your way when it comes to relationships, you know. This is one time where your stubbornness will backfire and end up biting you on the ass."

"Thank you for your advice, but this is really between me and Kent," Chandler replied curtly. "I'll deal with it in my own way."

Miles gave a shrug of the shoulders. "Suit yourself."

As Miles walked out of the incident room, Kent walked past him and nodded in acknowledgement. Miles could help but notice how Kent was in the same type of mood as Chandler had been in. His usual bright and cheery face was marred by the heavy heart he carried with him as he looked in the direction of Chandler's office sadly with those puppy dog eyes. Instead of going into Chandler's office like he wanted to, he went to his desk instead and focused on his paperwork as if nothing was bothering him. Miles frowned as he looked at the scene before him. Kent and Chandler were only separated by a few meters, but judging from the atmosphere and their body language, they might as well have been separated by a chasm. Well, if the two stubborn fools weren't going to do anything about it, he was going to have to intervene.

Kent looked at his watch and then up at the wall clock anxiously, as he waited in the witness room later that day. He had received a note from Chandler saying that he wanted to see him to talk. Usually after an argument, they would kiss and make up. But this time, he was afraid that wouldn't be enough. Since they started their relationship with each other, Kent had learned very quickly that Chandler needed to be in control in every situation, including when they were intimate with each other. It's just that Chandler never wanted to stray from their usual routine. Kent never meant to imply that his lover didn't satisfy him. He had just wanted them to change their routine just once in a while and not be so strict on when they made love. But his innocent suggestion had backfired completely. Chandler had taken offense, thinking that Kent was making a commentary on how dissatisfied he was with their relationship. He was so upset that he even suggested Kent should find someone else if he wanted variety.

That had started off a firestorm of arguments which ended with them sleeping in separate bedrooms. Kent had always allowed Chandler to have his way when it came to their love life. Up until now, he didn't mind because he understood Chandler's need for order and control. But this time it was different, and Kent refused to give into him. Why should he always be the one to concede defeat? The fact that Chandler didn't even want to try at all is what angered Kent the most. He felt like he wasn't even worth the effort.

And so, the situation remained the same for several days as they remained civil, but distant. Living together, and yet living apart. Kent was so tempted to give in, but if he did, then Chandler would always get his way. Worse yet, he would never move forward instead of living in the past. Kent looked at the note in his hands and ran his fingers over the writing in contemplation. If Chandler wanted to talk, then maybe there was hope after all and Kent's efforts weren't in vain.

"Emerson? What are you doing in here?" the DI asked in complete surprise as he entered the witness room.

"What do you mean, what am I doing here? You said to meet me here at noon. You sent me a note, didn't you?"

"I did no such thing. I'm supposed to meet with Miles and a witness."

"You don't think…" Kent asked as they realized that they were duped by the same person.

All of a sudden, they heard the door being locked from the outside.

"Sorry, boss. But I'm doing this for your own good."

"Miles! What's the meaning of this? Open this door right now!" Chandler demanded, pounding on the door.

"Don't worry. There are sandwiches and coffee on the table so you won't starve. If you're thinking of calling for help, I've disconnected the phone and also nicked your cellphones temporarily. I think you'll find it's useless to resist."

"How could you do this, Skip?"

"Sorry, Kent. But I had to do it this way. Otherwise, you wouldn't have agreed to come. Don't worry. I'll come back in fifteen minutes. Hopefully by then, you two will have come to your senses and worked out your problems. Now you two lovebirds kiss and make up. That's an order."

"Miles! Open the door! Miles!" Chandler bellowed, but to no avail. They could hear Miles' footsteps grow fainter as he left them to their fate.

"I guess we're stuck together until he comes back."

"Sorry to disappoint you," Kent replied sarcastically as he plopped down in the armchair.

"Since we're both in the same predicament, it's useless to take our frustration out on each other. Can't we have a truce in the meantime?"

"Fine. I'm too hungry to argue," Kent replied, reaching over to pick up one of the sandwiches on the coffee table.

"You left so quickly this morning," Chandler noted softly as he walked over to Kent. "Were you in such a hurry to avoid me that you deliberately skipped breakfast?"

"I didn't do it on purpose. I just didn't want to get into another argument with you," Kent replied curtly. His nose wrinkled in disgust after taking a sip out of one of the coffee cups.

"That bad, is it?"

"It tastes like the bottom of an ash tray. It can't be that hard to make coffee."

The DI suddenly began chuckling, which made Kent even more annoyed than he already was.

"What is so damned funny?" Kent demanded.

"Sorry. It's just that this reminds me of when you made dinner that first time at my place. Do you remember?"

Kent smiled reluctantly. "How could I forget? It was the first time I spent the night with you. I was so nervous that I burned the roast, over cooked the peas and messed up the dessert so badly that I had to put it out of its misery. We spent an hour scrubbing the pots and pans."

"It was the best evening I ever spent with you."

"As I recall, I wasn't the only nervous one that night."

"Can you blame me? It was my first time with another man. But I wasn't that bad, was I?"

"You were awkward and as clumsy as an ox," Kent replied bluntly. "Fortunately, you were a quick study. You've become quite skilled since then."

"I had a good teacher," Chandler replied softly. "I'll always remember that night with fond memories."

"Please don't speak in the past tense, Joe. I haven't gone anywhere."

"It feels like you've been gone for ages since you started sleeping in the spare room."

His voice was tinged with a sadness that reached Kent's heart.

His eyes met Chandler's. "How did we end up like this?"

"I don't really know myself. All I know is that I've missed you terribly, Emerson."

"Why were you so resistant to my suggestion? It wasn't as if I was asking you to do something out of your comfort zone," Kent added a little uncertainly. "Was I?"

Chandler looked down at the floor, unable to answer him. He was too ashamed to. Kent's heart fell as he realized that was exactly the situation. He had pushed Chandler too far. It was no wonder Chandler reacted the way that he did. Kent felt just awful.

"It isn't because you're scared, are you?"

"Scared? No, I'm not scared. To be completely honest, I'm terrified," Chandler admitted softly.

"What on earth for?"

"I've never been very good at adjusting to change. No one has ever been with me for very long because of that and my other neuroses. No one ever had the patience to put up with it day in and day out. That's why I never really bothered getting involved in relationships. It always ended in failure and disappointment. I didn't think there was anyone out there for me. Not until you came into my life. When you made the suggestion that we shake up our love life a little, I panicked. My greatest fear had come true; that you would eventually get tired and leave me. After all I'm not exactly a young man anymore and I have a lot of emotional baggage that I still carry with me. As much as I would like to live up to your expectations, I'm not the perfect knight in shining armor that you think I am. You should be with someone who can love you the way you deserve to be loved."

Kent had been holding back throughout Chandler's confession, but he could no longer contain himself as he got up out of his chair and rushed into Chandler's arms, hugging him tightly as he buried his face against the older man's chest. The DI wrapped his strong arms around his beloved DC in return.

"You're exactly the man that I've always thought you were. And you're everything I want and more. If I didn't want to be with you, I would have left ages ago. Don't you know by now how much I love you?"

Chandler tightened his hold on Kent. "I guess I just needed to hear it from you again."

"I'm so sorry, Joe. I should have been more sensitive. And I should have realized your feelings."

Chandler tipped Kent's chin up with his thumb and index finger. "How could you have known? I was too busy acting like an ass."

"Don't take all the credit. I think I threw in a hissy fit or two in several of our arguments."

"You know, the worst part was being away from you, especially at night."

Kent leaned forward so that their foreheads were touching.

"For me as well. I missed you so much that my heart literally ached. I wanted to put things right, but I was being stubborn and pigheaded. The only thing I could think of was why you couldn't see my point of view."

"It sounds like we were both thinking the same thing. I guess we really are meant for each other," Chandler teased, making Kent laugh softly. Chandler's heart swelled with love at seeing Kent's beaming smile again. Oh, how he had missed it. Among many other things.

"I'm sorry, Emerson. If I could take back everything I said, I would."

Kent reached up to frame Chandler's face in his hands and brushed his lips softly across the other man's lips.

"I was just as bad. You don't have to change because of me. I love everything about you and I never want you to feel pressured to change, ever again. From now on, we'll do whatever you're comfortable with."

Chandler swallowed nervously. He had been giving serious thought to what Miles had suggested. He knew that Kent loved him, but he wanted to show that he was willing to change. It was now or never.

"That's a shame. I was thinking that maybe change might be a good thing after all."

Kent pulled back in surprise as he realized what Chandler was implying. "What? You're serious about…?"

"I'm willing to try…for you."

"You don't have to do this. I know you're not comfortable with…"

Chandler put a finger against Kent's lips, silencing him. "I want to, Em."

He backed into the chair behind him and reached up to maneuvered Kent, so that the younger man was straddling Chandler hips on either side of his strong legs as he sat on top of him, making Kent gasp in surprise.

"What's gotten into you? We can't do it here. Are you crazy?"

"Perhaps. But I've always been out of my mind when it comes to you."

"I'm serious."

"So am I. No one can come in while the door is locked and Miles won't be back for some time. Weren't you the one that wanted to change things up once in a while?"

"Yes, but not like this."

"You need to learn to be a little less uptight DC Kent," Chandler teased. "Don't you have any sense of romance?"

He leaned forward to press his lips against Kent's and began unfastening the buttons on the younger man's waistcoat and dress shirt underneath, while kissing him eagerly. Kent's reservations flew out the window the moment Chandler's lips met his. He quickly removed the buttons from Chandler's waistcoat and shirt as well. The need to touch that strong muscled chest was too great. Their lips continued to grind against each other urgently. Kent began to make those lovely familiar moans of pleasure that were music to Chandler's ears. Kent raked his hands through Chandler's hair, holding his head captive while Chandler's hands gently grabbed Kent's hips and lifted him away so that he could undo his trousers. Kent gave a small cry of protest, not wanting to be apart from his lover even for a second as Chandler smiled in response.

"Be patient, my love," he murmured seductively as he began to press feather light kisses against Kent's bare chest, making him want more. Chandler's hands gently massaged Kent's thighs, while the younger man squirmed in anticipation.

"Joe, please! Don't make me wait any longer!"

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear," Chandler replied before claiming Kent's lips and fulfilling his plea as he began to move against him.

By the time they had finished, they were both panting heavily, reveling in the aftermath of their reunion. Kent was happily resting in Chandler's arms as they waited for their heartbeats to come down to normal.

"Did we actually just make love in here?" Kent asked softly.

"We certainly did. Two times to be exact. Was it to your satisfaction?"

"I'll never say that you have no romance in you again," Kent vowed, kissing Chandler softly.

"We didn't even finish eating lunch," he replied in amusement.

"I think I was hungrier for something else."

Chandler threw his head back and laughed in amusement.

"We really should get dressed, shouldn't we?" Kent replied reluctantly.

"Unfortunately, yes. So…are we okay now?"

Kent reached up to kiss his cheek fondly. "We're more than okay. But the next time you're feeling like the way you were, tell me about it, all right? You don't have to go through it all alone anymore. And I'll always be there for you."

Chandler held Kent even tighter in response. "I love you, Emerson."

Kent smiled as he snuggled against his chest. "I know."

"Hey, Skip! What's with all the chocolate? Got a secret valentine?" Mansell joked as he swiped a piece from the open box on his desk. Fortunately, another one was hiding in his drawer away from all the hungry jackals in the incident room as he was saving it for Judy.

"Get your own Mansell. If you must know, it was a thank you gift."

"From who?"

"Two lovebirds," he replied smiling in satisfaction at his handiwork.

The End

Written by: Sweet Babboo (06Feb2014)