Lingua Franca: A Conversation of Magnitude
Title: A Conversation of Magnitude
Author: caramelsilver
Rating: PG
Word count: 1100
Tv Show: Lingua Franca
Characters/Pairing: Liv/Christian
Spoilers: For season 2. (Yes I did just put up a spoiler warning for my own fictional tv show.)
Summary: Christian's problems at home is resulting in him shouting at innocent people. Liv demands to know what is going on.
AN: Do you have any idea how hard it was to write this in English when I really know that they are speaking in Norwegian? And yeah, I wrote more fic for my fictional show. I'm not sure if it's just healthy to write my own original stuff or a tad self-absorbed. Anyway, it has been written. Hope you enjoy it.
The silence in the office was deafening and all eyes was fixed on Christian. Liv quickly swooped inn and dragged him out of the room.
"Sit down," Liv barked as she pushed him into his office. He had the decency to look a little guilty, but she suspected that it was more because he was being shouted at, than really being sorry.
"Sit," she said again, and Christian dropped into his chair.
"What?" he said as if he didn't know what she was on about. He was scowling and dangerously close to pouting.
"What the fuck was that all about?" she said, her voice loud. Waving her arms, Liv turned towards the filled office where the stunned assistant still stood.
Christian shrugged and refused to meet her eyes.
"You just shouted at an innocent girl who did nothing wrong, except bringing you coffee when you wanted tea!" Liv wasn't just confused, but a little disappointed as well. She spends a lot of her time reassuring people that sure, her boss has a temper, but he always had a good reason to why he was yelling. This time he had just blown up over something stupid.
"What the hell is wrong, Christian?" she asked again.
Christian was nervously tapping his fingers against the desk, and Liv instinctively knew that had he been allowed, he would be smoking like a chimney right now. "Well?" she prompted with a raised eyebrow. She turned towards the water-boiler in the corner and turned it on.
"Um..." Christian cleared his throat. "Things might be a little bad at home."
Liv nodded, while pouring a cup of tea. Helen had been a little snippy the last time she had spoken to her. "Okay... How bad?" Liv asked as she put down the lemon tea in front of her boss.
Christian put his head in his hands and sighed. "She's talking about divorce..."
Liv gasped and was grateful that she wasn't holding anything.
Looking around the office as if it were a cage, Christian was tapping his fingers and bouncing his leg. Suddenly he sprung up from his chair and stalked over to the window. "Fuck this." He pulled out a cigarette pack hidden in the flower pot. Opening the window, he lighted the cigarette and took a drag. He sighed in relief. "Don't tell, Helga," he said with a pleading look.
Liv shrugged, and just opened the window further. "What are you going to do?" she asked.
Christian looked at her with a faraway expression. "The bitch is talking crazy and I don't know what to do!" he said, waving his cigarette around to make his point. Then he suddenly calmed down and caught her eyes. “Helen said that I should quit my job.” His voice was solemn and his face was marred by a pained expression.
“You can't do that!” It was out of her mouth before she could stop it.
He looked at her sharply. “I know that! The point is that she should know that, too.” He shook his head, and took a third drag. They were silent for a while until Christian exclaimed, “This is who I am! How can she ask this of me?” He was getting angry again.
“Shh... Keep your voice down,” Liv said, looking anxiously to the closed door. The entire office did not need to know about the drama of Christian Hauge's private life.
He huffed and sat down heavily, making the chair creak under his weight. “She said that either I come home, or I won't have a home to come back too.”
Liv was shocked. She knew that Christian had had a lot of problems with his wife, but she had no idea that it had gotten this far. She didn't know that it was this bad. There were so many different emotions running through her right now. First, it hurt her to see Christian this distraught. Then she was angry at Helen for treating him like this. But the last emotion was purely selfish; she was terrified of the thought of him doing as his wife wanted. She was terrified of him leaving.
“Are you- are you considering it?” She hated herself for asking. She so wished she had the strength to keep her mouth shut, but she had to know.
He looked at her and his gaze pinned her to the place she stood. “I don't know,” he said honestly, looking down at his hands. “I don't know if I can do it. This is who I am. I can't change who I am. Not even for her. Not even for Nicholas.”
The reminder of Christian's four year old son was like a punch in the gut. Lovely, little Nicholas whom she adored. Her parents were divorced when Liv was eight and she knew how painful it was to go through for a child. “Can't you talk some sense into her? You should at least go home and sit down and talk!” Liv said.
He looked at her and he seemed so completely lost. She came to stand beside him and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Go home, Christian. Solve this with your wife. I'll postpone your London trip.”
“No.” He shook his head. “London is important.”
“Of course it's important! But this is important too. They can spare you for one day.” She pulled out her phone, ready to move the earth to help him.
“Are you sure?” he asked. He looked up at her and his eyes where so completely trusting. It was the moments like these that made her feel so important, moments that made her love him.
She nodded. “You need to figure this out with Helen. London can wait.”
He sighed heavily again and nodded. He leaned his head against her stomach, tired. “What would I do without you, Liv?” he asked, his voice low and raspy.
She smiled. “You'd be completely unorganized for one.”
He chuckled. “Yes. So disorganized.”
“Now!” Liv said sharply, deliberately snapping them out of this weird mood. “You are going to go outside and apologize to that poor girl.”
Christian groaned. “Do I have to?” he whined.
Liv nodded. “Oh yes. You are going to go out there, be impossibly charming and tell her how incredibly sorry you are. You are going to tell her that you've had a bad day and it was unfortunate that she had to bear the brunt of that.” She jabbed him sharply in the shoulder until he got up.
He straightened his tie and buttoned his jacked. “Fine.” There was a teasing glint in his eyes as he said “You bossy bint,” before leaving the office.
Finis.
Author: caramelsilver
Rating: PG
Word count: 1100
Tv Show: Lingua Franca
Characters/Pairing: Liv/Christian
Spoilers: For season 2. (Yes I did just put up a spoiler warning for my own fictional tv show.)
Summary: Christian's problems at home is resulting in him shouting at innocent people. Liv demands to know what is going on.
AN: Do you have any idea how hard it was to write this in English when I really know that they are speaking in Norwegian? And yeah, I wrote more fic for my fictional show. I'm not sure if it's just healthy to write my own original stuff or a tad self-absorbed. Anyway, it has been written. Hope you enjoy it.
The silence in the office was deafening and all eyes was fixed on Christian. Liv quickly swooped inn and dragged him out of the room.
"Sit down," Liv barked as she pushed him into his office. He had the decency to look a little guilty, but she suspected that it was more because he was being shouted at, than really being sorry.
"Sit," she said again, and Christian dropped into his chair.
"What?" he said as if he didn't know what she was on about. He was scowling and dangerously close to pouting.
"What the fuck was that all about?" she said, her voice loud. Waving her arms, Liv turned towards the filled office where the stunned assistant still stood.
Christian shrugged and refused to meet her eyes.
"You just shouted at an innocent girl who did nothing wrong, except bringing you coffee when you wanted tea!" Liv wasn't just confused, but a little disappointed as well. She spends a lot of her time reassuring people that sure, her boss has a temper, but he always had a good reason to why he was yelling. This time he had just blown up over something stupid.
"What the hell is wrong, Christian?" she asked again.
Christian was nervously tapping his fingers against the desk, and Liv instinctively knew that had he been allowed, he would be smoking like a chimney right now. "Well?" she prompted with a raised eyebrow. She turned towards the water-boiler in the corner and turned it on.
"Um..." Christian cleared his throat. "Things might be a little bad at home."
Liv nodded, while pouring a cup of tea. Helen had been a little snippy the last time she had spoken to her. "Okay... How bad?" Liv asked as she put down the lemon tea in front of her boss.
Christian put his head in his hands and sighed. "She's talking about divorce..."
Liv gasped and was grateful that she wasn't holding anything.
Looking around the office as if it were a cage, Christian was tapping his fingers and bouncing his leg. Suddenly he sprung up from his chair and stalked over to the window. "Fuck this." He pulled out a cigarette pack hidden in the flower pot. Opening the window, he lighted the cigarette and took a drag. He sighed in relief. "Don't tell, Helga," he said with a pleading look.
Liv shrugged, and just opened the window further. "What are you going to do?" she asked.
Christian looked at her with a faraway expression. "The bitch is talking crazy and I don't know what to do!" he said, waving his cigarette around to make his point. Then he suddenly calmed down and caught her eyes. “Helen said that I should quit my job.” His voice was solemn and his face was marred by a pained expression.
“You can't do that!” It was out of her mouth before she could stop it.
He looked at her sharply. “I know that! The point is that she should know that, too.” He shook his head, and took a third drag. They were silent for a while until Christian exclaimed, “This is who I am! How can she ask this of me?” He was getting angry again.
“Shh... Keep your voice down,” Liv said, looking anxiously to the closed door. The entire office did not need to know about the drama of Christian Hauge's private life.
He huffed and sat down heavily, making the chair creak under his weight. “She said that either I come home, or I won't have a home to come back too.”
Liv was shocked. She knew that Christian had had a lot of problems with his wife, but she had no idea that it had gotten this far. She didn't know that it was this bad. There were so many different emotions running through her right now. First, it hurt her to see Christian this distraught. Then she was angry at Helen for treating him like this. But the last emotion was purely selfish; she was terrified of the thought of him doing as his wife wanted. She was terrified of him leaving.
“Are you- are you considering it?” She hated herself for asking. She so wished she had the strength to keep her mouth shut, but she had to know.
He looked at her and his gaze pinned her to the place she stood. “I don't know,” he said honestly, looking down at his hands. “I don't know if I can do it. This is who I am. I can't change who I am. Not even for her. Not even for Nicholas.”
The reminder of Christian's four year old son was like a punch in the gut. Lovely, little Nicholas whom she adored. Her parents were divorced when Liv was eight and she knew how painful it was to go through for a child. “Can't you talk some sense into her? You should at least go home and sit down and talk!” Liv said.
He looked at her and he seemed so completely lost. She came to stand beside him and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Go home, Christian. Solve this with your wife. I'll postpone your London trip.”
“No.” He shook his head. “London is important.”
“Of course it's important! But this is important too. They can spare you for one day.” She pulled out her phone, ready to move the earth to help him.
“Are you sure?” he asked. He looked up at her and his eyes where so completely trusting. It was the moments like these that made her feel so important, moments that made her love him.
She nodded. “You need to figure this out with Helen. London can wait.”
He sighed heavily again and nodded. He leaned his head against her stomach, tired. “What would I do without you, Liv?” he asked, his voice low and raspy.
She smiled. “You'd be completely unorganized for one.”
He chuckled. “Yes. So disorganized.”
“Now!” Liv said sharply, deliberately snapping them out of this weird mood. “You are going to go outside and apologize to that poor girl.”
Christian groaned. “Do I have to?” he whined.
Liv nodded. “Oh yes. You are going to go out there, be impossibly charming and tell her how incredibly sorry you are. You are going to tell her that you've had a bad day and it was unfortunate that she had to bear the brunt of that.” She jabbed him sharply in the shoulder until he got up.
He straightened his tie and buttoned his jacked. “Fine.” There was a teasing glint in his eyes as he said “You bossy bint,” before leaving the office.
Finis.