(FIC) Oh St. Christopher, Send Me a Christian Word, Send Me A Southern Wind, Send Me Back To My Kin

[ve1ocity_gir1]

Title-Oh St. Christopher, Send Me A Christian Word, Send Me A Southern Wind, Send Me Back to My Kin 1/1
Author-Velocity Girl
Rating- Teen
Disclaimer-Don't own, don't sue.
Pairing/Characters-squint and you miss it Gabriel Landeskog/Semyon Varlamov, Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin
Warnings-AU, Mentions of Grief, Introspection, awkward communication, loss, Alex Ovechkin. And a slight mention of werewolves and loup! verse.
Summary-Semyon's not really feeling the Christmas spirit, despite having Alex as his personal Christmas Bringer. He's not feeling it at least until Gabriel calls him and makes Christmas cheer possible in just a few words and random conversations.
Author's Notes-Written as yet another Christmas present for soundandvision here because I'm still an incurable optimist when it comes to Christmas and also because I'm so far away from home and loved ones and having a little joy doesn't hurt in the least. And I blame Hey Rosetta! for the idea and also the title, which is from their Christmas song of being away from home "Carry Me Home"

Also can be a standalone from the main universe of the Loup! Verse, or a loose continuation of "You Weren't Supposed To Know, But Thanks For Staying Anyways"

Oh and the sentences in brackets are them thinking of what they really want to say, but can't really, because they are emotionally stunted like that.

Semyon is in the middle of extricating himself from Ovie's over enthusiastic embrace when he feels his phone vibrate against his hip. The thought of answering it doesn't cross his mind except that he is both pressed for an escape route and the fact that he doesn't recognize the area code accompanying the name on the display.

"Hello?"

He thinks he hears Gabriel say something but he isn't so sure, so he signals to Ovie before he eases his way out of Ovie's grasp and heads to the front door and outside.

"Hello? Gabriel? What's up?"

It's pretty loud in the house, now that the break is certain and the pressure is gone for at least a couple of days. He's not really enjoying it, but no one can say no to Ovie when he's determined to have a good time and include you in it.

Semyon hears some quiet laughter in the stark silence of the night and then Gabriel's voice comes through loud and clear.

"Merry Christmas"

It freezes him just a bit to get that. It is coming, he is aware of it in a clinical way whenever he looks at the calendar. It isn't on his top ten things to care about. Not when there is still the spectre of grief hovering over his life like a malignant shadow.

Even now, that things have turned out the way that they have, with Gabriel finding out about the vargs and the lockout and them fleeing to their respective homelands...It isn't something that he is thinking about. So it is quite a surprise to have Gabriel calling him out of the blue to wish him Merry Christmas.

Semyon looks at his watch and laughed quietly. He's not that great at math, but he guesses that there is still a good chunk of differences between Sweden and Moscow.

He opens his mouth to say something along those lines, but cuts himself off. Gabriel didn't have to call. It was a surprise, yet not that he did. He looks down at the snow at his feet and shuffles the wet powder before he finally replies.

He also knows that if he did say something like that, it would be just him being an utter dick for no reason at all.

"Thanks, Landy."

The words aren't quite what he thought to get out, but it's not as if English is their first language after all. But the meaning is there.

(I'm faking it and I'm not really okay...but I have to keep on going and hope that the terrible ache of losing everything goes away. Or if it doesn't, that it fades to a dull ache I can get used to)

Gabriel only hummed a bit, filling the silence with some off-key, wordless song that didn't make it awkward.

"Welcome. Anyways, where are you at the moment? Yaroslav?"

Semyon shook his head and exhaled a few times, watching as his breath curled up in a plume of smoke that disappeared in the dark night sky.

"No. Moscow. Ovie's giving everyone a Christmas party. I, uh, kind of got roped in."

Gabriel laughs at that. "Sounds like something he'd do. You good?"

(I'm worried you'd be alone. That you'd shut off and be lonely and alone with your grief and I'm glad he's got you out of your self-imposed exile)

Semyon's first reaction is to snarl, but he suppresses it. He knows that Gabriel doesn't like those things and is only asking out of curiosity. Especially since Semyon wasn't really letting anyone in after the summer.

"It's...nice. Since it's Christmas and all that."

(It's not perfect, but it's what I needed. I miss everything and everyone. I miss home and I also miss you, oddly enough)

"That's good. No one should be alone at this time of year. Doesn't feel right, you know?"

(I'm home, but I was still wondering how you were)

Semyon nods, but then catches himself when he realizes that Gabriel can't see him. It's also then that he looks at his phone and pulls it away from his ear and mentally kicks himself for not thinking of it sooner.

"Gabriel, I'll call you back in a second."

He doesn't wait for Gabriel to respond and ends the call. He turns on Facetime and calls Gabriel, feeling slightly stupid to be standing in the cold and also because he didn't think of it before.

Gabriel answers and his face fills the screen. He's wearing a nice dress shirt and a loosened tie. He looks flushed and tired from what Semyon can assume is the Christmas party. He can see some people milling about in the background and decorations, but it's much quieter than the house in Moscow.

Semyon finds himself smiling at the sight and he doesn't feel awkward or drained or so damned out of place when he sees Gabriel doing the same thing he's doing.

"You look good."

He tells Gabriel, who laughs and runs his hands self-consciously through his hair.

"You too."

Semyon means it. Gabriel does look good. He looks happy and content in a way that he hadn't when they were in Colorado last year.

He also knows that seeing him looking good and not wasting away has contributed to Gabriel's good mood.

He knows that getting the phone call and seeing Gabriel has eased some of his own bleakness. Just like Gabriel had told him so long ago.

He wants to tell Gabriel so many things and his lips part to do so. He wants to tell him that even though it's different, he doesn't regret that they're not in Colorado. It's not hell being at home and now...now he knows for certain that Gabriel has his back.

"It's...it's easier now. Just like you told me."

He says it so quietly that Gabriel has to get the phone close to hear his words. But when they register, Gabriel flushes a darker red and his eyes get sort of glassy.

"Thank you."

He doesn't know what else Gabriel was going to say, because the front door bursts open and deposits a very inebriated Ovie and Sasha out into the porch along with the raucousness of the party he had fled in the first place.

"Syoma! Syoma! You're going to freeze out here! Come on! Presents are going to be opened soon! It's nearly midnight!"

He wraps his arm around Semyon's shoulder and peers down at the screen, while Sasha laughs and does the same thing from the opposite side.

"Hi Landeskog! Merry Christmas! We steal your goalie now!"

Gabriel laughs at that and waves at Ovie and Sasha, who wave back while Semyon shakes his head.

"All right. Just give him back in the same condition you found him. We need him for next year."

Ovie laughs again and nods in agreement.

"We give him back better than before. Trust me."

He turns to Semyon, looking serious just for a bit as he claps his big hand on Semyon's shoulder. Semyon's throat closes up just a bit as Ovie headbutts him affectionately like he used to back when they still played together. He had forgotten that.

"Come inside soon. We miss you."

Semyon nods and watches as Alex and Sasha go back in, closing the door behind them, but leaving it open just a crack to let him know that they are still there, waiting for him to come back into the warmth.

Gabriel laughed quietly before he too, looked behind him and found a few of the party people gesturing at him to come join the party also.

"I'll call you. On New Year's"

Semyon tells him, his voice serious and weighty as he speaks the words.

Gabriel's face lights up and he nods.

"I'd like that. And Semyon, have a good Christmas. You deserve one."

Semyon only nods and he feels his eyes burn, but nothing happens other than Gabriel waving and the call ending.

He puts the phone in his pocket and shuffles snow again to get some blood flowing. He looks up at the sky, but laughs quietly to himself.

He's stalling, despite it all and he knows that there's no reason for it. Especially not when he knows two things: He's not alone and it's warm in more ways than one inside.

He shrugs and turns to go back in, to the warmth and the noise and to Ovie pressing a kiss to his temple and a drink in his hand, while Sasha shoves a present into his chest.

"Merry Christmas!"

He finds himself smiling and his phone buzzes again. He puts the drink in Sasha's hand and pulls it out to see he's got a text from Gabriel.

"Enjoy!"

A picture is attached and it showed Gabriel in the same position: A present and a drink in hand and huge smile on his face.

It was going to be a good night after all.

End.