Birthday Card

A/N:This story came to mind in three seconds. I was thinking about a good PaysonxSasha story when this popped up. I'm a little nervous about writing it since I don't really feel like I have much of a grip on their characters at the moment, but I hope to develop it with practice. I should be writing an analysis of Munch's paintings right now…

There are two things Sasha Belov will never forget.

He'll never forget the warmth of her lips upon his. The unexpected bliss that spread though his body like wildfire for only two seconds. He wouldn't allow himself more than that. The responsible coach in him wouldn't let him.

The rational side of him took control and grabbed her arm while his other hand took her waist. Together, they pushed her away, leaving his lips with a lingering warmth before it quickly faded away.

He heard her name escape from his lips. A name he had said countless times before in various ways. The way he said it this time though was synonymous with saying, "What are you doing?".

The second thing he'll never forget was the look on her face after she kissed him. He watched as the pain and rejection on her face was quickly replaced with shock as what she just did settled in. She then did the predictable thing; Payson turned and ran away as fast as she possibly could. It was obvious that she was caught up in the moment and embarrassed. He couldn't blame her.

As she reached the doors to the gym, he shouted out, "Payson!" once more. He could hear the concern that enveloped his voice. The last thing he wanted was for her to be in pain, especially when he was the cause. As much as he tried to hide it, he couldn't deny the fact that she was special to him. Out of all his gymnasts, he felt the most connected with Payson, and it scared him sometimes.

What they had reminded him a lot of what he had with Nicolai. They both had a tremendous passion for the sport, something him and Payson shared. He was just as dedicated as Payson when he met Nicolai. It wasn't until he met him that he got his act together though. The only difference in their relationships is that he knew that Nicolai didn't feel the same way for him as he did for Payson. Oh no, that much was obvious

Sasha let out a sigh and rested his jaw on the knuckles of his right hand. The soft glow of the lantern on his outside table illumined his contemplative face. Why are you thinking so much about her, old boy? It's been over a year since that kiss and you still can't get it out of your mind? No, he very well couldn't.

So much had happened in the past year. Payson had won all-around gold at Nationals. It was a very important win for them, considering that it was the competition where her carrier almost ended. He was so proud when she became the national champion, a title which she rightfully deserved. He was even more proud when she also won all-around gold at Worlds in Tokyo. She told him that she couldn't have done it without him, but he knew that Payson would be amazing, with or without him. All he did was support her. Which counted for something, he supposed. Sasha war far too humble to take any form of credit for the success of his gymnasts. They were the ones producing the results, he only helped them get there.

Sasha's thought quickly shifted from himself to Payson once more. She was everything he knew she would be: the champion that she is. He smiled to himself as he thought about how proud he was of her. She was like him in the regards that she couldn't stand the publicity that came with winning. She had just turned down yet another interview by ESPN. All she needed was the self satisfaction. The money was a bonus, and the fame was just part of the job for her. Naturally, this drove MJ up the wall but neither of them cared that much.

Despite not caring much for the publicity, Sasha admired her dedication to her fans. Payson often received large amounts of mail and email from her fans supporting her. She tries her hardest to respond to every single letter from her fans. They mean a lot to her and Sasha thought it was very sweet. It made him regret all the unanswered fan mail he received. He was a different man back then though. He was much colder and even more distant.

Sasha was awoken from his thoughts as he felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. He flipped it open and saw that it was a reminder he had set for himself last year.

Payson's birthday is tomorrow…

"Shit…" he muttered under his breath. Thank God he was smart and made sure to set that alarm for himself. He would have forgotten to give her her present (which he also set a reminder for himself to remind him to buy it in advance). The only thing he had left to do is get a card for her.

He stood up went back into his trailer. He grabbed his car keys off the kitchen table and glanced at the digital clock on his microwave. The red numbers read 8:30. Just enough time to go to the store and get a card before they close at nine…

He left his trailer and shut the door behind him. He quickly strode over his AstroTurf and then asphalt to where his car was parked. Sasha reached out for the door handle, but hesitated for a moment. A card from a store will never be able to express how important she is to you, Sasha.

The voice in his head was right, of course. He walked back to his trailer and opened the door. On his kitchen table was a tablet of paper and a black ink pen. He grabbed both, threw his car keys back on the table, and walked back outside. He took a seat back on his plastic lawn chair and put his tablet down on the matching table in front of him.

He took a deep breath, breathing in the crisp fall air, and closed his eyes. Her face appeared in front of him and her laughter rung in his ears. What have you gotten yourself into? The same voice asked, but he wasn't able to answer it. Never had Sasha felt the same way for any woman as he did for Payson.

What he felt for Payson didn't even come close to the relationship he had with Summer. Other than Rock affairs, they didn't have much in common. He was tired of having to compromise his values for her. He shouldn't have to change himself. Sasha liked himself the way he was. Their relationship consisted more of a physical attraction, which was entirely what Summer was against. Sasha needed someone that would understand him. Someone to be his equal. Summer couldn't fulfill either.

He uncapped the pen and put the point on the paper. That was all he needed to do. He didn't even have to think about what he was writing. Everything he felt for her was spilling out in the form of ink. The pen acted as a medium for his feeling to get down onto the paper. Once he started writing, he couldn't stop. The pen darted across the lines as he scribbled his feelings down. Everything that he kept locked up inside, everything he wished that he could tell her, spilled out onto that piece of paper. His hand smudged the ink as he wrote, making a few words nearly illegible and dying his hand black. After writing furiously for what seemed like hours, he finally had an ink filled paper that reflected what he felt for her to the best of its abilities.

He let out a breath that he had been unconsciously holding. It felt so good to get everything out when he had been holding back. He quickly got up and went back into his trailer. He dug through one of his messier drawers to find a box of envelopes. He pulled two out of the box and put it back before going back outside into the cool night. He resumed his seat at the table and began writing Payson's actual birthday card.

Dear Payson,

I cannot express how proud of you I am. I look forward to seeing you win gold at the 2012 Olympics. I have no doubts that we can get there together. I hope you have an amazing birthday.

-Sasha

Sasha looked down at his first letter to her, and then his second. He compared the two in his mind. His first was filled with emotions as he was being completely honestly with her. The second was merely him being the polite and supportive coach he was and supposed to be, but nothing more. He folded the first and stuck it in an envelope. He did the same with the second, her actual birthday card, but folded the corner so he would know to give her that one.

He went back into his trailer and shut the door behind him. He placed the envelopes, tablet, and pen on the kitchen table. He walked over to his dresser and pulled out some pajama pants that were thick enough to keep him warm but light enough to keep him cool. When you live in a trailer with no temperature control, what you wear to sleep has a significant impact.

Sasha pulled off his jeans and threw them in a pile of clothes at the foot of his bed. His jeans were quickly followed by his shirt and socks once he took his shoes off. He pulled on his pajama bottoms and walked over to the window over his kitchen table. He cracked it open and felt the cold air rush over his exposed chest, giving him goosebumps. He always preferred it to be cold when he slept.

He climbed into bed and wrapped his blankets tightly around him. He closed his eyes and his breathing slowly steadied, becoming rhythmical. It didn't take him long to fall into a dreamless sleep.

Val's Note~

So, this is probably going to be a two (or maybe three...) chapter story. It was originally supposed to be a one-shot until I realized how long of a one-shot it'd be. I'll hopefully have the next chapter up really soon. I know for a fact that there will be grammatical errors and spelling errors. I've read through this about three times now and I'm sure a few things have slipped through. It always happens.

I also can't decide on a freakin' name for this story. It's quite distressing. It's also subjected to change at any time...

I really enjoyed getting into Sasha's head. Sasha and Payson have always been my favorite Make It or Break It characters so I'm having a lot of fun writing about them. I enjoyed writing from Sasha's POV, but I feel like I made him too much of a romantic. I guess it doesn't help that I do think that Sasha is hiding his true feelings to protect Payson. I'm looking forward to getting into Payson's head. I think it'll be a bit more natural for me, considering that I am a teenage girl (who is apparently an adult...).

I hope you enjoyed! Reviews make me a very happy girl. Also, shameless self plug time. If you like music...and if you like videos...and if you like Payson and Sasha...then you should view this video: .com/watch?v=2k5wxImZ1Ec *coughcough*