AN: Chapter 10, my friends. Thank you for waiting. Please enjoy and review!

Thanks to Spartacus400 on the RWBY Wikia for beta reading.

Disclaimer: RWBY is a product of Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC. All characters are owned by Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC.

Chapter 10: Lean On Me

Weiss sat up with a sigh. Her hands slid down her face, clasping them together when they reached her chin. She looked over to see her co-pilot curled up in a deep sleep. Pushing a fist to her spine, there was a somewhat loud pop. Her feet spun to the side of the bunk and were pushed down to the floor. There was sharp inhale as her soles touched the cold floor. She stood with her shoulders back, biting the edges of her teeth. She reached for a cabinet labeled with her name and pulled out her next jumpsuit for the month. Unzipping her old one and balling it up in her hands, tossing it into the second cabinet. A pull here, a tug there, a zip there, and the fresh suit was loosely snug to her skin.

Satisfied with her attire, she stepped out of the resting quarters. Opening the door to the recreational module, she saw the specialized exercise machinery to work both with and without gravity. Her knuckles cracked and wrapped around the handles of one machine. She set her watch for an hour, then pushed her feet down on the elliptical machine's pads. Arms pulling back, feet pushing forward steadily. A half an hour and her body barely broke a sweat. She took her time, not pushing her body too far past its limits, not wanting to saturate her new suit in bodily fluids just yet.

Unbeknownst to Blake, today was a sad day for her. It wasn't a day of loss. It was a day of life, specifically her life. Today was the day she born, now twenty-seven years ago. A normal person would think of this as a time of celebration instead of sorrow, but for Weiss it brought pain and empty memories. It reminded her of the family she had left behind. It reminded her off all those lonely nights she spend treating herself to a bottle of champagne and a view of the stars.

The ship's intercom sounded, its channel now open and playing the music from the drive she found two months back. Blake must have woken up. Weiss had learned to accept the rock melodies over time. She had decided that even though it wasn't her prefered taste in music, it was good to listen to some voices other than her own and Blake's. Though by now the songs were getting repetitive, they learned every word to each tune, but it was all they had to sustain them.

"And I ran...I ran so far away...I just ran...I ran all night and day! I couldn't get away…" Weiss sang along as she exercised. When this song first played to her ears, Blake had pointed out the utter irony of the track. Pointing out how they had both tried to escape from their old lives, but the past had always weighed down on them. The girl that the singer had met correlated with them and the spacecraft, alone and adrift. If Blake wasn't an astronaut Weiss would've thought the woman was an english major, not a thing that flies giant machines. The statement had always stayed with her from that point, resulting in whenever heard the song she thought about Blake's words.

Amber eyes looked up from a checkered board as the sound of a cabin door echoed, "Hey, Weiss."

The engineer watched the aviator move a chess piece, then spin the board around to move a piece of the opposite color. "Really, Blake?" She sat down across from the faunus, "You're playing chess with yourself?"

"Yes…There isn't much else to do…" Blake moved a chess piece, "I already checked the ship's functions and I can recite our books front-to-back, back-to-front. And since this chess board is fairly new, playing a game of chess with myself doesn't seem all that bad…" There was a brief moment of silence before she spoke up again with surprising statement, "Happy birthday by the way."

Weiss' brow shot up, shocked that her co-pilot knew this information, "How did you know that?"

"I have a good memory, Weiss. I remember reading your file."

"Oh…" Weiss sighed.

Blake leaned back into her seat, "I suppose your birthday isn't such a happy day?"

The birthday girl's chin sat in her palm, replying in a sarcastic tone, "How'd you guess?"

"That's why I don't celebrate my birthday...just too many memories…good and bad…" Blake scanned the ceiling, "What about you?"

"Somewhat the same, I think about all the times I sat on a folding chair with a glass of champagne, staring up at the night sky instead of picking up a scroll. I could have called and heard my sister's voice again...But I never did..."

Blake leaned back, "You really loved her, didn't you?"

"Winter was the only person in our family that was actually... family. My father was strictly business and my mother...I don't even want the begin with her...So, yes, I did, Blake." Weiss sat up, "Although I was too much of a dunce to call her, I thought about her every birthday, no, every day."

"I was like that with my mother." Blake said, "After I told her what happened with Dad, she disowned me, kicked me out. I thought about her everyday as well...until I just had enough. I had to tell myself to move on, to remember the good and remember the bad, to keep moving forward." She gazed out the window, "That's what you have to do, remember the good and important things of a person and move on. Forget about them, but don't forget them completely…"

Weiss eyed the faunus with a curious eye, "It's just...I should have talked to her at least one last time…"

"Maybe it was better you didn't." Blake swung her view back to the human across from her.

The woman under her gaze responded, "And why is that?"

"To me, Weiss," Blake wet her lips, "It sounds like you two left each other loving each other. And who knows what would've happened if you called? For all you know, she could've been angry at you, then your last interaction would be in hate. And trust me, Weiss, I've felt that Weiss...you don't want to leave someone like that."

"Besides," Blake continued, "You really should be worrying about someone else other than your sister today."

A white eyebrow raised itself, "Let me guess, myself?"

Blake shook her head, "No...today was the day planned to launch the third manned spaceflight of the year."

"Oh, no…" Weiss covered her mouth, "You mean?"

Blake stared down at the board, "ASA is probably still up to its antics."

Weiss glanced out the viewport, "What was their mission?"

"I believe they were supposed to orbit the sun a few times then return to Remnant…" The faunus sighed, "We both know what'll happen to them…"

"I just wish they was some way we could communicate…Some way we could stop them from..."

"Yeah…I do too.."

An eerie silence inhabited the cabin. Weiss sighed and patted her thighs to the rhythm of the song, "I'm going to...perform some of the experiments…" She got up from the booth and left the module.

Once she heard the door shut, she got up from the booth and picked up the chess board.

The door to the life support module opened up to a dark area. Weiss sighed and searched the walls for any sort of switch. Unknowingly to the engineer, a pair of amber eyes watched her blindly stepping around the cabin. She patted the aluminum interior while carefully moving her feet across the floor. Finally her hand found the panel and pushed a button.

The lights flashed on to reveal a smug looking faunus sitting at the booth. Weiss walked up to the plastic table with a confused look on her face. Peering down at the tabletop, she saw a food packet, a few drinks, and a folded up space blanket. Blake gestured to the empty seat.

"Blake...what is this?" Weiss asked as she slid in to the booth.

"Happy birthday…" Blake answered with a friendly smile.

Weiss' eyes fell shut, "Blake I told you-"

"I know what you told me, Weiss…" The faunus twiddled her fingers, "But I want to do something for you. I want to give you a birthday you won't loathe. It's the least I can do..." Her mind went back two months ago.

Weiss shook her head, "Blake…I don't know.."

"Come on, Weiss," Blake leaned forward, "Let me do something for you. Please?"

The birthday girl bit her lip and studied the aviator's smile. Blake had felt she had owed Weiss for helping her though the engineer thought no such things. She had stopped asking for things in return a long time ago, seeing at it always did no good for her. But here they were, whether she asked or not, Blake attempting to take a sad day and reshape it into a better one. Weiss eventually gave into her friend, letting a sigh escape, "Fine...but only because I think you'll do it anyway if I say no," She smirked.

Blake chuckled and reclined back into her seat. She slid a drink pouch across the plastic and picked one up herself, "It's no champagne, but I think it'll do," She used her thumb to uncap the pouch.

Weiss chuckled reading the contents, "I'm sure orange juice will be a fine substitute."

"Hey, at least you have a view of the stars," Blake sipped her beverage.

"Hmph…" Weiss glanced out the window, "Yeah...I guess I do…"

Blake was glad the woman was somewhat happy. It was something she hadn't been able to do for quite some time; making someone's life easier on them. No one had ever tried to do the same for Blake, except for this platinum-haired female before her. Weiss helped her muster up a second chance at a peaceful, content life. So she was pleased when she was allowed to repay Weiss in the same way she had given to Blake.

She admired the cosmonauts azure eyes, how they twinkled observing the most wondrous things. How no matter how moist they'd get, no matter how wide they'd get, they'd always return to that sparkling state. Those spots of cerulean were enough to inspire someone to move planets. They were the picture of pure innocence and curiosity.

"Blake? Blake?" Weiss waved a hand a few inches from the faunus' face, snapping her out of the dream state.

"W-What?" Blake shook her head.

"Are you ok?" Weiss tilted her head, "You seemed to be out of it…"

"I-I'm fine...it's just…uh…" Blake scratched her neck, eyes shifting around for anything to change the subject. Her pupils finally landed in the shiny space blanket, "Why... don't you open your gift?" She pushed the plastic sheet to her co-pilot

Weiss gave her strange look before averting her breathtaking eyes to the space blanket, "You wrapped it in a blanket?" The edges of her lips forms a smile.

"It was that or an old jumpsuit, you take your pick." Blake crossed her arms.

"This is fine…" Weiss unwrapped the blanket, revealing what it held inside. She paused for a moment when she saw what was inside and summoned up a hearty laugh, "Really, Blake?" She picked up the small square pack of papers, "I'm so happy that my first gift in ten years is-" Her hand twist around to show Blake her gift, "-Blake Belladonna's Guide to Chess."

The faunus blushed, trying to hold in her laughter, "You're lucky, you get to read the first draft."

Weiss put the makeshift book down and let her amusement die down, "I love it, Blake" She locked their eyes together, "Thanks, Blake...you really didn't need to...but, thanks…"

"Of course I needed to, Weiss," Blake set her drink down, "With all that you've done for me, which includes saving my life, you deserve something. I mean it"

"I appreciate it, Blake. I really do…" Weiss placed her palms on the table, "This the best birthday I've had in years…"

Blake put up a one-sided smile, "Well it's not over yet…" She brought up the silver packet laying at the center of the table to her, "It took me a while to dig this up from our rations…" She said as she attempted to open the package.

Weiss watched her partner struggle with the pouch like she always does; just like a kitten. It was a scene that never failed to cheer her up. It was the same situation that gave their friendship life seven months back. The day they both made a friend, just because of that packet of freeze-dried bananas. And from that moment, their relationship evolved with each day and pouch of food. Blake would tear at it each meal and Weiss would say each time, "Here... let me..." She held out her open hand.

The cat's ears folded down in defeat and she gave the packet over.

"Ice cream?" Weiss asked as she tore the container with ease.

Blake shrugged, "I couldn't really get a cake…"

"It's fine…" Weiss set the pouch on the tabletop, "It's perfect actually…"

"Well, go on...'cut the cake' and make your wish."

"I don't need to," The engineer glanced out the window, then to Blake, "I got everything I need or want right here."

Blake laughed softly, wiping a few tears from her face, "Damn right."

Weiss' smile faded as her expression changed to worry, "Is something wrong, Blake?"

"No..it's nothing…" Blake shook her head, "It's just...memories…" She looked up into those azure eyes, "I used to say that...every birthday before the fights started to happen." She sniveled, pulling up a smile, "My mom and dad would get me a little cupcake with one tiny candle. It wasn't much, but I didn't care. I had all I needed. I had a family that loved each other, and it was good while it lasted."

She turned her gaze to the viewport, "I know I can never go back. No matter how much I want to." Her amber eyes met Weiss' once again, "So, I remember there's always a tomorrow. And move on."

"I move on."

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Love,

~Vox