Chapter 18: Closure.
A/N: Hey there everyone bittersweet time this is the last chapter of When the Dust Settles but it's been a decent journey right? One year and 18 chapters later. Let me know what you thought of the whole story and my ending to it. Thanks to everyone who followed and left me a review.
"Did you see that, 3 steps without falling!" I shouted as loud as I could. The physical therapy has hard and hurt a lot sometimes but it was always worth it. '2 steps better than yesterday.' I thought as I collapsed into Yang's arms.
"Great job Icarrus." Yang pulled me over to my chair. "I'm so excited right now. I know Weiss is gonna be pissed that she missed that. Let me give her a call."
"Thanks Yang I really appreciate you taking time to come help me since Weiss is home finalizing everything with taking over the Schnee Company." I said in-between breaths. "I still can't believe her father turned himself in for being a part of the human experiments."
(It's been 4 months since I blew up on everyone at the picnic. 2 since I was released from the hospital. I've had my room at school flooded with get well soon cards and flowers and balloons. I almost passed out a couple time from sucking too much helium. I couldn't help it though Janice told me that laughter is one of the best medicines. Ruby brought Neptune in once and only once and when I get back to 100% I'm going to have a serious talk with him. )
A flick to the forehead and I snap back to reality.
"Hey Icarrus Weiss wants to talk to you." Yang said as she waved the phone in my face.
"Sorry I was thinking back to when Ruby brought Neptune in here. Oh he is gonna get it when I get out." I placed the phone to my ear. "Hello beautiful how are you this fantastic day?"
"Today has been stupid and boring but Yang told me that you had some good news for me. So whatcha got?" Weiss' voice flowed through the speaker.
"Well I took 3 full steps unsupported before I kinda collapsed." I chuckled.
"Don't worry Weiss I caught him!" Yang shouted as she played around on the double bars used to help people walk again.
"Yeah Weiss, Yang caught me so don't worry."
"Oh that's fantastic! Oh hold on these idiots are back." I could hear as she put the phone down. "Yes what is it."
"Well Weiss-"
"It's Ms. Schnee"
"Uh right uhm Ms. Schnee about the dust experiments, in order to finalize the papers the board has asked to meet with uh subject 7-"
"IT'S ICARRUS! HE HAS A NAME NOW! TELL THE BOARD THAT IF THEY WISH TO SEE HIM THEN THEY NEED TO SIGN THE DAMN PAPERS AND FILE A FORMAL REQUEST AND I WILL GET TO IT WHEN I CHOOSE. NOW GET OUT OF MY OFFICE AND MAKE SURE THEY SIGN THEM NOW!" Weiss screamed so loud that I had to take the phone away from my ear and Yang fell over when she heard.
"Wow she is really letting them have it." Yang said as she chose to remain on the floor.
"Sorry about that Icarrus running a company is tough." Weiss said as she got back on again. "I didn't mean for you to hear that but-"
"Don't worry about it I know how defensive you get when people bring up my past." I cut her off. "Well its sounds like all the paper work should be settled soon and then you can come back home right?"
"Yeah I'm going to become the CEO and majority owner of the Schnee Dust Company but I'm going to leave the board in charge of running the company till after graduation." Weiss sounded excited.
"CEO and majority owner damn. My woman is powerful both financially and physically." I whooped into the phone. "So is it like a 51/49 thing or-"
"I own three quarters of my company and the board owns 20% and the last 5 was sold to the public just because I wanted to spite the board." She laughed again. "But yeah they are going to keep their jobs for now, it seems that none of them knew about my father's involvement or so their story goes."
"Well either way the truth will come to light and everything will be alright. Hell I might even start walking soon." I said still tingling from before. "Maybe my legs will stop going numb after a few more tries at walking."
"I'm so glad baby you are making excellent progress on your rehab. I can't wait to see you again I love you. Can you put Yang back on the phone please?" I could hear just how happy she was.
"Sure thing babe I love you too and I miss you too hurry home." I finished and tossed the phone to Yang and it landed on her stomach. She gave me an irritated look and grabbed the phone and started talking to Weiss. I ignored their conversation and focused on rotating my ankles.
Every once in a while I could feel my nerve firing and send pain up to my hip but it would stop there.
[It's all a matter of learning to use them again now Icarrus.] I heard Eve for the first time in 4 months.
'Eve finally I've been trying to talk to you forever.' I thought to her.
[Sorry I've been busy trying to reestablish your nerve connections and speed up your recovery.] She sounded exhausted.
'Thanks Eve now get some rest you sound like shit. I really do appreciate it though.' I smiled and shook my head.
"Having another one of those mental talks with the person inside of your head?" Yang was poking my temple. I told them all about Eve a couple months back and they are still trying to come to terms with it.
"Yeah and she has been working her ass off to help me recover from the inside out. Just watch." I stood up and took 2 steps forward. "See she is fixing-" I was hit with a sudden surge of intense pain that cause me to convulse on the ground for a second.
"Icarrus are you alright do I need to get Dr. Janice?" Yang was already back on her feet and had her hand on the door.
"No I'm alright I just forgot that even if my nerves are fixed that doesn't mean they will work right away." I groaned and turned over onto my back. "I'm done for today Yang."
"At least you can use your arms without any problems right?" Yang walked over and picked me up and pulled me over to my wheel chair. "Walking is the only thing that you need to get back then you'll be all better again!" Yang squeezed me in a tight hug. "Now let's go I'll call Blake and Ruby and we can go get some lunch."
"Sounds like a plan, oh and go ahead and have Ruby invite Neptune. I may not be at 100% but I can still let him know that I can protect my little sister." I cracked my knuckles and smiled.
"Hey take it easy Icarrus, Ruby told me everything and I already handled it." Yang put her fist in front of my face. "He took a solid punch to the gut, 40% power but I cracked a rib."
"He got off lucky then I was going to break bones." I growled. "Stupid little boy, how dare he deflower my precious little sister."
"You're not one to talk Icarrus." I suddenly had Blake's voice in my ear as the phone was pushed up against it. "If I remember correctly you and Weiss took each other's right."
"Hey Blake but that was, no is different because Ruby is too innocent and my little sister and ugh she's growing up too fast." I faked a cry and gave Yang a wink.
"Yes she is, we all are Icarrus, don't forget that I'm pregnant and Weiss is going to run her family's company. Yang is graduating this year and she's going to be a full time huntress also Sun is graduating early and the school is going to be hiring him as a combat teacher." Blake sounded like she was about to cry.
"Blake don't cry please, where do you want to eat?" I tried to get her mind off of us growing up.
"The Forest Cafe, I've been craving it, that's all Sun's been talking about." I could almost hear her drooling.
"Ok get Ruby and we will see you there in 20 minutes." I hung up and handed Yang's phone back to her. "To the Forest Cafe Yang."
"Oh yummy I knew my woman had good taste." Yang laughed as she hurried us out of the room.
About 15 minutes later.
We had just been seated at the cafe when I looked to the door and saw Blake, Sun, Ruby and Neptune walking in. They looked around before Neptune spotted me and the third degree I gave him with my stare. He pulled at his collar and pointed us out to Ruby. She jumped and ran over and the rest followed.
"Icarrus!" She slid in the booth right next to me and pulled me into a big hug. "Oh how was your therapy session today?" I watched as Neptune slid next to her quietly and refused to look at me or Yang.
"Oh just great I was able to walk by myself. I think I'll be back to my old strong and protective self very soon." I exaggerated my words and I could see Neptune get smaller and smaller.
"Hey Icarrus you know that being too protective is actually a bad thing right." Blake said as she eased her way next to Yang who greeted her with a kiss.
"Yeah man it's all in the past now, it won't happen again trust me, you know because you can only lose your virginity once." Sun busted out with a loud laugh and Neptune only got smaller and smaller. Ruby kicked Sun in his shin underneath the table and Blake scolded him.
"About that Neptune." I could see him tense up and then relax and he turned to look at me with fire in his eyes.
"I will not apologize because I love Ruby and I want to be with her for a long time." He gulped as I lowered my head and glared even harder and he turned away and looked down again. "I've said what I wanted to say sorry."
"Well OK then." I watched as everyone turned to me with a worried look. "So Blake what's good here?"
Yang and Ruby smiled and pushed on my shoulders. Sun took one more look at Neptune and had to excuse himself from the table because he was laughing so hard while Blake just shook her head.
"I can't believe we fell in love with Sun a childish man." Yang wrapped an arm around Blake.
"You know that's just how he is sometimes Yang; you know from personal experience how much of a man he can be." Blake winked and nudged Yang.
"Yeah you got me there. He can be almost too much to handle." Yang bit her lip and me and Ruby let out a groan.
"Yang please we're about to eat damn." I blew my straw wrapper at her and turned back to Ruby and Neptune. "Hey just as long as you are smart and respectful around me I don't have any problem with you dating mine and Yang's ONLY little sister that we love very much."
"Oh totally smart every single time, always at all times." Neptune said quickly and shut up just as fast. Ruby just rolled her eyes and pushed my face away as I leaned in closer to Neptune across her lap.
"Icarrus my dear overprotective brother just stop already." She laughed as I looked at her with my face still smushed in her hand.
"Errright fine but remember Neptune I was once a danger to everyone around me even myself when I got angry." I pulled my face away from Ruby's hand just as Sun made his way to the table. He had a small group of people carrying instruments with him. They started playing Stand by Me. Sun got down on one knee and pulled out two small boxes.
"Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long I love both of you with everything I have and I want to spend the rest of our lives together. So will you do me the greatest pleasure and marry me?" Sun gave one of his trade mark smiles as he opened both boxes revealing a ring in each.
"Oh My God." Ruby said in hushed words. I looked at Blake and Yang and both of them had tears falling from their eyes and their mouths quivered.
"Oh Sun I love you yes!" Blake shouted and scooted out of the booth. She held her hand out and Sun slipped the gold ring on. Yang slowly made her way out of the booth shivering as she went. She kneeled down in front of Sun and pulled him into a deep kiss then she did the same with Blake.
"Definitely." She smiled as the tears still fell from her face. Everyone else was still in shock from the whole thing as the three hugged and kissed.
'Engagement uh happy time right? Yeah so I guess we should be celebrating right? But no one else is moving. No one has said anything yet, what do I do?' I thought to myself.
[Tell them congratulations dummy.] Eve said softly. I shook my self and looked back at the 3 still kneeled on the ground.
"Congratulations!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. "Way to go!" Everyone starting cheering and Ruby barreled over Neptune and picked Yang up in a flurry of rose pedals. Then she ever so gently hugged the pregnant Blake and then tackled Sun to the ground shouting the whole time.
"So that's what his big secret was." Neptune laughed to himself. I saw him turn his gaze towards Ruby and a big smile popped up on his face. I leaned in next to his ear.
"Not likely any time soon RIGHT?" I whispered causing him to freeze up. He slowly turned his head and looked into my dead serious eyes. He shook his head slowly and I motioned for him to get out of the seat. "If you don't mind then I have some people that I need to be hugging."
He quickly got out of the seat and I scooted myself over. I stood on uneasy legs and slowly made my way to them. Ruby was the first to look up and she gasped. Blake, Yang and Sun all followed suit. Step by step I got closer to them, each one getting harder than the last and they stood up.
"In honor of your engagement I want to give you all a hug while standing on my own two feet." I wobbled like a top as they rushed in and we all embraced. "I love you guys and I'm so happy for you. Now if someone would be kind enough to bring me my wheelchair before I fall over that'd be nice."
Neptune brought my chair quick as lightning and I collapsed into it. Pain shot through my whole body but I kept a smile on my face so I didn't worry anyone. I pulled Neptune down and whispered to him.
"In my bag on the table are my pain killers grab me two and be sneaky about it." He nodded and made his way to my bag unnoticed. He came back and placed my pills in my hand which I popped into my mouth and hid in my cheek. "A toast to the happy trio!"
I downed my whole drink in order to swallow my pills while everyone just sipped on their drinks.
'Oww ow ow ow ow ow ow ow.' I thought over and over again as I was wheeled to the edge of the table and everyone returned to their seats. "Well I guess it's on to the next chapter in all of our lives."