Chapter Text
As he stood up in front of the large room of people gathered at the official gala to celebrate the marriage of Shepard and Vakarian, Grunt felt something he never had before: nervous. Of course he had to insist to be the first to toast Shepard and Garrus; he'd been confident in what he wanted to say before he stood up and faced all of the people staring back at him.
So he turned towards Shepard and Garrus and raised his glass of ryncol. Shepard picked up on his nerves instantly, and gave him a sweet smile, instantly making him feel at ease. She looked so beautiful in her flowing white dress, with her makeup done lightly and white flowers weaved through her thick black hair. It has been curled and pulled to one side, and her green eyes had sparkled throughout the entire night. When she'd walked down the aisle the day before on Menae during the private ceremony, she'd looked similar to how she did now, and Grunt remembered the gasps from the small crowd as she'd beamed brightly on the arm of her mother and Admiral Hackett. Also, Grunt was fairly certain that he'd never seen a turian's jaw drop to the floor in the way that Garrus' had when he'd seen his bride, but no one was really looking at Garrus. They were all staring at the beautiful woman, glowing from head to toe, walking towards the next step in her life. The next step that, a year ago, hadn't seemed possible.
Grunt felt so proud of her.
Garrus was also smiling at Grunt, but it was an amused smile. The turian looked so relaxed, his arm slung lazily over his new wife's shoulders and a drink consistently in his hand. Garrus was happy. He took a sip of his beer and pointed it towards Grunt a sort of salute, and Grunt felt almost as supported by it as he did Shepard's reassuring smiles. He pulled the crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and took a deep breath.
"I am Grunt," he began simply, beginning to sweat almost immediately, looking up towards Shepard again. She nodded at him and he took another deep breath. "And I, just like everyone else in this galaxy, owe my life to Shepard."
The room erupted in applause and Grunt took a swig of his ryncol, growing more confident. He could see Shepard blush, but she sat up straighter in her seat.
"Shepard is my first natural memory," Grunt continued, "her face was the first I saw with my own two eyes after she let me out of the tank. She was the first being I interacted with, and also the first to put me in my place."
Chuckles rang throughout the hall and Grunt smiled to himself at the memory. Garrus and Shepard laughed as well, and Garrus squeezed Shepard tightly.
Grunt continued, "Shepard always supported me and believed in me, and I would still follow her into hell and back. I did it once, but I'd gladly do it again. She gave me life. She helped me become a true krogan, and she helped to shape me into the warrior I am today. I guess I owe her a lot more than my life, and I'm not sure that I can ever repay her. She's the closest thing I have to family; hell, she's the closest thing I have to a mother, and I am grateful every day that I get to be a part of her life."
He looked over at Shepard and saw her begin up tear up, resting her chin on her knuckles and looking fondly at him. He smiled back at her, trying not to choke up himself. The day he cried in front of diplomats and politicians was the day he offered himself to a thresher maw. Grunt coughed and cleared his throat, trying to focus on the next part of his speech.
"And then there's Vakarian," Grunt said in mock-annoyance, as more people chuckled, "when I first heard the rumours about him and Shepard I didn't really believe them. I mean, I'd heard that only krogan females had a thing for guys with scars... but I guess there was something else about him that Shepard found interesting. Still haven't figured out what, though."
Garrus let out a large chortle as the rest of the room laughed, and Shepard gave him a slight, playful nudge. He nuzzled her cheek.
"But, Garrus, I couldn't think of anyone who could take care of, protect, and love Shepard more. You're one hell of a guy, even though you're a turian, and I'm happy to call you family, too. So raise your ryncol and drink with me to Shepard and Garrus!" Grunt said, "May they live a long, happy life together."
Glasses clinked and Grunt downed the rest of the ryncol in his glass, saluting Shepard and Garrus before he sat down. He felt warm inside, partly because of the ryncol, but mostly because he'd seen the pride in Shepard's eyes when she'd raised her glass and mouthed 'thank you' to him before he sat down. That, along with the motherly love that came with it, meant everything to him. Shepard had given him a clan, a name, a life... but, most importantly, she'd given him somewhere to belong.