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“This is cruiser seven reporting in, we’re approaching the crucible now. Can someone patch Vakarian into the comm system so I don’t have him pulling at my crest while we do this?” Adrien Victus requests over comms, drumming his fingers across the console of his ship’s main deck.
“Patching him through now, Primarch,” one of his soldiers quips, punching a few buttons on her console.
“Primarch! Have you found him yet? Are you at the crucible? Is he alive?” Garrus rapidly asks over the comms causing the Primarch to take a deep breath before replying.
“We just reached the crucible, do you know your current location?” Adrien was prepared to go through the crucible wreckage for the war hero - that very well should have been dead had it not been for a small ping that suggested otherwise - with a small team for Garrus, but he wanted to make sure it was the only option. His crew was sparse and he knew for certain he’d have to be on the rescue team, he wasn’t reluctant to do it, but he was double-checking all his options first.
“We’re not sure. Somewhere in the local cluster, we got shot out of the mass relay jump by whatever the crucible did. We’re already working on repairs, but it’ll take time. Primarch, with all due respect, I need you to find him. Now.”
Adrien startled a bit, Garrus had always been polite - or at least tried to be - when they’d converse over plans. To hear the turian so ruffled and demanding, the pain in his voice and the way his secondary vocals trembled with fear and vulnerability, struck the Primarch in the chest. He knew the voice, it sounded exactly how he’d sounded when he’d lost his son. He wasn’t too surprised, he’d had his suspicions about him and Shepard, which had only been confirmed when he’d caught the two of them holding each other close in the rubble on Earth, moments before they left for the beam. Shepard was important to him, and this was the least he could do to repay the duo for his debt.
“I’ll find him personally, Vakarian. Please try and remember this is a lot of ground to cover. We have asari and salarian teams, as well as a few other turians, assisting in the search for not only commander Shepard but any surviving citizens.” He’s already walking towards the shuttle bay, clipping armour into proper places as he talks.
He doesn’t need to hear him to know Garrus sighs, wherever he is, he can’t imagine the fear he must feel. A lover is painful to lose, but to not know if you’ve lost them or not, is even worse.
“Just… find him. Please.”
Adrien reaches the shuttle bay, clipping his helmet together as he stalks across the small area to where shuttle one was prepared. He sees a few of his best men already waiting for him as he boards.
“I will. We’re taking a shuttle down now, stay on the frequency and we’ll update you as we go. Patching in the other teams as well.”
The shuttle ride down is a bit rocky due to the debris that is scattered across the open space, but his pilot is one of the best left and gets them through eventually. Right to the top of the citadel where the crucible had docked, but on the opposite side. They had a human team already searching the crucible wreckage, headed by one Kasumi Goto. He wasn’t sure who she was, but he knew she’d been on Shepard’s team when he’d wiped out the Collectors.
When his feet touch solid steel again, he allows himself very little time to take in the sight of a destroyed citadel and starts walking immediately, updating Garrus and the other teams as he goes.
“We’ve reached the citadel, all teams report in,” he orders over comms, just to make sure everyone made it safely. When he hears a confirmation from everyone, he continues; “We have three jobs here. Priority one is to find Commander Shepard, I trust none of you need me to give you a description. Priority two is to find any survivors left from the citadel, and priority two is to assess the damage to know how long it will take to rebuild.”
The comms fill with the chatter of acknowledgement as everyone receives their orders and begins their searches in hastily assigned locations. Adrien heads his team through the wreckage, attempting not to soil the helmet of his suit when he finds maimed human corpses. It’s a terrifying sight to witness and his slim crew seem to agree. Thankfully, not many teams have the same bad luck. It seems that there are large parts of the citadel that weren’t destroyed that have survivors in them. They’re quickly evacuated as the search continues.
Adrien is one hundred percent convinced that Shepard was definitely not alive. There was no way that the commander would be able to breathe or survive in these conditions. He half wanted to cease the search, but he knew Garrus would have his hide if he didn’t. He didn’t want to push his luck with the ex-vigilante, even if he is the Primarch.
Then he hears the same beat he’d heard when Shepard had found him on Menae - and any time he’d pass by Garrus’ quarters late at night - followed by a ragged, strained singing of one definitely delirious commander. He had to take a moment to assess that he wasn’t hearing things.
“Hail, hail, what's the matter with your head, yeah!” Shepard’s voice echoed throughout the wreckage akin to the same screech a banshee would produce. Ragged and pained.
He leaned in close to his comms, took a deep breath and braced for what was about to happen, and spoke;
“Vakarian, we found your boyfriend, and he’s fucking singing.”
“I - what song?” he can hear the nervous tremor in Garrus’ voice. If Adrien was wiser, he might’ve thought that the two of them had a song code. But that would be too personal to ask.
“An old Earth song, I think it was one that he played on Menae. The one that goes “hail, with it, baby, ‘cause your fine”,” he repeats the words that Shepard had sung a few seconds ago, relieved he didn’t have the unfortunate timing of repeating the next verse.
“You might want to hurry,” Garrus urges him. Yup, definitely a song code.
He does as he’s told, quickly muting his comm system as he calls out for Shepard through the rubble. His crew assists him, and within a few moments, they’ve located the commander. He has to have a few of his men move the rubble around them so that he can get to the grinning man.
“Primarch Victus?” Shepard stutters when he finally catches sight of him.
“I was the closest ship. Your boyfriend’s been under my hide to come to find you,” Adrien explains, trying not to sound like he was complaining.
Shepard’s eyes widen as his lower jaw drops. Adrien can see tears forming in the corner of the human’s eyes. He looks like shit, blood smeared across his face, a broken lip, busted bones, and now he’s crying.
“Wait, Garrus is alive?”
Adrien nods his head;
“Alive and well enough to worry.”
“Fuck. Fuck. I didn’t mean to make anyone worry. I - I wasn’t even supposed to live through that,” Shepard admits, unable to stop the tears rolling down his cheeks as Adrien’s crew works him free.
“None of us expected to live through it. Yet here we are. Crying isn’t going to change the fact that we have the best salarian doctors on standby and I hear that your crew is working on getting the Normandy back to working order,” he fills him in as one of the stronger turians picks up the old spectre.
“They’re all alive…?” Shepard mumbles, Adrien’s translator labels it as a rhetorical question. Not meant to be answered.
Instead, he devotes his energy to contacting Garrus.
“Vakarian, we have your boyfriend. He’s alive, badly wounded, but he’ll live. We’re taking him out now.”
“Tell him I love him!” Shepard demands from where the turians are carrying him off.
“... and he loves you.”
“I - thank you, Victus. I can’t - I don’t have the words to thank you enough for finding him.”
“Just get back here quickly so I don’t have to keep your seat warm when he comes out of surgery.” He would wait next to Shepard’s bed for Garrus if he had to. Only if he had to. Not because he had a soft spot for the spectre who’d actually listened and helped him to get krogan support, defend Palaven, and stop the reapers. As well as keep his best soldier alive.
“Joker says we’ll be up and running in a few hours. It’ll take a few more to get back. We’ll be back within the day - hopefully… can you tell him I love him as well?”
Adrien sighs again.
“How about I put you two on a private channel as we transport him?”
“... please.”
He makes the arrangement with his men to get Shepard linked to a new comm frequency. Shepard’s more than happy to comply, even while he’s being strapped down to a spine board on the transport. Adrien sits quietly and pretends to not overhear their conversation as they ride back.
Garrus’ POV
“Hey Garrus, Victus says he got it to work,” Shepard’s voice cracks through the comm system startling Garrus as he works on a panel in the main battery. He nearly welds the side of his glove. He wasn’t sure why he was so unprepared to hear his boyfriend, but it fluttered his heart.
“Shepard! You’re alive! You have no idea how fucking worried you made me - made everyone -” Garrus starts to lecture before taking a deep breath - “I thought you died…”
Shepard chuckles on the other side of the line.
“Guess you’ll have to follow through your promise of tiny krogan children.” Shepard’s tone suggests he’s teasing him, but Garrus knows better. It’s too light and worn down to be a joke, he’s serious.
“Krogan, turian, quarian, asari, human, even salarian. Take your pick, as long as I have you in my arms I’ll be more than happy,” he admits, his mandibles twitching in embarrassment that anyone could hear him due to the battery doors being wide open. He’d yet to tell anyone Shepard was alive until he had heard it from the man himself.
“How about we figure it out when a turian’s not trying to put a tube in my arm? Though I’m sure Wrex will have a few extras.” The second part was a joke - most of it was - Garrus knew that for certain.
“Perhaps after I have you in my arms again and we make us more than official by word,” Garrus hums, considering the possibility of Shepard in a very large hoodie designed for turian’s to carry young, with a tiny baby turian in the pouch near the top, relaxed across the couch.
“Garrus, are you -?”
“Asking you to marry me? Yes. If you’ll have the slightly scarred, ex-vigilante who seems to find himself crossing your path enough to make it appear as fate.” His heart pounds in his chest at the very notion of what he’s proposed - that he’s proposed. He’s nervous, his hands shaking as he stares at the wall waiting for his reply.
“Yes. I do. I will.” Shepard’s quick to reply, stumbling over his words as he repeats himself. It makes Garrus’ heart soar in his chest. Engaged, he was engaged. “There’s a - don’t laugh, but go to my room, top drawer under my desk.”
Garrus sets the blowtorch down (off of course) and quickly makes his way through the battered kitchen and up the elevator to Shepard’s room. He nearly runs into Liara, she opens her mouth to say something but dismisses it, letting him go instead. Right, he had to tell everyone. He’d do it in a moment.
In Shepard’s quarters, he knows exactly what drawer to look into, and pulls out a small gold band that fits around his finger perfectly, small words carved across the inside: We’re Hard To Kill. Garrus has to snort as he picks up the note hidden under it.
Garrus, there’s a chance you’re finding this and I’m dead. If that’s the case, I intended to give you this after we won - somewhere nice, like on Palaven in the reconstruction, or maybe on some exotic beach as the two of us finally settle that competition (I missed on purpose). I never thought I’d even consider this - not after everything I’ve been through. Yet, here I am, buying a ring for you. If you’re finding this and I’m alive, then you better pretend you didn’t find it. This is supposed to be a surprise!
“A surprise indeed,” Garrus chuckles, running his fingers over the smooth band.
“Do you like it…?”
“It’s perfect. Fits like a glove.”
“That’s good, I was hoping I got the measurement right. I got the idea after EDI bought me a victory band to wear around my tags - platonic, I double-checked - and I thought “hey, I want to see Garrus wear one of these. For me” so I bought one. I may have worn the matching one on my tags as well… I was a bit hopeful.” Garrus leans quietly on Shepard’s desk as the man explains, a gentle smile on his lips. He loved this man, eccentricities and all.
“Oh yeah! One more thing. Hit my stereo, press number seven,” Shepard orders him. “Quickly, they say we’re landing soon.”
Garrus reaches across the desk and turns on the radio as requested. A familiar song fills the cabin and he can’t help but smile at the floor as he fidgets with the ring.
Shepard waits for a moment, then continues assuming he did the request;
“I put my playlist - our playlist - in the system. So you have something to keep you company on your way back.”
“You really thought of everything, didn’t you?”
“Just enough to make sure I’d stay in your heart for a few months.”
“If you’re landing soon, do you want me to patch you into the crew’s comm system so you can tell them you’re alive?”
“Yes, that - that’s probably a good idea,” Shepard chuckles. Garrus can hear the nerves in his voice lightyears away as he patches him through.
“Attention crew of the Normandy, I know we’re all busy with repairs, but there’s an important message for us. So listen up, okay?” Garrus tries to sound as vague as he can, attempting to hide the giddy secondary tones in his voice.
Shepard waits for a few moments as the comm frequency goes quiet. Then, ever one for the dramatics, he speaks up as if nothing was wrong.
“I heard Joker crashed the ship. Damn, I thought you were supposed to be the best pilot in the alliance.”
There’s a long silent pause as Garrus tries to stifle his laughter. Vega is the first to speak up;
“Really living up to your nickname, loco.”
“Hey, I’m hard to kill. Apparently, I’m on chart to some salarian doctors who’re gonna patch me up real good. So you better be there to see me when I wake up so I can make sure you’re all alive.”
“You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice. Seriously thought we lost you back there,” Joker cracks through from where he’s repairing the bridge.
“Feeling’s mutual. Seriously thought I’d died.”
“You had us worried - Garrus, how long did you know!?” Liara demands.
“Relax Liara, can’t a guy have five minutes with his boyfriend before everyone needs to know he’s alive?”
“No! You should have told us!”
“Liara, relax. I wanted to speak with him first… there were things we had to discuss.”
“You bosh’tek! We were all worried! Serious things can kiss my ass!” a very angry quarian cuts in.
“Tali, can’t a guy get proposed to in private?” Shepard chuckles, his voice light and teasing in a familiar tone he’d take when addressing the young quarian.
The comm frequency goes dead for a moment and Garrus seriously thinks he cut out. Which doesn’t help the panic rising in his stomach of what the crew’s reaction will be.
“Well, it’s about time! It’s only been three years of having to watch you two dance around each other or morn the other,” Joker complains.
“Congratulations, I shall update the records for future reference,” Liara hums and Garrus already knows she’s tapping away on her computer.
“When’s the wedding? Who’s the best man? Do you have a guest list yet…?”
Garrus starts to tune out the endless questions as he smiles down at his ring. This was the right decision. It might not have been the best one - considering his high-paying C-Sec job that he’d quit in order to follow one arrogant spectre to the ends of the galaxy and back, and then decided to stick around after - but it was the best one. He wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Especially not when he sees Shepard’s smile next. Peaceful on a hospital bed as his chest rises and falls evenly, the heart monitor beeping steadily. They’re on Earth in a mostly broken hospital. Shepards in one of the clearer rooms, his body hooked up to wires and tubes with more bandages than skin. Garrus couldn’t care less. He was here, surrounded by his friends as Shepard’s eyes slowly fluttered open.
“Garrus…?” he croaks, tilting his head towards the turian, attempting to push himself up.
Garrus is quick to reach out and guide him back down to the bed. Shepard had to rest, that was the one order that the doctors had given him when he first arrived. Even Victus had told him to let him rest.
“Take it easy, honey. You just won a war, you can afford to lie down for a few moments,” Garrus assures him, moving his hand down to hold Shepard’s when he finally settles down with a huff.
“Alright. Fine. Ten minutes, but after that, there’s work to be done,” Shepard states stubbornly as he glances around the room at the various faces watching him. Some from the very beginning; Admiral Hackett, Joker, Wrex, Liara, Kaidan, Tali, some from a suicide mission that everyone seemingly survived; Grunt, Jack, Samara, Zaeed, Miranda, Jacob, Kasumi, some newer from a war that they should have lost; Primarch Victus, James Vega, Javik. It was a sight to behold to see all of them crammed into the same room. He wished Anderson was around to see this too. To see how far they’d come.
“What’s everyone looking at? It’s not like I haven’t died before. Did you seriously think I’d stay dead?”
It defuses the room’s tension, breaking a few into tears, others into congratulations and awkward hugs.
“You did it, Shepard. We’re all proud of you. You’re a hero,” Hackett states proudly, patting Shepard’s foot.
“You even cured the genophage. Never thought that the trigger happy brat I met in Chora’s Den would be the one to solve it,” Wrex chuckles, ruffling Shepard’s bandaged hair. They’d had to cut most of it off due to it being clumped and knotted with blood or already destroyed from the Reaper blast.
“You saved so many lives. There isn’t a way we can ever repay you,” Primarch Victus adds with a slight nod of his head.
“Eh, it was nothing, really. I live here too, right? Can’t have the galaxy going to shit with me in it. Especially since I’m immortal until proven otherwise. I better see those ruins repaired on Tuchunka though, and Palaven restored, as well as support for Thessia and Earth - and other colonies, of course.” Shepard was always quick to demand action. That’s what Garrus liked about him; that he could demand so much, but expect so little from Garrus. Let him go at a comfortable pace, the both of them awkward with romance on account of one not being used to it, and the other being badly damaged from it.
The various representatives make promises before dismissing themselves. Orders are given to parts of the crew, deals are struck for drinks, and eventually, everyone gives him and Garrus space. When everyone leaves, Garrus awkwardly climbs into bed next to Shepard at his request. He lets Shepard rest his head against his chest as he adjusts his morphine drip. Garrus makes no move to stop him, he knew Shepard had enough medical experience to know.
“I missed you,” Shepard whispers quietly as he hugs Garrus around his middle.
“I missed you too,” Garrus whispers back, foreheads pressed together.
“I’m glad you’re here. On the other side, in my arms.”
“There isn’t anywhere I’d rather be.”