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Jack often wondered if he would ever fully die, to embrace the darkness forever. He wonders how long it would take; surely he can not live forever. Not when he keeps aging.
Soon, he stopped being called Jack after a few centuries, after he left Earth, going by different names for about a million years until he settled on being called Boe, going back to his roots. After about a few billion years of living and aging, and that weird beheading/nuclear meltdown incident that left him as a giant mutated head, he was then known as the Face of Boe.
Being the face of Boe, he forgot so much of his vast life, of the many adventures and deaths he had lived. Soon, the taste of food and the feel of touch become a distant memory, but there are a few things he keeps fresh in his mind: a mission and a promise.
He had missions from the Doctor that he knew were going to happen in his past. Hosting a viewing of the Earth's destruction, where the Doctor and Rose will watch the sun engulf the Earth. He feels emotional at seeing his Doctor again after so many years; he can not help but laugh at the juke box playing old songs and tries to remember his life on earth in Cardiff and his promise to his love, because after all of his billions of years, the name Ianto still lives in his mind.
He had not forgotten him; he had not forgotten Ianto dying in his arms, begging Jack not to forget him. But it was hard to remember the little things like how the Welsh accept sounds on the vowels, the flecks of colour in his eyes. But still, Jack, do not forget Ianto or the love he had for him.
The next time the Doctor is back, he has a new face. The face of Boe was weak and dying on New Earth, but then he saw that the Doctor was with Rose. While he was glad to see her one last time, it was not his time yet; he had waited so long, waiting a little longer was not a struggle.
He was feeling old; the New Earth started to use these emotional patches. He could see that it was bad, but he was too weak to stop it. He felt there were only a few days left when he felt the Doctor had returned to New Earth and sent for him to help save the day one last time, sacrificing the last ounce of life in doing so, but it was okay, he was with the Doctor and had made peace with his final death. He just needed to see Martha, and then he would let out this secret. Martha comes; she is still finding her footing and does not know the strength that was in her.
“You are not alone,” He says with all his might, the last strength he had. Completing his final mission and starting to loop for the Master. He wonders how long they will have to wait to learn the meaning.
He lets out his final breath and closes his eyes, going into the darkness.
**
Oddly enough, Jack opens his eyes. He was confused, as he had always been in the darkness after each death, and he expected his last death to be no different. But he seemed to have his normal body back, legs and all.
He finds himself nude in an apartment; it seems familiar, but he is not sure, looking out the window at a city outline. The city is small by the standards of the future. Jack finds himself walking through the apartment as if this were a memory, feeling the carpet under his feet. He wondered if he was alone until he saw a figure in the bed, nude skin glowing in the moonlight.
Jack gently sits on the bed, his heart swells as he sees Ianto asleep. He is just so happy to see his lover again; he does not question it. He just smiles and watches him sleep, Ianto sensing that he was not alone in the room.
“Jack?” Ianto asks, his voice a little sleepy.
Ianto smiles as he looks at Jack. Jack smiles back, but can not help feeling the tears forming in his eyes, trailing down his cheeks.
“Oh, Jack,” the Welshman says as he places his hand on Jack’s cheek, wiping a tear away with his thumb.
Jack lets out a little sob as getting to feel touch again, overwhelmed with the feeling. But he still smiles, trying hard to keep his eyes open, not wanting to miss any moment of Ianto.
“I kept the promise, I kept my promise to you,” Jack says as he leans into Ianto's hand.
“How long?” Ianto asks, worried about the answer.
Jack takes Ianto's hand and runs it over his cheek down to his lips, kissing them gently. He looked away for a moment, wanting to answer, but there was no way to do it gently.
“About five billion years, give or take a few centuries,” Jack tries to play it off as a joke, but he chokes out his words.
Ianto looks sad, thinking about how long Jack had lived, what horrors he could have faced. He knew that he would have to wait a long time to be reunited with Jack, which is why he went to sleep to wait, but he never thought of the number being so large.
“I’m here now,” Ianto whispers, and he leans in to give Jack a gentle kiss on his lips.
Jack returns the kiss, placing his hand on Ianto’s cheek before pulling back. He traces his fingers over Ianto’s face, over his cheekbone, his nose and lips before going down his neck. Feeling his collarbones and down Ianto’s bare chest.
“You are,” Jack laughs out, overjoyed that Ianto is here, he can see him, hear his voice and feel his body.
“I am,” Ianto says as he pulls Jack closer, running his hand in Jack’s hair and down his back and as he goes to lie back down, taking Jack with him. He rests Jack's head on his shoulder and intertwines their legs. Inato can tell that Jack has been starved for affection or simple touch; he had seen him before while they were both alive together.
Jack curls himself deeper into Ianto, running his fingertips over different parts of Ianto's body, while Ianto strokes his hair.
It was just them for now, taking the moments for themselves to heal and to love. Jack can tell his tales later, but for now, he wanted to remain in true love’s arms, something he had wished for the last five billion years (give or take).