Author's Notes: I did not intent to let this happen. It was not in the plan and I'm so sorry. But the prompt was there so I made it 'sort-of-getting-married' but it's mostly up to you to decide whether they'll take it into account on later date or not.
As for the clothes - I suppose you know what Gallifreyan ceremonial clothes look like and I've taken his from the ones in Adam'. Everything else is practically made up (save for the vows; they're both parts of poems - the first one by Cassandra Clare and the second by Pablo Neruda. I just thought them fitting.), so I hope you enjoy this one because I'm kind of anxious about it.

Day Twenty-Five: Getting Married

"Explain," the guard said, his tone surprisingly peaceful considering the look of absolute mistrust he was sending Jack's way.

"What exactly is this mark you're talking about?" The Doctor put in again, before Jack had had the chance to say that he had no idea what was going on. The guard raised an eyebrow, then sighed and dismissed his colleague with a wave, lowering himself to the ground so that he could talk to them without risking to be heard.

"Look, you lot are obviously not from around here, but I can't let you go now. The Emperor's orders. I suppose you're running away from the war. That's how you ended up here, right?"

"Yes," River put in quickly and Jack wasn't sure if it was her best or worst idea. She smiled at the guard, trying to be as helpless and clueless as she could. River, as the Captain had noticed several times, was not good at pretending to be helpless – it just wasn't in her nature – but the man apparently fell for it, because his expression softened. "Could you tell us what's going on?"

"Like I said, the Emperor's orders," the guard repeated, sitting down next to them. "He thinks that if we're standing proudly together in the difficult times, we're going to create a stable and practically indestructible country. He's taken a lot of measures to make it happen and the biggest one yet is the one concerning partnership. Once you turn of age – which is twenty-one – you have to find a partner and you have five years to do it."

"What if you don't?" Jack asked warily. He could sense where this was going and he definitely didn't like it.

"There's no 'if' about it. You have to find someone."

"This is the most ridiculous law I've ever heard," Ianto put in rather unhelpfully. "How is this going to create a stable society? We're talking marriage here, right?" The guard nodded. "Your Emperor isn't a very bright one, is he?"

"Don't say that," the man hissed, visibly tensing. "He's got eyes and ears everywhere. You're in the system now and, since you're registered as unmarked, you have a week to find someone suitable. As for you..." He turned to Jack. "There must be someone. Do you have a partner? You might have one and it'd be fine if we only mark you now."

Jack opened his mouth, then closed it again, unsure. He didn't want to involve Ianto in this, but he didn't seem to have much of a choice. "If you disobey that law," he started slowly. "What happens to you?"

"Death penalty, and the planet is basically in a lockdown, so don't even think about it." The guard was getting impatient and, even though Jack guessed that death wouldn't be that much of a problem, God knew what they'd do to him if they found out he couldn't die. Ianto was right – the institution wasn't the cleverest one. "Do you have a partner or not?"

Silence descended again, then Ianto sheepishly raised his hand. "That would be me."

"Then what are we still doing here? You've got to be the only ones in the whole country. And I'd bet good money that the Emperor already knows about– ah." They all turned to follow the gaze of the guard, only to see several people in uniforms similar to his approaching them. "That would be the back-up. You need two witnesses."

"Wait a minute here," Jack started protesting, but was silenced when a gun was pressed against his back and he saw, with the corner of his eye, the same happening to Ianto.

"Are they family?" The guard pointed to the Doctor and River, paying little to no attention to any protests coming from any of them and Jack sighed in resignation. "As close as we've got to one."

"Very good. You've got your two witnesses, then. Now get going."

o.O.o

As they were marched to a building that was probably the city hall, Jack tried to inch as close to Ianto as he could. "I'm sorry," he managed to whisper in the Time Lord's ear, making Ianto turn around in surprise and look at him questioningly. "About this. It was my idea to come here. You wouldn't be involved in this if it weren't for me."

Ianto smiled encouragingly. "It's okay. And plus, it doesn't have to count if we don't want it to, right?" If he wasn't being pushed forward by force, Jack would have probably stopped in his tracks by this point. "I mean, what does it matter? We're on a planet we're never going to visit again – once they do it, they'll let us leave. What's the difference whether we're married here or not?"

"...Right," Jack muttered, suddenly wanting to look anywhere but at his lover, just so Ianto wouldn't catch the look in his eyes. "Of course."

"Unless you want it to count," Ianto hurried to add and Jack was somewhat ashamed of the fact that he seemed to be able to breathe more easily now. It wasn't so much for the marriage itself – even though he still couldn't wrap his mind around the idea of being married to Ianto – than for the carelessness with which Ianto had thrown the mere thought of it away. "Then we can, you know, do it properly."

"We could," Jack agreed, then fell silent as the guard they'd first met several hours ago reappeared with a small smile.

"Both of your home worlds have been studied and looked over. We'll do our best to provide anything you might need for you and your witnesses to perform the rituals which you are used to."

"How considerate of you," Ianto threw in under his breath, but Jack had noticed several times until now that sarcasm wasn't appreciated – or understood – around here and the point was proven when the man smiled. "I'm glad you appreciate it. Now, if you'd just follow me..."

Ten more minutes and Jack and Ianto were sitting together in a small room while their 'witnesses' had been sent to explain their situation to the local authorities and bring them everything they would need. Neither of them said a word and Jack was rather glad that it was like that; things would probably get ugly if any of them opened his mouth right now.

Just then, the Doctor returned, carrying a pile of clothes in his arms, as well as two seemingly shapeless golden objects on top of them. "Ceremonial clothes! The archives here have information of basically every species you can think of and also 3D printers – how cool is that? – so you can get everything you need."

Jack had never been more grateful that his planet was constantly living on fear of being attacked and people didn't have much time for such things. Weddings were short and sort of frantic and everyone got married in their daily clothes, so he got a shirt and trousers – one made from a special fabric that didn't wear off on the sun and the sand, he knew, and it suddenly brought a wave of nostalgia he hadn't expected.

His gratefulness only increased when he looked at the clothes the Doctor and Ianto were currently fighting with – floor-length blood red robes with a lot of different motives on them, most of which golden, and a symbol that looked a bit like an hourglass on their chest. The shapeless metal things turned out to be some sort of headdresses and, before he knew it, Jack had forgotten all his worries and was just sitting back and enjoying the show as they fumbled about with them.

"I'm pretty sure this is supposed, to go over my shoulders," Ianto said tersely as the Doctor placed it on his head with an authority that lesser men would have not dared to question. "Doctor, it's upside down." The younger Time Lord glared daggers at Jack as the Captain started laughing. "If you can't help, Jack, then could you try not to make it worse?"

Jack's smile died just as there was a knock on the door and then River's voice from outside. "You lot dressed yet? They said we've got to be ready in ten."

"Everything's covered enough for your virgin eyes," Jack called out and, with a snort, she came in, only to stop by the door. She was dressed in similar clothes – the same colour, only it was a dress instead of the robes that had been given to Ianto and the Doctor and her own... crown? – was smaller, ending just at the back of her head. "Give me that," she said, apparently annoyed, and took the thing from the Doctor's arms, placing it on Ianto's shoulders and head properly, only to do the same with the Doctor moments later. "There you go. All ready. They agreed to give us a bit of privacy – there are cameras, of course, so we don't try anything – and apparently, they're being very forward-thinking for allowing an interspecies marriage, so–"

"Allowing?" Ianto's voice was incredulous. "It's not like we asked for this!"

"Quiet, you," River said mildly with a glance at the cameras as a warning, then offered the Doctor a piece of cloth. "There we go. Since the rituals of your places of origin are in complete opposites, we'll have to do a bit of a mix-up. Doctor?"

The Doctor nodded, probably mostly to himself. "Right. From Jack's side we take the vows, from Ianto's - the ritual itself, so here you go." He took both of their arms and wrapped the cloth around them, tying them up together, only for River to click her tongue in disapproval. "You're doing it wrong," she informed him and came next tp him, untying it with deft fingers. "This is the configuration for arranged marriage. Can't you see? You're basically tying them up. It shouldn't be like that!"

"How do you even know that?"

"How do you not?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Ianto said, his voice quiet and collected and Jack might have fell for it if it weren't for his face - even paler than usual - and his trembling hand. ", but can you do this later?"

"Sorry," the Doctor said, then shook his head. "Sorry, she's right. This is important, so now, if either of you feels forced into this, you have to tell me now."

There were several moments of silence before Jack spoke. "I'm doing it willingly." Even without looking at Ianto, he could tell that he was surprised before the man echoed his words and Jack felt like the heaviest weight he'd ever had on his heart had just fallen. "I'm doing it willingly, too."

The Doctor clapped his hands. "Very well! Now, we'll do it properly. Take the two ends of this and grip it tightly; I want you to say whatever feels right. The concept of wedding vows is unknown to Time Lords, but on Boeshane Peninsula, there are vows exchanged, so... say whatever feels right." He stepped back, trying to give them space.

"Ianto," Jack started as soon as he had the time to pull his thoughts together and he looked right at his lover's eyes, trying to focus. "There is a saying we had back home - coming from an old book on Earth, as far as I know - and it says, 'Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm, for love is strong as death.' I believe you understand what I'm trying to say with it and why it applies even more to us than anyone else and that no matter what happens, my love for you will always be stronger than death. Your seal on my heart is something that will remain there forever and believe me when I tell you, even if the circumstances are the way they are, I do believe that I would have told you that at some point anyway."

Ianto nodded, then blushed as if realising that he was acting as if Jack was giving him instructions during a boardroom meeting. "Okay," he began with an air of determination. "Jack, you all of all people know that I'm not one for words, and there's only one thing to say that feels right, so..." His voice died and Jack smiled in encouragement as he saw the Doctor giving Ianto the thumbs up with the corner of his eye and when Ianto spoke again, there was something different in his voice. Something he couldn't quite place as the words translated automatically to his mind anyway, but there was something new in them and he didn't break the gaze they were still holding even if his voice was trembling slightly. "I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride; so I love you because I know no other way than this: where I does not exist, nor you, so close that your hand on my chest is my hand, so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep."

His voice wavered rather uncharacteristically towards the end and the Doctor stepped forward again, only to have River drag him back by his - quite long right now - sleeve as discreetly as she could, but he was apparently unable to hold back. "Now for most species, this is traditionally the point when-"

"Yeah, Doc, I think I can take it from here," Jack cut in, linking his hand with Ianto's by the cloth that separated them and brought his lover close for a rather enthusiastic kiss which Ianto returned in kind. Jack didn't know what he had expected from him by this point, but it hadn't been this; hadn't been anything close to the waves of satisfaction coming from Ianto right now.

"Okay, if we're done here, can we go back to the TARDIS? This thing makes my back hurt." The Doctor's voice came from somewhere left of them and Jack could just see River rolling her eyes at the remark. Neither of them paid them any mind, though; Jack pulled back, one hand still on Ianto's face and the other on his gold-clad shoulders as his eyes searched for any clues as to what he was feeling from his expression. "Are we... is everything..." He was strangely lost for words; scared to ask because he was afraid of the answer. The several last weeks with Ianto had taught him to be tentative when it came to anything on an emotional level. "Are we okay?"

Ianto's smile was enough to light up even the gloomy room they were currently crammed in. "We're perfect."