m_findlow

Title: Performance anxiety
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack, Ianto
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 400 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for caz251's prompt "Torchwood, Jack/Ianto, Stopwatch time" at fic_promptly
Summary: Jack has a reason to get nervous when Ianto pulls out the stopwatch

Once upon a time, Jack hadn't understood what Ianto meant when he said he still had his stopwatch. A few hours later he understood Ianto's meaning perfectly. Stopwatch time meant play time. Jack was naturally creative in all aspects of kink, foreplay and sex, but he was overwhelmed by the plethora of games Ianto himself could devise using the old timepiece. If there was a naughty equivalent of speed dating then this was it. And there were always new games being invented all the time, and old favourites that got played over and over again.

But somewhere along the line, things had turned ugly. Stopwatch time no longer automatically meant outrageous fun and many happy endings. Ianto had begun to use it to instill fear. No, not Ianto, Ianto's evil twin and his evil twin stopwatch.

Stopwatch time now forced Jack to comply with Ianto's wishes, and not in a good, submissive way. Well, not to Jack's mind anyway. Ianto may have held a different view. The stopwatch had become his way of making sure stuff got done. On time and to a required level of satisfaction.

Jack had ten minutes to clean up the mess he'd made in the bathroom, else he wouldn't be getting any shower sex for a month. Jack had twenty minutes to finish his report to the Home Office, or he would throw Jack's not so secret stash of chocolate ice cream in the bin. Jack had five minutes to apologise to Owen for the prank where he filled Owen's corpse full of helium, or he'd replace Jack's entire wardrobe with party costumes. Try going out to a rift alert dressed as a French maid. Even Jack had his limits.

And worst was that whilst Jack might threaten to withhold certain carnal pleasures, he couldn't stick to it. Ianto on the other hand, was more than capable of following through with his punishments, whatever the detriment to himself. That's how Jack knew he meant business.

They still had fun stopwatch time, but Jack always tensed for a split second when Ianto's hand went to his pocket. He tried to compile a list of grievances in his head that he might be about to be punished for, but then he steadied himself.

Provided he complied with Ianto's deadline and demands, he would be duly rewarded. He supposed this was what they referred to as performance anxiety.