For some unexplainable reason Peter feels incredibly at ease with the Welshman he stumbled across in a Cardiff pub earlier that evening. Ianto and Peter walk side by side along Cardiff Bay, small talk and light discussion about the local area passing between them.
"I know about you, by the way." Ianto says all of a sudden, making the other man freeze mid-step, "I know your secret."
Panic races through Peter, nailing him to the ground, he must be mishearing things, this man couldn't possibly know, could he?
"Don't worry, I'm special too." He says with a smirk, turning around and walking away from Peter slowly...a trait that reminded the slightly younger of the two of his friend, Claude.
"What do you mean, you're special? You mean you're special like me? You're a hero too?" He asks, following the other man.
Ianto faces him, hands in suit pockets, "All I know Peter is I...know things."
His face crinkles in confusion, "What d'ya mean? You're like psychic or something?"
The other man sighs, "Why do you have to make everything so melodramatic? Remind me never to introduce you to Jack, you two would cause chaos."
"Who's Jack?"
"Doesn't matter." Ianto replies nonchalantly, "I just know things. Which means, if I'm right, you should start to know things too."
It took Peter a moment to digest this information. So Ianto's probably a good guy, that's good as he was starting to like him and if that's his power...well, it's pretty useful, isn't it? "Prove it", he says, cocking his head slightly to one side letting a few strands of hair fall down.
"What are you, five?" Ianto giggles, his cheerful mood returning once more as he gently tucked the loose strands of hair behind Peter's ear.
The other man tensed for a minute, and Ianto awkwardly pulled away, "Just do it", the American challenges.
"Ok." Ianto closed his eyes for a second, allowing thoughts to roam his mind. "Ok, I got it. You see that woman over there by the Millennium Centre with a kid?"
Peter glances over to where Ianto is indicating to see a middle-aged woman with a teenage boy who was presumably her child. "Yeah, I see her."
"She's gonna drop her glasses in a minute." He says in all seriousness.
"That's all you've got?" Peter asks sceptically.
Ianto gives him a glare in reply and both of them turn to watch as the woman, inevitably, drops her glasses and a stranger walks along and helps her pick them up.
"Whoa, déjà vu!" Peter exclaims as the stranger helps the woman. "But it was a really big déjà vu...like I knew it was going to happen and...oh." Realisation dawned on his face as he starts to understand what was happening to him, "So, is that what it feels like, this power? You just...know stuff?"
"Took you long enough to work out." Ianto says bitterly.
"You remind me of someone, don't suppose you've ever met a complete madman called Claude have you?"
The Welshman shakes his head in an adorable way, letting out a small laugh. "'Fraid not."
"This is so weird, it's like I know...stuff. That woman over there is worried about her insurance, the performance tonight is going to overrun by ten minutes, that cat by the dock is pregnant, oh god, so many emotions…and what the hell's Torchwood and why do they have a base under that water tower?"
"You probably don't want to know." Ianto says worried slightly about how much Peter knows…maybe he should move him away from Torchwood before he gets himself in trouble.
The American's brain is buzzing too much with thoughts and facts to focus on Ianto's qualms about Torchwood. He soon gets dizzy from all the overwhelming confusion and noise and suddenly he feels a bit faint.
-
Peter wakes up later with a pounding headache and a man leaning over him with something cold pressed against his head. The fog clears a little and Peter slowly realises the man is Ianto and the cold something is a damp flannel on his forehead.
"You with me yet?" The Welshman asks quietly.
"Just about." He says and tries to sit up, but the sudden nauseous feeling and a gentle resistance from Ianto changes his mind and rapidly lies back down. Peter settles for asking, "Where am I?" instead.
"The sudden ability to do what I do must've taken your body by surprise, you looked a little pale and the next thing I know you fainted on me. You're in my flat now, thought it was safer in here. Have some water."
Peter slowly sipped the water he was handed slowly, still trying to get used to everything. "Wait a minute, it's stopped now...I can hear my thoughts again...what happened?"
"Let's just say I have this device that sort of blocks that sort of thing and I can turn it on or off whenever I like," Ianto says with a kind smile, "I thought you might appreciate getting some rest."
"Some sort of device, huh? Why don't you have it on all the time, don't you get headaches and stuff from being psychic or whatever too?"
"That Claude guy taught you how to control your abilities, right? Well, you can do the same with my power, but it's a little harder, it takes practise."
"Then teach me." Peter said with confidence.