A/N: crossposted on my AO3
When Connor was a kid, he hadn't really understood why his mom had been so insistent that he keep most of his magical abilities a secret from the other kids. Many of his fellow students enjoyed showing off their abilities, and everyone had several magical courses, along with such things as math, geography and language classes. But she had insisted that he be very careful while using his magic, and not not reveal the full nature of what he was... Which was also confusing, as far as the young man had known at the time, that most magical beings didn't bother to hide what they were - even dark or previously thought evil beings, such as Vampires and Wendigos.
But he promised her every day before classes - or when he was invited over to a friend's house to play or for a sleepover, that he would be careful using his magic, and to not reveal the type of magical being that he was. Once every other week, his mom would take him on a road trip, to one of the nearby National Parks, where there wasn't anyone around, so that he could practice his magic in full - and when he had finally been able to get rid of the last of his fledgling down as a teenager - practice to learn how to fly. By then he had figured out why it was necessary to hide his abilities, as Connor had no wish whatsoever to be taken away from his human mother.
Connor hadn't realized that certain kinds of magical beings were thought of as myth - such as Angels... Or rather, those who had wings, such as he did. In addition to having bird-like wings, he had healing magic... And he had figured out as a teenager, that he seemed to be a great deal more powerful than most if not all of his classmates.
Connor was aware that, as per the laws, he probably should have reported himself when he was fifteen, and after finding a dead mother cat - whose kittens were mewling and pawing anxiously at, had broken down into tears and pushed as much of his magic into her as much as possible... And finding out that the mother cat - who had been very clearly dead - was alive and she seemed to be well. Connor had taken the mama cat and her kittens to a local vet clinic, just to double check, and when telling them the truth - that he'd found them out in the street, the little family of felines had been sent to a local animal shelter, and all of them had been adopted. He should have gone to the local authorities and reported that he might be of an arch-mage class and tested, to see if he needed to be sent away for more intensive training... But Connor hadn't wanted to leave his mom.
Besides, he would have also been pressured into revealing his magical heritage and Connor was distinctly nervous about anyone finding out that he had wings. Connor was grateful that they drove out to the middle of nowhere every other week, so that he could fly as much as he wanted, as the young man always got incredibly restless towards the end of the two weeks. It didn't matter if it was a beautiful, cloudless sunny day with blue skies as wide as the horizon... Or pelting down rain that froze once it hit the ground. Connor wondered if he needed to fly a certain extent - if that was an instinct that those like him possessed, or if it was simply that he had the ability to fly without needing to use a spell or a spelled object to fly.
His eighteenth birthday had been in March, and he had just graduated high school. Connor wanted to become either a veterinarian or a doctor - and not simply because he had healing magic. He genuinely wanted to make a difference, and had been hard at work at school, taking all of the Advanced Placement classes that he could manage to get into, so that he had some college credits under his belt as he searched for colleges to apply to. He'd done very well in his classes - magical and mundane, and had graduated as the valedictorian of his year. A deep, uncertain sigh left his lips and the  young man rubbed his face a little, still uncertain as to what to do.
There were a couple of local community colleges that offered courses that would let him take the undergraduate courses he needed in order to qualify to get into a veterinary school... Btu the best veterinary school was on the far side of the state, several hours' drive from home. All of this additional schooling would cost money, and though he could apply to financial aid, the young man was wary of getting into financial debt of any kind - as he had heard... Stories of what happened, if you were far behind on your financial aid. That a government representative would find where you were living and in order to pay back the debt, a Contract would be forged, and you would have to do... Something for years, if not decades, in order to pay off the debt - and it didn't matter how much money you made in the meantime, they wanted magical spells and potions and any items you could craft, once the Contract was forged... Or so he'd heard the rumors. There was another rumor that you might just disappear into a government funded lab, as though there were a significant number of magical beings, there were far more non-magical humans in the world, and though humans tended to live much shorter lives than most kinds of magical beings, they were clever and could be more ruthless and terrifying than any magical being... Or so Connor had heard.
Connor wasn't sure if he believed those rumors or not, as he lived in a small magical community, at the edge of one of the Fae claimed forests, so they didn't see non-magical humans very often... Apart from the occasional curious tourist, who would be carefully assigned a guide, lest they get snatched up by one of the more... Capricious or old-fashioned Fae who didn't care much for the pretty pieces of paper that the four courts had officially signed, in order to avoid their borders from being cold Iron Bound and salt sealed. There were online classes... But again, it depended on whether or not he would be able to afford classes, on the fast food job that he was working. A deep, unhappy sigh left him as he clocked out, shaking his head a little and frowning.
"Why the long face, young one?" An elderly looking person asked, their finely lined face crinkling further as they peered at him.
Connor smiled politely and nodded at them. He could practically taste the magic around them, besides he'd met this person before - though their face changed every time they came into the burger joint he worked at. It was rude to recognize a Fae, unless they revealed themselves as someone you'd met before - even if you could recognize their magical signature. Apparently that was a difficult task for a lot of people to do, although why, Connor honestly couldn't imagine. Then again, it seemed as though most people didn't have an innate sense of who and what the beings around them were "Oh... It's just I graduated high school a little over a month ago, and I'm trying to decide if I want to go straight into college, or wait a couple of years... I kind of want to go backpacking across the states, to see the sights but... I've never been away from home for that long and... Yeah." It was also unwise to share too much of yourself at once to a Fae, which was why he stopped himself.
They hummed a little, a small smile appearing on their face "You're still so young yet, and despite the hustle and bustle of the humans with their lives that come and go so quickly... I wouldn't worry about such things. You have many years ahead of you, little one. Enjoy life as it comes, and knowledge will come to you as you need it."
"Wise words, I will make sure to keep them in mind." Connor responded, also knowing better than to thank a Fae. There were laws against a Fae taking advantage of a human slip of the tongue... But he was far from human.
They chuckled at that, their eyes shining in amusement - going from a soft brown to an electric purple "You always do have a sweet tongue, cast in silver. You are also the most cautious little one that I've met in some time... Then again, Â you do have reason to be. If you do go wandering, I would suggest that you stay away from the large cities - full of humans and a watchfulness you've never encountered. Some like to see birds captured in gilded cages - but I'd rather you fly freely."
Connor choke, all of the air in his lungs leaving him. His hands were shaking as he sputtered out "I... I have n-no idea... W-what do you..? I..." He took several steps back, a decidedly anxious expression on his face, reaching into one of his pockets for several packets of salt.
"Peace, peace. I mean you no harm, little one, although your caution does you credit. There is more than one way to bind powerful young ones like you, and there are those outside of this small village who will be more than happy to clip your wings and put you on display. Tread lightly if you are to walk in large cities - where there are many humans with little to no magic. Greedy and vicious, while not being bound to the same rules as we are. This advice is freely given, for a young one who has always been kind and warm - and whose food warms and heals these old bones of mine." The Fae murmured, sounding vaguely amused at how wary Connor was, a small smile on their face - though it didn't seem to be a malicious one, only entertained.
"I... I will definitely keep that in mind. Stick to the path, ignore the floating lights in the forest and don't cross without looking both ways." Connor murmured, reciting several common sense safety phrases. They helped him calm down.
"Just so." The Fae responded, a laugh in their voice. "For the entertainment, I will tell you this; when your second set of wings comes in, your magic will double. Once your third set come in, you won't be able to hide your magic, no matter how you try. You will have either needed to have found someone who has the strength to protect you, little healer, or one will be assigned to you. Or you can always come into the forest and stay with us. Healers are celebrated and welcomed always."
"I... Will think about that..." Connor responded, not wanting to turn down such an offer, but not wanting to sound as if he was going to accept it, and thus be whisked off and trapped in Fae service for the next fifty years.
The Fae chuckled softly at that, their eyes a shining amethyst color now "Good luck, and remember, fortune favors the bold but punishes the brash." With that, they vanished from sight, leaving Connor to ponder what they'd just said.
More than a little freaked out by that odd encounter with a Fae, and mulling over the option that he'd been given, Connor wondered if he did accept the Fae's offer to become a healer in their lands, if they would ever let him leave... As he would at least like to be able to visit his mom from time to time. The young man was also very much aware that the time dilation effects had been extensively studied - that even a minute in truly Fae-held territory could mean hours if not days depending on how you had arrived there, and under what circumstances you had left under. he had no desire whatsoever to deal with that... And besides, many Fae were tricksters by nature and he had no reason to believe that he would actually gain a second or even third set of wings.
It was more than a little distressing to find out that the Fae that he had encountered had known what he was - or had guessed but... Many Fae were centuries upon centuries old, and Connor wouldn't be surprised if more than a few Fae had met beings similar to him before.
He shook his head a little, clearing his thoughts as he walked the rest of the way home, pausing for a moment as he stared at the driveway. There was an unfamiliar car in the driveway - a gigantic black SUV with windows so dark that he couldn't easily see through them... Not that Connor was trying all that hard. They were in-state plates, but Connor had never seen this car in town before - it was also pristine and there was something... Menacing about it. He glanced at the door, and had a sudden and irrepressible urge to go running away as far as he could in the other direction - maybe hide out at Kanen's place and wait until his mom called and told him that everything was fine and why wasn't he home yet? Connor blinked once and found himself half way down the street, before he could really process what he was doing. He stopped moving, looking back at his childhood home, frowning a little and shaking his head.
It was just a car. A big and unfamiliar car, which was why Connor was fumbling in his pockets, realizing to his utter dismay as he only found his wallet in his pants, that he'd managed to forget his cell phone on the charger this morning. A groan of frustration left him, and he still had the urge to continue running in the opposite direction of that giant back SUV for as long as his legs would carry him. But it wasn't as if he had done (much) that was illegal, beyond being uncertain as to whether or not he should have gone to one of the testing centers when he was younger, to see if he was archmage class... He doubted he was - those sorts of beings were incredibly powerful, and who had heard of an Archmage, who could only use healing spells, anyways? Connor had tried to learn other sorts of his spells, but his magic simply wouldn't respond to the spells whatsoever...
Or if it did, instead of say, a small fireball, a concentrated burst of energy that looked very much like a fireball would appear, but instead of harming the dummy... Caused the damaged piece of training equipment to be back into perfect condition... And any accidental seeds that were in the immediate area - or the short, clipped grass further away from it  to grow like crazy. Connor realized that his instincts were urging him to run... And while his intuition was fairly correct about half the time, Connor had also figured out that though he was determined to protect and help his friends and family... His instincts tended towards flight - grabbing whoever else was in danger (whether they were actually in danger or if his instincts were just going haywire) and flee to a safer distance. It could be incredibly irritating, and he'd been teased for it on more than a couple of occasions... Although Kanen was usually just amused when they somehow ended up in the highest spot that Connor could safely climb. Occasionally his best friend - who excelled in combat magics - had lobbed a couple of low-level spells at whoever had startled or distressed him... At least when they had been kids.
As he'd gotten older, Connor had gotten a lot better about controlling his instincts... It didn't help that his teachers seemed to encourage him running - as apparently people who had healing magic were fairly rare, and no one wanted him in danger. Sometimes they acted as if he was some sort of delicate, fragile creature. As if he was made out of spun glass and would break if put under pressure. Honestly, the young man excelled in physical self-defense and he hadn't met anyone in the rural area who could pin him with a spell of any kind... Even area of effect spells that caught most everyone else in the area, as Connor was that good at dodging and evading such things.
Which was why the young man gritted his teeth, steeled his unexpectedly rattling nerves, and turned around, walking back to his home. Connor lightly knocked on the front door - so as to tell his mom that he was coming inside, as occasionally Ziio would startle, when he didn't before unlocking the door and calling out "Ista, are you back from work? I forgot my phone at home... Again..." Connor blinked and used his second sight - it was unexpectedly pitch black in the house - which was odd as it wasn't even dusk yet, and the blinds were partially open. It should have allowed some light into their house. At least a half dozen bright red figures were scattered throughout the house, turning towards the front door, as he had spoken.
Connor started to back out of the house, hitting a barrier behind him, turning in confusion as he realized that he should be able to leave through the open front door, but finding that he couldn't take another step forwards. The darkness seemed to be holding him fast and he struggled against the bonds, a confused "What the fuck?" leaving him as he continued to struggle against whatever the hell was holding him, trying to wrench free. He couldn't see his mom's soothing blue form - only red shades were headed swiftly towards him.
"Good afternoon." A strange, feminine voice greeted Connor, floating in through the darkness. "Are you Ratonhnhaké:ton Connor Hill?"
"Why should I answer that question? Who are you and let me out of this spell! You have no right to hold me like this." Connor snapped, glaring mistrustfully at the darkness as he focused on trying to use his magic in order to try to break free of the spell, finding that it was slowly starting to work. He could only hope that it would go fast enough, without whoever cast this spell noticing in time for him to get the hell out of here.
"We have every right to detain you. You are a young, arch mage class being who hasn't reported that they are such. You turned eighteen over a month ago. We are bringing you into custody, so that you will be properly disciplined and trained." A masculine voice responded, sounding firm and more than a little condescending "Did you really think that you would be able to hide?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about. There's no way I'm that powerful. I can't summon water or levitate objects with a simple thought. I can't turn someone into stone or cast a spell that is impervious to all but bombs and death magic. Hell, I've tried making little charms for people, and I can't cast a minor good luck charm." Connor sputtered in response "I can heal bruises and encourage broken bones to heal correctly, but that's about as much as I can manage and nothing else. If there's an arch mage in this small town... Which I seriously doubt ... You've got the wrong person." He wasn't entirely lying - he wasn't sure as to whether or not resurrecting a newly dead cat once while accidentally tapping into a ley line that he'd been standing very close to once counted. Besides that had drained his magic for over a month, to the point where he could barely heal scratches.
"Boy, your magic has soaked into the very dirt that this town has been built on. We can taste your magic in the air - the crops that are grown near here, are infused with your magic that passively leaves you. You also seem to have interacted with the ley line that is ten miles outside of this pitiful little spot on the map, although to do what, I cannot imagine." The masculine voice sneered again "Do not play dumb with us, boy. You are an arch mage, and you will be coming with us."
"Charles, don't be rude to the young man. He may not be aware of his power. Many of them often aren't." The feminine voice chided, sounding firm and almost kind. "Come with us, and we'll see that your magic is properly tested. There's no need to be afraid of us. Charles here was a little overeager in using the black as night spell preemptively, but I can tell that you're a gentle soul. If you're not an arch mage, we'll send you home. If you are, then you'll get the training you need in order to properly control and use your magic. You wouldn't want to hurt anyone accidentally, would you?"
"I... I'm not sure that I could, even if I wanted to. I've never been able to cast combat or defensive spells before, I'm not sure why that would change now... And... Where's my mom? Who are you, and why should I go somewhere with a bunch of strangers?" The young man demanded, scowling a little as he continued to slowly work his magic into the spell immediately around him, feeling as though he was getting close to fleeing.
"Your mother's been arrested and sent to a holding facility. While you might be oblivious and unaware enough not to realize your power, your... Mother ... Is an arch mage - as is your father, although I doubt that she told you anything about him or her own power. Miserable bitch fled when she had the chance and broke his heart - though I suspect he might have ran off with her, if he thought that the two of them together could have stayed hidden. This close to a Fae Reserve it's a wonder that you hadn't gotten stolen when they realized how strong you are." The masculine voice hissed, voice full of venom and derision.
"Don't insult my mom, you piece of shit!" Connor hissed, fear clutching at his heart. He had no idea who his father was - beyond the fact that Ziio loved him dearly, and if he had known about Connor, the other would certainly be delighted and proud of him - or so his mom had said. "How do I know that you're telling the truth? You broke into my home and cast a semi-illegal spell. For all I know, you're trying to kidnap me for unknown reasons."
"Mouthy little shit, aren't you? You're definitely her son." the masculine voice snorted, and all of a sudden, all six of the uniformed people appeared, surrounding him.
The woman who had spoken earlier sent one of the men with her - a black haired, mustachioed looking asshole - a glare before she responded, voice an attempt to be soothing "Charles, please do be polite? We've managed to frighten the young man, and there's call to be rude." She and the others - including the pompous looking asshole - showed him their badges.
Connor's shoulders sank a little, as he took her badge, realizing that yes, these were federal magical law enforcement agents. "I... Oh... I still don't think that I'm an arch mage but... But why would my mom be arrested, if she was a known arch mage? She's got the best control over her magic that I've ever seen, and surely archmages are allowed to live as they please, so long as they don't willfully hurt and make the lives of others around them miserable? Unless that's a lie fed to the public for strange reasons?"
Charles scowled, and opened his mouth, but the woman sent him another glare, shutting him up before she responded "Archmages are allowed to live where they please... But your mom really should have had you tested when you were much younger, as both she and your  father are arch mage class beings, and it is incredibly likely that you are as well. If you are a young arch mage class being, she will be sentenced to six months of community service. I'm officer Attaway. Please come with us."
"I..." Connor hesitated for a moment before nodding - it wasn't as if he had much of a choice, with the way that they were pinning him. Besides, he didn't have anything to hide. A deep sigh left him as he responded "Very well... Err... How long is this going to take? As if it's going to be more than a couple of hours... Or if we have to like... Drive to the nearest big city, which is over four hours away by car I'd like to change out of my work uniform, if it's all the same to you..."
Officer Attaway nodded, and with a sharp glance over at Lee, Connor was finally able to move again. He swiftly changed into more comfortable clothes, grabbing his phone as well, finding that his mom had tried to call and text him several times. "I'm ready... I guess." Connor muttered as he walked out of his room, utterly unsurprised to find all six of the agents waiting for him outside of the door to his room. He was glad that today was Friday - it meant that he had two days off.
Attaway nodded and he was shuffled into the back of the car, sandwiched between two of the officers, finding that there were two officers sitting in the third row of seats. He was feeling distinctly crowded as the car started up. He wanted to look at the messages his mom had tried to send him... But was a little concerned that the officers might try to read them... Which would be rude and might possibly get his mom into more trouble.