Chapter Text
“So count your blessings every day
It makes the monsters go away
And everything will be okay
You are not alone
You are right at home”
- Light in the Hallway, Pentatonix
~
Maes stood side by side with his wife, both smiling at the sight of all three girls enjoying Gracia’s apple pie. Their daughter was lucky enough to take all of this for granted, but they continued to catch Nina and Winry staring as if their hosts would vanish into thin air. Come to think of it, the Elrics did the same thing when they first arrived to study in Central.
He would talk to Nina and Winry this evening, in hopes that the brothers could finally learn the secret of Nina’s escape.
First, he had a gift for her. “Nina, do you want to stay?”
The girl’s aquiline golden eyes widened as she nodded enthusiastically.
“Good!” Maes smiled back. “You can stay at home for as long as you’d like. When you’re ready to start your new life as a Hughes, you’re going to need a story to go with it.”
“A story?”
She asked with such cautious hope that he longed to scoop her into a hug. He knew that it would take time to earn that level of trust.
“Yes, and Nina can still be your nickname, if you want to keep it.” Maes held out his free hand to her, not allowing his smile to falter when she merely looked at it. “I can adopt you as Angelina Hughes, my cousin’s daughter from Xenotime.”
Maes felt Gracia squeeze his other hand. He squeezed hers back and continued to spin a new identity for the faultless fugitive.
When he got that letter from his cousin, he had asked Roy to investigate the town’s mysterious illness. Roy sent the Elric brothers, who teamed up with some local alchemists to save the town. It wasn’t their fault that help came too late for his cousin’s family.
~
After Nina and Elicia went to bed, Winry approached Maes. “Mr. Hughes?”
“Something on your mind, Winry?” There were so many things it might be.
She nodded. “There were a lot of oddly specific details in that story about Angelina Hughes…”
He had been caught. At least he knew that Winry could keep secrets, thanks to growing up with the Elrics. “What do you know about Xenotime?”
“Ed and Al went there recently to help neutralize toxins in the local environment. The toxin was especially dangerous for the elderly and childr-“ Winry stopped mid-sentence. “Angelina Hughes was a real person, wasn’t she?”
Maes nodded sadly. “If there’s an afterlife, I hope she can forgive me for giving her identity to Nina.”
Winry’s eyes shimmered with tears at the fate of the real Angelina, and likely from any personal grief she carried. Much like her family’s trademark automail, even the best found family could not truly replace that which had been lost.
Determination kept the tears from her voice as she replied. “I don’t know about an afterlife, but if I d- If I could save another life after mine was over, I wouldn’t just forgive you. I’d thank you.”
He stared at her. “Edward was right, you Rockbells really are extraordinary. If the stories I’ve heard are any indication, it runs in the family.”
“Mr. Hughes, I want to hear those stories, if you don’t mind.” Winry wiped away her tears with a clean but grease-stained handkerchief.
It seemed that tonight was a time for remembering. Gracia joined them with a steaming teapot and three cups. Her timing was as impeccable as she was.
“I only met them once, when I was assigned to Major Armstrong’s unit. He volunteered for a mission to warn humanitarian workers that it was time to evacuate…”
~
Nina sprawled across the sofa with her head on Winry’s shoulder and Elicia’s tiny hands playing with her feathers. She twitched as Elicia brushed against the itchy patch where a handful of feathers were growing back. When Elicia grabbed Nina’s wing a quarter of an hour ago, she had snapped them closed so quickly that the smaller girl fell and began to cry. Nina apologized immediately to Elicia, and then to a very worried and somewhat frightening Mr. Hughes. She unfurled a wing for Elicia to pet and kept her mouth shut until they both managed to relax.
It helped that Winry was there. Cuddling with the teenager did not make her feel trapped; it made her feel safe. Maybe that was why big brothers liked her so much.
“Winry?” She inquired.
“What is it, Nina?” She replied.
Worry colored her voice. “Elicia said that you’re visiting because big brother Edward got hurt. Is he better now?”
“He’s recovering well,” she responded reassuringly. “I’m his mechanic, which means that I fix his automail. The hospital should release him tomorrow.”
“Okay.” Nina thought for a moment. “Elicia said that he got hurt again. Did you fix his hurting last time too?”
“Yes, I did. He somehow managed to lose his entire automail arm.” Winry flailed her free arm in frustration. “I didn’t even think that was possible!”
“Why does he get hurt so much?” Nina asked without expecting an answer.
“I wish I knew.” Winry sighed. “Nina, when Ed and Al come back here to say goodbye, will you please let them see that you’re okay? They miss you so much.”
It sounded like Winry was choking back tears. Nina felt bad for forgetting that her brothers didn’t know she was here. She nodded and Winry hugged her more tightly.
~
As predicted, Ed was discharged from the hospital the following day. He and Al came to pick up Winry and thank the Hughes family for their hospitality. Mrs. Hughes, who she was now supposed to call Aunt Gracia, even made apple pies!
Intimidated by the sound of so many people talking at once, Nina hesitated at the entrance to the living room. Al caught sight of her peeking around the corner and gasped. He nudged his brother with one hand and pointed with the other.
Ed paled as if he had seen a ghost. “Nina?”
She stepped fully into the room and did the little half-salute half-wave gesture that made her new family smile.
Her brother looked ready to collapse from sheer relief. Then, he tensed and whirled to grab the front of Mr. Hughes’ jacket, indignation radiating from every line of his body.
“I can’t believe that you didn’t tell us! Has she been here this whole time?! I thought - ahh!”
He shouted incoherently and shoved Mr. Hughes away as he released him. Alphonse quickly reached out to steady Mr. Hughes, who was not expecting to be pushed with such force. Nina clung to Winry, and Elicia to Mrs. Hughes, both frightened by the aggression. Ed’s anger dissipated as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by visible guilt for scaring them.
He crouched a little as he apologized, then reached a hand out towards Nina. “I’m so glad you’re safe.”
She let go of Winry and took a wary step forward, but Elicia beat her to it and raced happily into Ed’s open arms. Winry giggled at his befuddled expression and gently steered Nina over to initiate a group hug.
After the girls allowed Ed to escape their embrace, Nina watched Mr. Hughes pull him aside. Her enhanced hearing meant that she could overhear them whether she wanted to or not.
“Edward, I’ve started investigating the research department. Most of their reports are above my security clearance, so I asked Roy to authorize as much access as he can. We should be able to avoid raising suspicion, since I can claim that the research is for,” he cleared his throat and offered Ed an apologetic half-smile. “Honestly, I think I can request access to nearly anything in the name of keeping our precious alchemists safe.”
Mr. Hughes succeeded in saying that without making it sound like he was using them. Like he genuinely cared about their safety. He continued, “Roy told me to take advantage of the opportunity to gather information, and close this case.”
He’d better get this case closed, Nina thought, though she did not dare to say so aloud.
“Thanks, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes.” Ed saluted farewell as Al pointed meaningfully to the clock on the wall. “Don’t forget what I told you about Lab 5. If it seems like they’re getting suspicious, you need to back off and let us follow any leads you find.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Mr. Hughes agreed without making any promises.