Same, But Different (A Fullmetal Alchemist fan-fic)

Going Out Of Your Way, Not To Say It So I Don't Worry About You

Eclair's POV

That morning, I woke up, and found Ed curled up, already awake next to me. He was rubbing my back, as I noticed a few tears were falling down my face.
"I'm fine" I muster up the courage to say. I try to stop crying, but it seems far from possible.
"El, I know it's hard. You don't have to put up a guard up all the time. Sometimes you just have to let it out."
"Promise..." I said, dying up my tears, "promise you won't tell anyone about what you saw?"
"Promise"
"But...why?" Al asked.
"Because. People expect me to be hard, aloft. Firm. Not emotional, even if it is once in a while. Its these moments that people remember forever. Not the others. They only remember weakness. Never strengths."
"El! You don't have to live life up to others expectations! Just be yourself!"
"I don't know Al, this is how I have lived. And I kinda like it."
"Ed do something!"
"This is who she is, and what she's like. You can't change it." Ed jumped to my defense. But...why?
"Just don't tell anyone. Okay?" I stand up, helping Ed up as well, as we walked downstairs to get some food, and Meet the others with a plan, since we were heading farther into the mountains.
"Mornin' Ed" Winry yawns, "Mornin' El"
"Morning" I reply, raiding the fridge for anything edible.
"did everything go okay?" I hear Winry whisper. I nod, as well as Ed. Al came down with Vapor and Cloud.
"Trevor's still asleep. If we wanna leave, we should before he wakes." Vapor said, winking.
"You guys aren't going to say good-bye?"
"no. We plan to leave as fast as we can." I answer Trevor's father, as a girl walks in with a box full of scrap metal.
"Oh Ayumi, you're here early today!" Trevor's father says as she drops the box of metal on the counter.
"Yep! Just making sure you have enough supplies. I heard about a battle yesterday that dealt with the Fullmetal and Halfmetal Alchemists. I really wanted to meat both of them. I heard they were both charming young men..." She looks at me with only a tank-top on and shorts, and Ed wearing pants that had been rolled up, and a no sleeved shirt, fully exposing our auto-mail, with our watches hanging out of our pockets.
"Wait...that doesn't make sense. They said the Fullmetal alchemist was taller...and the Halfmetal was a man...." She started. Ed and I had to do our best to resist the urge to rant.
"I'm Eclair Elanie, the Halfmetal Alchemist. The people here call me a he-she. That's Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist."
"Oh. Those liars!!" Ayumi puts on a mad look, but then drops it. "I'm Ayumi. I'm from Resembool. I just moved here, looking for a job. I'm the supplies getter for the shop"
"So you have to get the supplies for everyone" I remember when I was younger, Trevor's mother, Trevor and I did stuff like that, before I wasn't presented the title of 'Town alchemist'. "I used to be the towns Alchemist, back when I lived here. I got supplies before I was confined to the job."
"Oh! So you were the girl everyone hates! I aways thought that you were brilliant, and strong."
"Thanks. But we have to get going" I say, putting on my jacket, followed by my long coat. I slipped my pants over my shorts just in case it got hot traveling in the mountains.
"Can I come too? I always wanted to travel elsewhere!"
"sure. The more the merrier, I guess"