Embers || Ikemen Revolution || Sirius

Chapter 8 ~ Fighting

He does look like he could beat someone up if he wanted to, I guess. And he's in the military for a reason. But as everyone else went to their separate units to train as Ray said, he only stood by the flower bushes, watering them with a watering can.

I watched curiously as I shoved a slice of apple into my mouth. I had already finished the yummy sandwich and I kind of wished I had savoured it a bit more.

Even though Sirius was watering his flowers diligently, seeming to be more focused on the plants than his soldiers, his voice rang out loud and clear. "Tim and Mark. You two haven't warmed up at all. Start over."

"Sorry, sir," the soldier, Tim, said.

"Understood," Mark replied.

I watched in fascination. Does he secretly have eyes on the back of his head or something? He should become a teacher. He'll definitely catch all the trouble makers and be a student favourite.

"Stephen, fix the angle of the kick. Try it again, about 20 degrees up and to the right."

"Oh, you're right! Thank you, sir!"

"Paul, you're overexerting yourself. Deep breaths, c'mon now, deep breaths."

"Yes sir, I'll try that!"

I took mental notes as I watched the soldiers train. If I'm gonna be in the middle of a war, I might as well learn some fighting skills as self defense. I'll definitely feel safer that way. Hopefully I won't need to use it though.

But even as I tried to focus on the moves that the soldiers were doing, I couldn't help but keep on glancing back on Sirius as he watered the plants with a soft smile, occasionally giving tips to his men.

"Boss, it's almost time," Sirius said as Ray walked over to him.

"You're right. Okay boys, playtime is over."

I watched attentively as the men sped up, kicking and punching faster, at lightning fast reflexes that I could only hope for. They all looked so cool and awesome. Ray was watching everyone while Luka and Seth gave out pointers. Fenrir actually joined the fighting himself, showing his men how it's done.

"Do you like your sandwich?"

I jumped a bit when I heard Sirius' voice beside me. I guess I was too focused on the fighting to notice him come up beside me.

"Oh, yeah! It was delicious." Once my initial shock died down, I relaxed, gazing back at the fighting men. "Everyone looks so strong," I murmured, a soft smile on my face.

"And these strong men are the ones who've sworn to protect you," Sirius smiled.

I blinked for a moment, looking up at him. An idiotic grin made it's way onto my face as I hummed to myself happily. I saw what you did there, Sirius. You really do want me to feel safe and secure, don't you?

"You want some apples?" I held up an apple slice up to Sirius. He smiled at me, gently grabbing it with his mouth and eating it, not taking his eyes off of his men.

"Emberlynn, watch out," I suddenly heard Luka cry.

I frowned, looking forwards, only to see a fluffy brown ball come hurtling towards me.

I yelped and covered my head with my hands, bracing for impact. There was nowhere for me to dodge anyways. Sirius was on my right, and there was a flower bush on my left.

But I suddenly felt my cheek pressed against a warm, muscular chest. It reminded me of that time in the carriage when I was hugging Sirius' arm like a baby. I squeezed my eyes shut, holding my breath for a moment.

"Are you alright, Embers?"

I looked up into Sirius' violet eyes, mesmerized for a split second.

"Y-Yeah," I said quietly, looking down. I pressed my cheek against his chest once more, wanting to relish this feeling of safety and comfort.

Sirius didn't make any move to push me away, obviously seeing how shaken I was. He's so nice!

"Thanks," I said, after I was calmer.

Sirius gave me a small smile, before gently letting me go. Even with his warmth gone, I still felt safer than before, knowing that he would do that for me, a stranger he just met.

"Chutney, what were you thinking," Sirius scolded. I looked down to see that the thing that had come flying at me was actually just a small racoon.

"Aw," I cooed when I saw the adorable creature.

"Sorry for scaring you, little lady." Sirius smiled at me before turning to the racoon. "Chutney, you should go back to your pen."

I rolled my eyes as Sirius called me 'little lady.' I may act young, and look young, but I'm really not that young! I'm an adult! Technically. Kind of wish I wasn't though, responsibilities suck.

Chutney glanced at me as she ran away, presumably back to her pen.

"Does she know where her pen is," I asked as the little ball of fur scurried away.

"She's a smart creature," Sirius explained. "She knows her way around this place."

I nodded my head, a small smile on my face.

"Sirius, report your injuries," Luka said, his face grim and serious.

I raised an eyebrow with a small smile. These people sure are dramatic.

"A scratch on my jacket, that's it," Sirius explained.

"I can sew it up for you, if you want," I offered. "You didn't have to throw yourself in front of me anyways!"

Sirius gave me a wry smile. "Don't worry about it, little lady."

I crossed my arms with a pout. "I'm not that little," I muttered.

"Hm? What was that?"

I playfully glared up at Sirius. "Nothing! Is Chutney your pet?"

Sirius nodded his head, turning back to his soldiers. "Yes, I found her abandoned when she was little, and she's followed me around ever since."

I nodded my head in understanding before a funny thought dawned on me. "She probably thinks you're her mama," I giggled.

Sirius let out an amused huff of breath. "Perhaps."

Luka had turned back to training when he saw that I had gotten the fussing over Sirius taken care of.

"By the way," I started as I watched everyone train. "Why don't you fight? Aren't you part of the military? And you have such a high ranking position."

"I'm more of the tactician," Sirius explained. "Fighting isn't my area of expertise."

"Yet you teach your soldiers with such precision," I murmured to myself. "Then does that mean you play chess or something?"

Sirius chuckled as he ruffled my hair. "Maybe. Do you play?"

"Sometimes," I hummed, leaning into the older man's touch slightly. "But my dad doesn't really play himself, so I'm not that good. None of my friends are fond of playing chess either."

"Ah," Sirius said, taking his hand off of my head. "Then do you want to play sometime?"

I smiled up at the pretty violet eyes. "Sure!" 

*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

A/N: 

Here's the most recent upload! I'm sorry for not updating this for so long, I'll do my best to remember it in the future. Just a heads up, the next upload will probably be a day early, since I'll be going camping next Wednesday. 

Word Count (not including A/N): 1159 

2021/06/25