Artificial Horizon - A César Fernando Basa x Reader story

XXIX: Mean Sun

The position of an imaginary sun in a solar day of exactly four (4) hours, behind the real sun in February and in advance of the real sun in November.

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To be honest, due to everything being part of a dreamscape, I do not feel some sort of homesickness despite the recent deployment in Batangas, which is definitely kilometers away from the first few dreams I have been set all in Manila. Perhaps, it hadn't been that dreary, especially with the knowledge that César is with me—and it seems like home is really not a place, but a person.

Life and routine in Batangas resemble that of Zablan. I do not know how many weeks had passed since that last dream is to this, but I have this inkling feeling right now that the transition, despite being quite a rush for the transfer of troops and planes and everything, had been smooth. After all, aside from the location alone and a little on the downside of the provincial ambiance than that of the bustling city, it all seems like we're back in Manila.

Clara and a few other colleagues of ours assigned to be part of the Sixth Pursuit Squadron's medical team remain together. The women, of course, have a separate barracks than the others, and it is a little bit smaller than the ones we have back in Zablan due to our fewer number. And despite the hundreds of men part of the squadron, with a very small number of planes available to fly, there are definitely not much for us to be in need of. Well, unless accidents happen and whatever else beyond.

Mock dogfights continue, and become much more prevalent and intense that with a fewer number of people present in the airfield, movements and scoldings for close-calls during training spread much faster among the ranks. And as I dread hearing another encounter of César to such a situation, thankfully, it seems like he had learned his lessons the first time and let the others have a taste of the scoldings and suspensions themselves. And in times that dogfight trainings are dismissed; it is replaced with intensive ground training to keep themselves in check for any emergencies in the future.

However, despite that and the two of us having to deal with living in separate quarters, it didn't mean that we no longer have any time for one another. We often manage to sneak away from others whenever we have some free time, and that during weekends, we completely have one another as company.

Just days after settling in Batangas, it takes me by surprise to be invited by César out of the base that first weekend. It is usual, just like back in Zablan, for most of the soldiers to leave the barracks for the weekends, unless they are scheduled to remain on-duty for a few given days. Hence, on that day, based from what my memory bank remembers, he took me out for a date and then spent the weekend to some nearby inn. To the point that we've been quite a frequent guest of the said inn, that we spent times together even during the weekdays, whenever things aren't that busy in camp, leading then for the innkeeper herself to offer us to take one of the rooms as apartment instead. And having said that, in less than two weeks, we managed to find ourselves an apartment, somehow.

The last memory that this dream version of me has is all about an apparent discussion I had with César two days prior.

"This coming Monday 'yong scheduled roster mo to be part of the mock dogfight, ano?" I asked him.

His fingertips were trailing the bared skin of my back, following the curvature of my spine almost absentmindedly. He answers, "Yes. I promised not to do anything stupid."

I had my head pressed against his chest, my ear listening attentively to the steady beating of his heart; a hand of mine onto his shoulder as my thumb drew lazy circles against his skin. "It's fine to do something stupid; not just one that will get you killed. Sabi ng iba, may mga stupid decisions that are actually the saving grace."