Chapter Fourteen: Dreaming
That evening, Blu and Jewel were the happiest birds in the world. What could be better than this? Blu asked himself as he and Jewel watched the sunset for the last time they would be here at the aviary. Blu got a little nervous about the jungle, but kept reminding himself that he had Jewel and Rafael to teach him a few tricks. Plus, he already had some experience.
"Hey, Blu?"
"Yes, Jewel?"
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For caring for me, for making me happy, for completing me, and most recently marrying me." Jewel said as she snuggled her head deeper into Blu's chest. She could hear his faint heartbeat as his chest rose and fell.
"I should be thanking you." Blu said, wrapping his wings around Jewel. Jewel rolled around until she was lying down on him.
"How so?" She asked.
"Well, you're the one who helped me fly, the one who accepted the proposal, and the one who I get to make happy every day for the rest of my life." Blu said. Jewel kissed him.
"Well, I hope that you make me very happy tonight."
"W-What do you mean, Jewel?" Blu asked, nervously.
"Well, tomorrow, we're released and I guess we sort of have a small honeymoon. You still have to find out where to go." Jewel said, nuzzling her beak into his.
"So, we birds have honeymoons?" Blu asked. Why of all things do birds have honeymoons and not weddings? He thought to himself.
"Yep."
"Oh, okay. I guess I'll start thinking." Blu said, sighing. Where the heck should we go? I mean, where haven't we been in Rio? Blu asked himself. Jewel saw he was already starting to think hard. Jewel rested her head on Blu's chest again, and closed her eyes.
Once the sun disappeared over the horizon, Blu tried to get up, but saw Jewel had fallen asleep. He didn't want to wake her, so he just stayed in his position for the next hour or so. Where, oh where to go. Blu asked himself.
Jewel woke up and felt warm feathers all around her. She looked up towards Blu's face. "Morning honey." Jewel said, giving him a kiss.
"It's still kind of night." Blu said.
"Wait, so how long have I been asleep?" Jewel asked.
"Not long, actually. Maybe an hour and a half." Blu said.
"Are you cold?" Jewel asked, snuggling herself into Blu's warmth a little more.
"Nope. I have someone keeping me warm to."
"And who would that be?" Jewel asked, seductively.
"Me." Blu teased.
"So, you think you can really get away with that?" Jewel asked, playfully.
"Well, yeah. I'm the one keeping you warm too." Blu said. He kissed her on the forehead.
"That's not good enough." Jewel said.
"What isn't?" Blu asked again. He soon found out once Jewel kissed him on the beak.
Author's Note: I hate when writers make the two french kiss (tongues dancing. BLAH!). I find it a disgusting thing to think about, so I'm going to leave it the way I've been writing it for the past few weeks
"Well, how was that?" Jewel asked.
"That was better than what I expected."
"Uh huh." Jewel said. "So, now what?" Jewel asked.
"I don't know. I guess we could stay like this or we could enjoy the enclosure one last time." Blu offered.
"I wouldn't mind either." Jewel said. As she said that, Blu rolled around. She was under him now. "Blu, what are you doing?" Jewel asked. Blu let go of his grasp around her with his wings, and took off with her in his talons. Once he landed inside the enclosure room, he set Jewel down and walked over to the hatch. Tulio had created a special way for him and Jewel to enter and exit as they pleased, seeing as Jewel was kind of grounded and Blu hated to wait to get in and out.
"After you." Blu said, holding the hatch open.
"Such a gentlebird." Jewel said. She walked in closely followed by Blu. Blu started flying up to the hollow.
"Where you go'n?" Jewel asked. "I still can't..." she then remembered that her cast was off.
"What, fly?" Blu said. "I'm pretty sure a wing without a cast is a fine wing to use. Come on!" Blu shouted as he took off for the hollow.
Jewel was hesitant. What if it breaks again? I can't wait another four weeks to live on my own with Blu again. She thought.
"You coming?!" Jewel heard Blu shout from all the way from the hollow.
"I, uh…" Jewel started to say. She saw Blu reemerge.
"Afraid of breaking it again?"
"Yeah, wait, how did you know?"
"What else would it be? You love flying." Blu said. "Come on, I'll walk with you." He said, taking her wing in his. They walked over to the tree pegs that Jewel used the whole few weeks she and Blu were in the enclosure to get up and down from the hollow while Blu was busy. Once they made it to their hollow, Blu lied down at one end.
Jewel followed and landed on top of him. "Well, we're back." Blu said, referring to the position they were in on the roof.
"And you are all mine. No other bird can have you but me." Jewel said, laying her head down on Blu's chest.
"Jewel, I wouldn't ever let go of you. How could I?" He said, wrapping his wings around her. He rolled around to his side and kept watching her dig her head into his chest. "Good night, my gem of the world." Blu said. He closed his eyes and knew exactly where to bring her for their honeymoon the following week or so.
"BLU! BLU!" Blu woke to a start. "Huh? What happened?" Blu asked. He was soaking wet.
"You kind of collapsed in the water when I dragged you in. Are you okay?" Jewel asked, pulling him into a hug.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. By the way, I know where to go for the honeymoon." Blu said, sitting up against the tree that Jewel put him up against.
"What!? What are you talking about?" Jewel asked.
"What do you mean? Did I just dream it or something?"
"Dream what Blu?" Jewel asked. She was getting very curious. Did he think he married me already? She thought.
"Wait, are we, uh."
"Married?"
"Yeah."
"No, you haven't proposed yet, goofball." Jewel said. "What kind of dream were you dreaming?" Jewel asked. "I'm curious." She said, lying down on top of Blu's chest.
Blu laughed nervously. "Uh, well, I don't know." Blu said.
"Come on, for me?" She said, batting her eyelashes at him.
"Oh, uh, o-okay." Blu stumbled. "I remember getting into the stream, then flying away and getting you a flower, then I tried to make you happy, and I woke up seeing that my mind was playing games with me." Blu said, trying to avoid saying that they married in the dream.
"Well, what did you mean by, uh what did you call it? A 'honeymoon'?" Jewel asked, rubbing herself up against Blu. Blu was starting to get scared.
If I haven't already proposed, does that mean birds have 'wedding' ceremonies? If so, then what do I do now? Do I propose? "Uh, it's a human thing." Blu said, hoping that this would stall.
"Stop stalling. You know perfectly well what a honeymoon is." Jewel said.
"But I don't think…" He was cut off.
"That I don't know what one is?" Jewel asked Blu. Blu nodded. "Well, I think someone has something to say for themselves."
"I-I . . . I, uh." Blu started to say. He was kind of at a lost of words. "I have a question."
This raised Jewel's spirits on him proposing. "Yes, Blu?" She asked, looking away and back at him. He's going to do it! She thought.
"D-Do we birds get married the moment after the proposal?" Blu asked. Well, if my dream was fake, maybe some things I thought I went through were also fake. He thought.
"What?" Jewel asked. She was very disappointed.
"Like, after a proposal, are there like, I dunno, finances? Birds that are engaged? Or are we bird's married the moment the other one accepts?" Blu asked.
"What kind of question is that?" Jewel asked. She was very mad right now. Oh, Blu. Why can't you just be with me? She asked herself.
"Well, seeing as my dream was fake, maybe some things I experienced in it were also fake." Blu said.
"Like what?"
"Like do we birds have fiances or only wives and girlfriends?"
"Yeah we have engagements. We don't get married right on the spot of an engagement." Jewel said as she started losing her temper.
"Sorry I asked." Blu said. "I'm hungry. Do you want anything?" Blu asked Jewel.
"No, I'm not hungry." Jewel said. She stood up and started walking to the pegs up towards the hollow.
Gee, great going Blu. He thought to himself. He took off for the hatch. He knocked a few times. The hatch opened and he flew out into the aviary and out an open window. He had someone he needed to see.
"AH! Good seeing you, Amigo!" Rafael greeted Blu as he arrived at his hollow.
"Hey, Rafi. I need some advice." Blu said as he landed.
"How so?"
"This feels weird."
"What does?"
"Oh, sorry, just talking to myself." Blu said.
"So, do you still need advice?"
"What? Oh, Oh yes yes. I really need some advice. It's about Jewel." Blu said. He started reliving his dream a little. He told Rafael everything that happened in the dream and why he thought this was a little weird for him.
"Some adventure. Too bad it wasn't real." Rafael said.
"Which brings me to my next point. I don't know if I should marry Jewel."
"WHAT!? You're leaving her? Blu…" Rafael was cut off.
"What? No no no no no! I'm not leaving her! I just don't want to feel rushed into things."
"But I thought you already said you were married." Rafael said, teasingly.
"In a dream." Blu said, trying to defend himself.
"Blu, you kind of proposed to her, so why don't you just do it again. How could it hurt?" Rafael said.
"That's what I thought, but thinking that I did and her saying that I really didn't really shot the confidence out of my soul." Blu said, looking away. "What am I going to do? We're being released tomorrow, and I'm afraid." Blu said, looking to the ground.
"Blu," Rafael started to say. Just then, someone started coming into view.
"Hey Blu!" Joe shouted.
"Joe! Nice to see you. It's been awhile." Blu said.
"Wait, you two know each other?" Rafael asked.
"Yeah, why?" Joe asked.
"How long?" Rafael asked.
"A few weeks, but we met on a plane ride." Blu said.
"Ah. So how was Minnesota, Joe?" Rafael asked.
"Not bad. Cold, romantic, tiring. The norm." Joe said. "How's Jewel, by the way?" Joe asked.
"Fine." Blu said.
"Blu here can't decide if he wants marriage or not." Rafael said.
"Ah. Which of you proposed?" Joe asked.
Rafael and Blu both spoke at the same time, but their answers were different.
"Blu is still deciding."
"Jewel." Blu said.
"WHAT!? Jewel already proposed?" Rafael shouted.
"Yep. I kind of let her down on that one." Blu said.
"Yi yi yi amigo! Why can't you just be with her?" Rafael said.
Funny. That's the same advice you gave me earlier, sort of. He thought.
"Well, Blu. I think me and my wife should help you." Joe said.
"Oh, I forgot you were married. How is she?" Rafael asked.
"She's fine. She went back to Florida to get a few things, but she'll be back later today." He said. "Blu, we could help you out."
"How?" Blu asked.
"We could give you two a good date. You know, under the stars." Joe said.
"Maybe." Blu said. I could bring her a flower again and propose again. That seems a little corny though. He thought.
"Well, if you need help, just ask. We're here." Rafael said.
"Yeah, thanks." Blu said. "See you two later!" He said as he flew away. Let's find a clever way of proposing. He thought. An idea popped into his head. He made a u-turn towards a familiar trolley.
Blu's been gone a while. I hope he didn't leave for good. She thought.
Author's Note: Blu hasn't had the conversation with her that he wasn't ever going to leave, seeing as it was in his dream.
As she continued pondering in her thoughts, she saw a blue figure start heading her way. He had a mango in his talons. "Hey Jewel."
"Hi." Jewel said.
"Hey, I'm sorry we sort of got off on the wrong side of the foot, but I hope we could fix that." Blu said, putting the mango in front of Jewel. "I know it's not really anything and that you're not hungry, but I thought that this could help take a step forward in our relationship." He said.
"Blu, I'm sorry too. I guess I just hoped for too much." She looked to the side.
"Which brings me to my next point." Blu said. Jewel looked at him with curious eyes. "I have a surprise for you tomorrow. I was wondering if you would want to come with me to retrieve it." He said.
"So it's being made?" Jewel asked. I wonder what it is. She thought.
"Sort of. I guess it's sort of requires someone's handywork." Blu said.
"Well, I'm just glad you brought me dinner. I guess I am kind of hungry." Jewel said, looking down at the mango. She picked it up and started eating it. "Want some?" She asked with her mouth full.
"Oh, no thanks. I just ate." Blu said. The sun started to set and the day was almost over. Tomorrow was the day they were going to be free in the wild. Blu lied down on one side of the hollow and closed his eyes. He soon felt another warm body get comfortable under his wings. He gladly accepted Jewel into his embrace and started falling asleep again.
"Good night, my Blu bird." Jewel said as she closed her eyes.
