Moana knew she wasn't old. Not yet, anyway. It'd only been a year since she'd first taken to the sea to find Maui, demigod of the winds and seas, and restore the heart of Te Fiti. Old enough to lead, yet too young to make her own decisions, her mother set out to find her a husband.

So she could start a family.

The young chief couldn't understand it; there was so much to do. Rotate the crops, build new stores, nurse lost fish back to the shore... Everything had been destroyed in the darkness. They had to rebuild. And in the midst of it all, there was Sina with a smile and a boy at her arm, insisting on yet another brunch.

It was how Moana found herself sailing. There was a part of her that very loudly screamed 'you can't take it anymore!' and another that begged her to keep trying. But if Moana had learned anything, it was to trust her instincts and listen to her heart. Her heart said no.

She shored her canoe on a soft sandbar. It was one of the newer island Maui had pulled from the sea, barely any life on it but clearly growing each and every day. She was sure it hadn't looked so green the last time she'd visited. Soon it'd have people. Her people.

Moana curled her lips under her teeth and stared down at her toes. Taking a deep breath, she started walking, soles of her feet making weaving path behind her. She mouthed the words she'd practiced in her head.

"I have decided - no! I have... decided."

"Decided what?"

The girl whipped around, her heart jumping in chest, but with the question asked the answer seemed to fly out of her mouth. For better or worse. "As Chief, it is my duty to carry on the tradition of our people. And my village has made it clear that they're getting anxious about my future – our future. So… I have decided to marry."

Moana squinted at him. How did he always manage to sneak up on her?

"Really?!" The demigod smiled widely. "Oh, curly, that's great news! Who's the lucky guy?! When's the ceremony, and which island? The new one I just pulled up for you guys?"

"The groom always decides, so you can pick if you want." That was less practiced. That… could have gone better. Moana winced.

"…what?" His voice still had a bit of good humor leftover, grin now confused.

"I'm overbearing," she explained quickly. "And stubborn. And… strong-willed! I don't like any of the choices that my mom's given me and I have a feeling they don't like me either." Moana rubbed one elbow. "I have decided… to marry… you."

"Moana," He shot her a weary, side-ward glance. "You're scaring me. That's not nice. And definitely not the best joke you've ever come up with. I told you you were never good at them."

Her shoulders slumped. It'd been worth a shot. Her cheeks burned as she frowned. "I don't see why I have to marry now. Or at all!"

"Right!" Maui readily agreed, stretching out his arms jovially. "So don't! You're a strong, independent woman. You don't need a husband. You can just sail… far, far away… right now." Moana stared until finally he sighed, one large hand pushing back his own wild hair. "Look, I get the gist that this is your proposal. And - I'm flattered, really! - but uh, first of all, not very romantic. And we haven't spoken in a month, and I didn't even KNOW you had those feelings! Really, not the best idea."

"No, I get it," she waved her hand dryly. "It's okay. I've come to terms with the fact that my ancestral line will die out and I'll disappoint my village and every village from here to the east." She knew she was being melodramatic, but didn't she have every right to be? He could have comforted her, at least! "The last one who proposed to me handed me a bouquet of poison ivy, but you know - I'll be okay."

"Oh wow, that's pretty special." Maui shook his head at the change of subject. "Moana, I'm-!" He gestured violently at himself. "DemiGOD! As in. Not. Human. You? Human."

"You were born human." Moana argued stubbornly, crossing her arms.

"That-!"

"You..." Moana circled around him. "Look human. And without your hook, you're," her hand waved again. "Basically human."

"That doesn't change the fact that I'm an immortal," Maui scoffed. "Stop being difficult."

"You could play with our great, great, great grandchildren." Moana grinned, but Maui could only glare at her hard. He was right. She wasn't very good at telling jokes.

"Sounds great."

Moana kicked the sand, burying her feet in it a second later and wiggling her toes deep in the warm roughness. "At least they can't say I didn't try."

Maui sat down heavily in front of a large bolder. Moana followed, climbing to sit atop it. "And sunk like a rock. You're almost as bad at courting as the poison ivy guy."

"Do me a favor?" she asked. "When they write me in as the lonely, love-sick but battle-worn Chief? Don't correct them."

"Aw, that's not fun!" He leaned back against the rock, stretching out his legs - visibly more relaxed as the seconds ticked by without her insisting to marry him.

"Maybe I can adopt..." he heard her sigh listlessly.

"Doesn't count." It had to be blood. Everyone knew that.

Moana groaned, glaring up at the sun. She wished it would burn her up, right here on the island. Fry her like an egg. "I never thought about having a husband before. I'd thought about a kid; I liked that part. Why does it have to be so hard?"

The young chief knew that she came here to vent to Maui more than anything. Not in a million years did she expect him to say yes. What she'd needed was an escape. He'd been providing just that more and more lately.

"It's not hard! You go up to a guy you think is cute, order him as chief to marry ya, do the dirty, then have itty bitty babies running around. Easy peasy." Like her, he staring up at clouds, watching them roll by.

Moana turned onto her side, leaning her head on her elbow. Her long, curly hair cascaded down to touch the sand. "Have you ever been in love?"

"Noooope! I get enough love being a hero," he turned his head to wink at her.

"Oh right," she muttered. "Slim pickings on that island."

"I mean," Maui started. "I've wanted a wife before, when I was a thousand two hundred years younger. Saw a couple pretty ladies on the shore, didn't work out."

"But you're so obviously a catch! They didn't know what they were missing."

"Thank you," he sang.

"You're welcome," Moana sang back, gently pushing her knuckles against his shoulder with a small but warm smile. It didn't last long, falling as she realized she'd be coming home empty handed. Her eyes were stony as she stared back at the ocean. This time, there was no call.