Selfishly Selfless

"Hey, Maui."

His skin shivered at his name being called by her. If he wasn't immortal, he'd be sure he died for a second there when his heart stopped beating. He swallowed his nervousness with great effort and turned to face Moana.

Play it cool.

"Hey, Chief. What brings you here?"

Moana beamed. "How is the sennit doing? Is it braid yet? Do you need more help? Whatever you need, just name it."

A kiss.

He shook his head at the random and bold thought.

"Oh, uh… I think we got it under control. The ladies here are very talented." He gestured at the group of several women, old and young, braiding with swift fingers the fibers Maui had previously beaten. The ladies giggled at Maui's compliment and waved at Moana. She waved back enthusiastically as the demigod continued. "In a week and a half we'll have enough sennit for 5 new canoes. Then you can finally start the wayfinding lessons."

They started to walk aimlessly by the beach to leave the honorifics behind with the villagers.

"The ocean must be excited to have so many people sailing her waves."

"I bet she is. Oh, I can't wait! After Hemi's wedding I'll start with the preparations and testing the new canoes, rearranging my duties to fit the lessons into my schedule…"

Her excitement was contagious and Maui was soon smiling and laughing with her, forgetting he was supposed to act natural. But then he realized, this was natural.

He always feels like himself around her. No hero nonsense, no demigod perfection… It was a bliss. One of the many reasons he found her unique. Of all the few deep bonds he ever built through his long life, the one he shares with Moana right now has been, by far, the most meaningful. Friends, lovers, companions and rivals of the past were based on what he is, what he represents: bravery, heroism, strength, good looks. Moana appreciates him for who he is:

Maui.

She said it herself on the boat. Hook or no hook, he is Maui.

No one bothered to look beyond his godly powers and superhuman abilities. Everyone ignored the human side of him.

But not her.

He remembered how close they were that time and his heart skipped a beat.

Oh boy… I have it bad, don't I?

"...ui…."

You promised, Maui. Let her go.

"Maui…"

But… how am I supposed to deal with her future husband? Oh god, how am I supposed to deal with her kids!?

"...llo?... Maui?"

I'll have to see her age… How am I supposed to live after she dies!?

"...tunui to Maui…"

She will die eventually. Doesn't matter if I let her go or not. Maybe we could really be...

"Maui!"

A sharp pain cutted his thought short. Moana had jumped to reach his face and scream directly into his ear to get his attention.

"Since when do you space out?" She fumed.

Maui rubbed the side of his head to ease the uncomfortable high pitch ringing inside.

"Sorry. What were you saying?"

"I was asking if there is something you want."

Maui blinked. "Something I want?"

Moana smiled. "Yeah, I mean. You have helped me… us so much that I want to thank you properly."

Maui was speechless. "Uh…"

"How about a whole holiday dedicated to you? Oh! Maybe a statue? As large as your greatness… or ego, whichever is bigger. How about a feast? We could serve your favorite meals."

As Moana listed her ideas, Maui felt a pit in his stomach. Here she was, thinking how to make him happy and feel appreciated while he was plotting something selfish. That fact alone made him unworthy of her already. As much he would love to hold her, it was not meant to be.

He mentally sighed and decided to focus on her question.

What do I want? Besides Moana of course.

All of her ideas sound like something he would've love just to feel greater and more awesome. Ever since he came to Motunui, he found those things less and less important, so right now, he couldn't care less about his options.

He faked a smile and ruffled her hair. "The feast sounds delicious, Chief Frizzles, although unnecessary. I don't need anything, Mo."

"Nonsense!" She said behind a curtain of heavy curls. "Motunui shall have a feast once every year in Maui's honor!" Moana finally emerged from the hair jungle. "Any date in mind?"

"Not really. After some time, I stopped keeping track of dates."

Moana mentally agreed remembering their little conflict back then.

"Would you do me the honor?" Maui asked in a gentlemanly manner.

Moana remained silent as she thought.

"November 24rd."

"Oh. Does it have any special meaning?"

Moana smiled at look at him in the eye. "It does. It's the day we met."

That magical warmth spread around his body again. She was making this 'letting go' plan really hard.

"I like it. A feast on the 24th of November."

"Great. Were still a few months away but I'll send the main cook to your hut in a few weeks. Tell her about every dish you would like to eat. Don't hold back."

"Yes, Chief."

When he thought she couldn't get any more irresistible, she pulled his arm to bring his cheek down enough for her to kiss.

"Thank you. The canoes are going to be perfect and the feast will live up to your work. See you around."

They bid their farewells and Maui found it hard to focus again on any task, so he dismissed himself early.

In a few months they will celebrate their friendship anniversary. A whole year. Unbelieveable! How many of these will he have to endure living close to her but not able to be with her?

Maui let his body fall and stretch on the sand. Forget about monsters or saving the world. This will be his most difficult task ever.

He sighed. "And my demigod powers are useless this time. Che hoo?"

Skydrathik: I'm so glad I made you laugh! I was worried it wouldn't be as funny as I hoped it'd be.

InuBunnygirl: I wanted to write Tamatoa's chapter for so long. Thank you for reading it and I'm happy you enjoyed it. Oh, and I didn't that was angsty. Didn't even know there's a whole category for that! XD

PeaceBaby7: Thank god you think that way. I want to portray the characters just as they would in the movie. Out of character stories bother me a bit and I do want to stick to their true personalities. Although Maui is immature in some aspects, I think he must have dealt with pretty rough situations in the past that molded him to who he is today. Regarding the 'A Tale of Sea and Wind' connection you mentioned: the story is not really connected to my one shot but I love the fact that you came up with that! I might consider writing a long version so thank you for finding a possible new fic for the future.

5dreamcatcher: I love that you loved it!

Thank you all for reading!