You're Welcome

It's his trademark phrase. His favorite thing to say to anyone who offers a chance to say it. He just loves to hear 'Thank you, Maui' and he loves to simply reply 'You're welcome'. Moana must admit that that hunger for praise and appreciation makes him quite considerate. Every time she is sad, he makes her laugh. Every time she is angry, he listens and agrees but points out when she is being unreasonable. Every time she is worried, he does everything he can to help or advise her. Every time she is happy, he celebrates her joy with her. No matter the situation, Maui would be there for her and Moana would always show her gratitude afterwards. Of course, he never misses the opportunity to smugly answer with a wink, a muscle show off, a brow lifting or a hair flick.

One day, a particularly exhausting one, Moana felt the pressure of being chief too burdening and sneaked away when no one was looking. Her tears, salty as the sea, were running down her cheeks and the occasional hiccup or sob escaped her lips from time to time. She heard her name and flinched. Someone had found her and she wasn't in the mood to be bothered or seen in such a mess. She raised her head and saw Maui waiting for her with a canoe ready to sail away. A bag of supplies with at least enough food and water for a week was on board. Her heart sank.

"Maui? Where are you going?"

The demigod laughed. "The right question is 'Where are we going?' and the answer is nowhere in particular. I thought you could use a break from this chief thing."

Moana opened her mouth to protest. She couldn't just disappear without telling everyone, run away when she wanted to. Her responsibility lies with her people and they are everything to her. Before she could say a word, Maui raised his hand to silence her.

"I spoke to your parents. They'll handle it for a couple of days. And because I know how you think, let me tell you that you're not hiding from your problems. You're learning to deal with them. So, hop on."

Moana blinked twice and beamed before jumping excitedly to the boat. Maui pushed the boat out of the sand and set the sail free. Once they were beyond the reef, Moana felt free once again. Oh, how she missed this. The silence, the wind, the peace, the ocean. She turned to look at Maui to say the words he loves the most with the most sincere gratitude she could muster.

"Thank you, Maui."

Maui smiled. The most honest smile she had ever seen on his face. He placed his hand on his chest in a sign of humility and bowed slightly.

"It was my pleasure, Moana."