Days And Nights (Book of Life and Maya and the Three One Shots)

Epiphany In The Dirt

Basically the drawing scene from Turning Red.

Chimi, Rico, Pichu, Maya and Chiapa were resting for the night by the fire. It was a long journey to the divine gate.

Maya was more than relieved when her friends forgave her. Looking back, she didn't know why she lied to them in the first place. Lying was a habit she had to stop.

She had taken first watch that night as the rest of the group slept. It didn't take long for her to get bored, so she drew in the dirt with a stick as she hummed. 

She drew mindlessly until she saw an actual image form and added more detail. Eventually, she recognized the drawing before her.

"Huh. Looks like Zatz." She said to herself.

Maya rolled her eyes, "I don't know what everyone sees in him."

She drew more detail on the image, "I mean, his hair is... nice, I guess."

Her mind began to wander to the spar she had with him a few weeks ago, "And he's... a pretty good fighter." She drew on his shoulder plates and sword.

The more she thought about Zatz, the more things she realized about him.

Unlike her, he's always been honest. He was always there to help her with her quest, even after she refused to join him. She still has no intention to. Even though he has a good cause, she was already on her own quest.

Ever since he returned her brothers' weapons and spared her father, she felt something changed within her. A part of her knew what that change was, but she didn't want to admit it to herself. She wanted to be angry at someone. But her anger wasn't toward Zatz anymore, it was Mictlan. 

Every time Zatz came to her, she felt the change in her grow stronger. She tried her best to push it down, but it always prevailed. Heck, she was happy when she heard he had broken up with his crazy girlfriend. 

Every time Zatz showed up, he proved himself to be the total opposite of Mictlan. Even if all this started with him, she didn't bring herself to care about that anymore. 

"And his eye is..." Maya drew in his eye, warmth spreading across her face, "...beautiful."

Zatz was the sweetest, most honest, most honorable, most handsome boy she's ever met.

It was most likely her imagination, but Maya could've sworn the eye winked at her.

Maya's heart skipped a beat as she quickly erased the drawing with her foot and felt her face heat up. 

She got up from her spot and moved to the other side of Chiapa away from the fire.

With what little light she had from the fire, she set to work with the first image that came to her mind.

She drew Zatz holding her, his hands on her face and hers on his chest, a romantic gaze in both of their eyes.

Maya chuckled giddily at her work before erasing it to start a new one.

She worked more swiftly than the rest, focused and rarely blinking from her work.

She panted as she finished her drawing, staring down at the dirt in the dim light of the fire. 

It was Zatz and Maya in their spar from before, but instead of teasing him and pushing him away like last time, they kissed.

Maya's face heated up as she quickly erased it, "Darn it, Zatz!" She hissed as she returned to her previous spot by the fire. 

With a sigh, she finally admitted to herself what she refused to say out loud for the longest time, "I have a crush on you."