The party was starting soon. Nani spent most of the morning gathering the last supplies, helping the others set up. It meant she had to go back and forth a few times to properly collect it all. Bringing it to the beach was its own hell.

As she pulled out other supplies, David walked up to her.

"Hey, Nani, you need some help? Let me give you a hand." David offered.

Nani pulled out the extra chairs and the ice cooler. David took them in his arms. Nani collected the bags containing extra food and decorations.

"Where's Lilo and Mahina?" Nani asked.

"They're not with you?" David asked.

Nani sighed. Typical. She figured it wouldn't be long before Jumba and Pleakley showed up. Mahina would be with them, more like. This was her party. Mahina shouldn't miss it. Then again, Jumba was likely to skip it to irk Nani. Mahina would go along with it because she didn't know any better.

She heard the jeep before she saw it.

Loud honks went off. Nani looked over to see it. The preferred keep of Jumba and Pleakley. Nani spent a long while teaching them to drive it. They were used to spacecrafts, with like a billion buttons or levers. Cars were 'super simple' as Jumba kept saying. Pleakley was just fascinated by them all the time.

Nani knew the real reason Jumba learned to drive. Mahina mentioned not like the school bus. Loud, rambunctious kids always bumped into her and made her backpack spill out. Jumba got really good at driving really fast after that.

Well no. Not really good. Barely passable. The evil scientist drove like he was a video game character, thinking he could reset to his last save point at the slightest inconvenience.

"Look, a parking space! Whoa!" Pleakley yelled.

Jumba spun into the spot. He slammed hard on the breaks.

"Uhh. Uhh. Ridiculous Earth vehicle." Jumba climbed out of the keep. "Needs evil genius tune-up."

Nani's eye twitched. It only needed another tube up because he kept ruining the breaks by slamming on them.

Not only that but their outfits. Jumba dressed in an old time one piece, a thick ugly shade of gray. Pleakley was no better in their salmon pink one piece, covered in frills and ruffles, and a pink sun hat

"I am thrilled." Pleakley cheered. "My very first party at an Earth beach. I've been studying mingling with locals." Pleakley spotted two passers bye. They held up two fingers, waggling them. "Hang loose!"

The two ladies walked by with heavy eye rolls.

Jumba pinched at his suit. "Are you sure woolly one-piece bathing suit...is from proper century?"

Pleakley twirled an umbrella out of the car. "Absolutely. Put on your hat." Pleakley pulled out a small cap, plopping it on his head.

Nani walked over to them. She barely contained her frustration. "Have you two seen Mahina or Lilo?"

Jumba blinked. "We thought little girls were with you."

"Why would they be with me?" Nani asked. "I already left!"

"And they were gone when we came downstairs." Jumba replied. "So they must have been with you."

"So then where are they?"

==M!TF==

"Today, you'll take your rightful place... as part of the Hawaiian community. Are you ready?" Lilo asked.

Stitch jumped out from behind a rock. He wore a grass skirt, a pink lei, red sunglasses, and a straw hat.

They'd flown here earlier in a hovercraft. None of them wanted to drive up with the grownups. That sounded boring.

Lilo and Mahina wore simple one pieces. Lilo, in her favorite red/orange. Mahina, in her new favorite green/blue swimsuit, and also a white coverup dress.

"Hajibah!" Stitch cheered.

"Nice skirt." Lilo told him.

Mahina snorted. "Stitch, I'm happy you're dressing up for my party, but I don't want this at my party." Mahina came up. She took off the costume he was wearing. "I want you at my party, as you are."

"So do I!" Lilo chimed in. "We like you as you are, Stitch."

Stitch looked at himself. He grew his second arms, and his antennae. "Hi!" He waved at the girls.

Lilo and Mahina exchanged a look.

"Maybe not that much yourself." Lilo decided.

Stitch put all the parts back.

"Maybe at home, though?" Mahina asked. "Cause that would be fun. This is a big party for everybody...why again?"

"Cause it's Gotcha Day!" Lilo cheered. She hugged Mahina's side. "Today's the one year anniversary of you being adopted by Jumba! That's a really big deal!"

"Yeah so why did we invite so many people?" Mahina asked.

Nani invited a lot of people. Mahina's teachers from the past year, and her classmates. Other adults were from the hula class. Nani invited them to fill up space when all the kids said 'no'. Her therapist was asked by Nani, and told to stay away by Mahina and Jumba.

Bubbles was invited, but couldn't make it. Mahina paid it no mind- he'd be by in a few days for other things. Mahina preferred if he stayed away. She wanted to enjoy these days, not fret over them.

"Don't you remember?" Lilo sighed. She rubbed her head, frustrated.

Mahina and Stitch tilted their heads. Both of them were very well used to Lilo's frustration. Living with her for a year, you tend not to get used to them. Lilo and Nani still fought all the time. Usually Nani dialed it back for the sake of their new roommates. Stitch thought it was funny, usually joining in on Lilo's side. Jumba and Pleakley watched, thinking humans entertaining.

As for Mahina, she tuned it out. She was well used to these sorts of fights, and wanted nothing to do with them. Not that she could explain that to any of them, not in a way they would understand. Her own therapist had no clue. Based on what he says, he thinks Mahina avoided it because it implied the collapse of the family unit.

It couldn't be further from the truth. She knew that this ohana was unbreakable. No fight from Nani and Lilo about homework or something equally unimportant would change that. Nani would always be her caregiver, the landlord, the big sister figure that Mahina helped and cared for so strongly. Lilo would always be the younger sibling figure, along with Stitch, and at the end of the day would always make Mahina smile.

Pleakley was more than a bit stupid about people. Mahina thought it added to their charm. She helped teach them earth culture, get them more adapted into the species they loved so much. Mahina would always have that.

As fkr Jumba? Jumba would always be her dad, her pops, for as long as Mahina stayed in here, and she would be here a long time. Jumba would always be there to help with an invention, or to teach Mahina lessons about 'evil science'. She failed, horribly and often, but there was always another one regardless.

She would always have an ohana in them. It's where she belonged, and Mahina knew that with all her heart.

But she couldn't exactly tell her therapist that. It didn't sound normal, did it? Or typical. It left so many openings for a therapist to dig into.

Like why Mahina believed so strongly.

And what about when, inevitably, that family broke up?

Mahina ignored that. Because as she was concerned, the Pelekai/Jookiba/Pleakley house would be her home for her whole human life. However long that would be. She didn't want to go back to that other house.

She belonged here.

She would stay here.

And she ignored any conversations that implied otherwise.

So as Lilo explained for the thousandth time about ohana, Mahina fondly smiled. She would listen to these rants a million times.

"In Hawaii... everybody calls each other 'cousin'." Lilo explained. She guided the two of them to the beach. "Not because we're all related... because we're one big ohana... one happy family."

Mahina looked out on the beach. Full of bustling, happy people. Tourist season had come to a close, with school starting back up all across the country.

She wanted nothing to do with them. She wanted to relax at home, watching movies with her family or working on a project with Jumba. But noooo that's 'not a good party idea' cause parties need 'to include other people'.

Well none of the other kids came. So why should Mahina still care?!

"You'll be fine. Just say, 'Aloha, cousin.'" Lilo encouraged. She pushed Stitch forward. He looked back, nervous. "Go on."

Stitch went out, looking to make new friends.

Mahina smiled.

Lilo nudged her.

"What?" Mahina asked.

Lilo pushed her out on the sand.

"Wha- No!" Mahina pushed against it.

"Go on!" Lilo kept pushing at Mahina.

"Why do I need to greet people?!"

"Cause it's your big day!" Lilo argued. "So you need to go be the star!"

"I don't wanna!" Mahina pushed back against Lilo.

"Do it!"

Mahina grumbled. Lilo pushed her again. Mahina stumbled out onto the sand.

The beach did not look as friendly as it did a minute ago. Instead of a dew small groups of folks scattered around enjoying their day, they were judgemental strangers that would cast Mahina aside at the first instance of weirdness.

She hated it so much.

Mahina brushed sand off her body. She scanned the beach, trying to find a good first person.

A child cried from the side. She watched a small toddler run away from Stitch.

Mahina gulped.

She went up to a couple of kids playing frisbee. It fell right at her feet. She stared at the frisbee, confused.

"Hey! Pass it back!" A boy called out to her.

Mahina picked it up. She stared at it, then the distance between herself and the kids. Then she looked around the area at the standing umbrellas. "If the angle is 58 then the force needed is-"

"Throw it!" Another kid shouted.

Startled, Mahina guessed. She threw the frisbee out. It bounced off an umbrella stand. It flew at the two kids. Sadly, it hit the boy right on his nose.

"Ow!" He cried, running away.

Mahina winced. She rushed off before any of the kids could yell at her.

As she rushed off, Mahina passed a woman crying. She searched around to see if the woman was alone, or with people.

Nope. All alone.

Drat.

Mahina decided to leave that alone. Anything she did were surely mess the woman up. If she was crying on a beach, then she was already lost to Mahina.

She ended up at the party. It was a good party, all things considered. The decorations were colorful but tasteful, like Nani liked it. A blue banner with her name on it in green. The food was good party food for normal humans, but Mahina spotted weird make-shift alien dishes that Mahina liked. There was even a cake with her name on it.

Sure, she would rather not talk to anyone except Jumba or Pleakley. That changed nothing about how cute it all looked. Cute, and public.

She wanted a small party at home.

Stitch arrived too. He saw the party, and smiled wide in his usual fashion.

"Hey, anyone want pineapple?" One of the adults asked.

Stitch perked up. He turned to Mahina.

Mahina glanced at the party she hadn't even wanted, then at the cake, then at the alien dumplings.

"Go for it." She told Stitch.

As Stitch went for a chainsaw, Mahina rushed to the table. She quietly pulled the dumplings away.

Food safe, Mahina snuck back to the jeep. She climbed into the car to the sounds of the chainsaw roaring.

Mahina sat down. She muttered a quick blessing before plucking up the alien eyeball.

Jumba found her, a lot faster than Mahina expected. "Ah! Little girl! What are you doing here?"

"Eating." Mahina took a bite of the food.

Jumba waved a large arm back towards the table. "Do you not see 626? This is not good! This is-"

"-exactly what I asked him to do." Mahina supplied.

Both of them politely ignored the loud screaming coming from the table.

"Oh. Could I have one?" Jumba asked.

Mahina held up a dumpling. Jumba took it.

"You did not want party?" Jumba asked.

"I wanted a party, just not this party." Mahina replied.

The two looked out on the destroyed party. They happily ate dumplings on the Jeep.

"What kind of party you want?" Jumba asked.

Mahina hummed. She ate another dumpling. "Could- no."

"No no no! You say it."

"I don't wanna say it!"

"You say it!"

"I did say it! I did, and you made this instead!"

Jumba checked at the party. The banner fell on a tiki torch. It burst into flames. Stitch looked around the party and the scared humans, slowly frowning. Jumba hummed. "Tell me, what party is good for you?"

Mahina stared down at the eyeball in her hand. She squished it, nearly popping it in her hand. "What we're doing now is fun."

Jumba leaned against the jeep. He reached for another dumpling. "Even with Nani's crazy earth food?"

"Maybe not exactly like it." Mahina shrugged. "But I like what we do. Our normal family nights. That feels better than a party. Even Stitch destroying stuff feels like a fun family activity. Or working on experiments with you. That's always fun."

Jumba nodded, considering this.

On the beach, Nani and Lilo sighed. Stitch stood in the remains of the party, ever so confused for how it went so wrong so fast.

==M!TF==

Mahina was deep in her notebook. Not her diary/journal thing, that was hidden away where nobody could find it. The party ended in flames, yes, but Mahina hadn't minded. She and Jumba drove off in the jeep, leaving everyone else behind.

They came home, and went to the rocketship. Jumba and Mahina brainstormed new ideas for their machines. They talked about what Mahina would do at school next week, of the amazing things she would learn and do with her other students. Better, smarter kids than last year.

Mahina knew this year would be a cake walk to her. But that meant Mahina could do bigger and better things afterwards. Like saving experiments from Gantu- that was a big one. She needed the free time to save experiments more than she needed to do homework. There's over 600 of them. That takes a lot of time! Who had time for homework?!

But now, Mahina wasn't saving experiments. She was setting up a schedule. Time set aside for experiment saving, and time where Mahina could do her homework, and then tinker with things.

She wanted to keep building. She wanted to be bigger, and better. Mahina liked this home, and all it was giving her. Jumba encouraged every part of her ambitions. A little too much- all thinking it for the purpose of 'evil science'.

Someone knocked on her door.

Mahina yelped, tossing up the pen in her hand. It scrapped on her paper, messing up the schedule.

"Son of a bi-" Mahina bit her lip, forcing herself to shut up. She marched over to the door. Every step she reminded herself to not be angry.

Her face put on a smile.

The door opened. Nani stood outside.

"Hi Nani." Mahina stood in the door, blocking Nani from looking inside. "Everything okay?"

"Yes. Well- almost." Nani replied. "I was going to stay here tonight, I promise-"

"David's date was tonight." Mahina nodded. "It's fancy. You're gonna love it. I don't mind that you're going out."

Nani sighed. "You're too nice. This should've been a family day."

"It was!" Mahina assured her.

When they made the date, David set it on a certain date. Last week when talking about it, Nani and David came to the realization that it was on the same day as Gotcha Day. At the time it was fine because the party was happening around lunch. With the party ruined, it made sense that Nani would feel guilty.

Mahina didn't mind. She preferred it when Nani was out of the alien nonsense.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. We can get a pizza." Mahina shrugged. "And watch old movies."

"But that's what you always do."

"What's wrong with that?" Mahina asked, tilting her head.

"Nothing." Nani knew that Mahina really liked their movie nights, as much as Lilo liked watching the old black and white movies with Stitch. It meant a lot to her, and Nani was well used to this kind of behavior. "It's great."

"Yeah." Mahina perked up. "Enjoy your date."

"Okay. I left money on the counter-"

Mahina stepped out of the room. She pushed Nani down the hallway. "Enough money for two pizzas and a tip, cause Pleakley still thinks money is a leafy green."

Nani nodded. "And don't-"

"Let Pleakley cook dog food."

"Or-"

"Nani." Mahina shook her head, sighing. "We made protocols for when you're out and we're at home. We've got this."

Nani nodded, aware. They'd been doing this for a year. A full year, that meant things were okay. They knew what to do in case of emergencies. Still, Nani worried. "If you're sure-"

"We are." Mahina insisted.

She and Nani walked out to the living room. David stood there, patient and waiting for Nani as always. A perfect gentleman.

A familiar smell was coming from the kitchen.

"Oh no!" Nani gasped. She ran into the kitchen. "Pleakley are you making-"

"Dog food!" Pleakley held up the pan. The brown liquid inside bubbled. "It makes it's own gravy!"

Nani groaned, face palming.

Mahina came into the kitchen. She went to the counter, grabbing the dollar bills and the house phone. She dialed the familiar number. "Hello? Mahina again. Yes, the usual."

David held Nani's arm. "Don't worry. They'll be fine."

Nani nodded. David guided her out of the house. Mahina glanced at Pleakley. "Hey Pleakley, did you get the movies I asked for?"

"Huh? Oh, yes, they're over there." Pleakley waved an arm to a shopping bag. They sniffed the boiled dog food again.

Mahina perked up. She'd done the classic trick of stacking her movies, so Pleakley didn't notice the movie Mahina really wanted to watch. She and Jumba would be having a fun movie night once the pizzas were here.

She brought two movies, actually, for her and Jumba to decide on. Signs, mostly to laugh at the aliens and Joaquin Phoenix, and then 28 Days Later because all the other movies were gone from the rental store. Next time, Mahina wanted to grab some of the Japanese horrors. They looked so good.

Jumba said he wanted it to be a good night together, like a family. Mahina could think of no better way to bond as a family than watching people be killed by zombies.

==M!TF==

Thanks to artemisrocks124, and Zorua1 for favoriting

Thanks to artemisrocks124, Zorua1, and Mata-NuiXIII for following