Chapter Text
There is something timeless about places like Lahui beach, places where the sights and sounds of nature are perpetual like the rolling waves, where the same kind of people always return, to find one another in very similar pursuits. Relaxation, fun, romance, happiness, meaning, longing... many things draw people from all walks of life to the beach, yet what they do remains largely the same, and adds to the timelessness. Surfers seeking to ride the nicest and most challenging waves, children of all sizes playing ballgames and sculpting their dreams into the sand, couples lying close together in the partial shade, and young girls trying to snag a picture of the most well-rounded and sun-burnt tourist they can find.
Okay that last one was just an exception, but an exception which seasoned visitors have gotten used to, just as they have gotten used to the strange and musical blue dog that accompanied her. That this creature wasn't really a dog was an open secret among the regulars, after all, the entire town and indeed the island at large was home to many such exotic creatures, which were strangely well adapted to the community.
One flash of a camera later, and Lilo was the proud owner of another perfect shot for her wall.
“Bingo!” Lilo breathed as she pinched the picture and waved it back and forth, more for effect than practicality.
“Just look at the colour of this one, Stitch! Do you think he'll turn into a lobster if he stays like this?”
Stitch tilted his head a bit and licked his teeth at the suggestion. “Lobster...”
Lilo sighed with a familiar smile “It's always about food with you, isn't it?”
Stitch quickly sucked his drool back up and made a dismissive motion with his clawed hand. “Naga... only most of time.”
Lilo laughed heartily at this, because she knew Stitch in truth had matured a lot over the years, and was just showing his self-awareness in a silly way. Tucking her prize safely into her duffel bag, she took off towards the shore. “Come on, Stitch, race me to the water! Last one there is a lazy glob of grease!”
Stitch grinned at the invitation and within less than a milisecond, he had calculated the exact trajectory and speed he would need in order to give her a chance of victory, but still push her to her limit. Then he bit into his feet, rolled into a ball and took off. Sand was flying into the air behind the spinning blue alien orb as it sped down the beach at the exact speed it wanted to. By his estimation, Lilo should come to a stop at around the same time as him, and be fairly winded. However, when he ended his roll and jumped to his feet, Lilo was already there, not even winded, and giving him a funny look. “You let me win, didn't you? Either that, or you really need to lay off the coconut cake.”
“Gaba..?” It didn't make sense for his estimation to be that far off, his supercomputer of a brain was a reliable constant, if you discount the frequent irrational urges and violent mood swings. Could it be something about Lilo? For perhaps the first time since he met her, Stitch took in every visible detail of Lilo's body, her proportions, her bone structure, her musculature, and when he compared his visual measurements with the figures in is memory, he was startled.
Stitch had still been using the numbers of her when she was seven years old! No wonder his estimation of her physical ability had been off, her limbs were longer and more defined now, and she had less juvenile fat to slow her down. It turns out his brain was not that good at adapting to changes over a longer period of time, or perhaps he simply forgot to account for the fact that humans age and grow?
Although Stitch could think faster than almost any living being, he still took long enough that Lilo was starting to worry about his vacant stare.
“Stitch? It's okay... come on, I just want to splash around a bit more, then we can head home.”
“Okay...” The experimental life-form slumped down on his patookie, and watched his closest friend bound off into the waves, which only just came up to touch his toes. As he watched her, Stitch was thoughtful. Was he still changing too? He wasn't growing older like naturally born beings, but Lilo had changed him utterly and irrevocably with her love.
She had saved him at least twice, first from the monster he was meant to be, and then from death itself. While Lilo would celebrate her 14th birthday soon, which he gleefully looked forward too, he would not celebrate his own creation day. Not that he wasn't grateful to Jumba for his existence, but it made much more sense for him to celebrate his adoption anniversary, as that was when he was given his true identity as Stitch, and his one true place, as Lilo's companion for life.
How this girl he had known for most of his life could quite literally grow up under his nose without him noticing, that mystified him. After all, he had been watchful over Lilo ever since he learned what ohana means, whenever she was having a bad time, he would be there immediately. Right then for example, he had no idea why she was returning from her swim with a face as sour as battery acid, but he immediately rushed to meet her halfway, even though he hated the water washing around his legs. Then he saw the nearly full five litre bottle of cooking oil in her hands, and a large yellowish stain on her bathing suit.
“Some bozo must have discarded this after they were done with their beach barbecue. Waste and pollution in one, can you imagine?! And their little cooking oil slick even ended up staining my only good bathing suit!”
Stitch growled like a dog whose owner was threatened. “Ika patooka.”
“MAY PELE CONSUME YOU WITH HER FIREY WRATH, WHEREVER YOU ARE!” The girl shouted at the unknown offenders, and for a moment every beach-goer around was silent, cautiously peering past their sunglasses and magazines, and returning to their routine when it was clear that it didn't concern them. Stitch actually picked up the terrified scent of two individuals nearby, who had stained their unmentionables at the declaration, but after making a mental note to laugh furiously about them later, he decided they were punished enough. Back to the matter at hand, Stitch yanked the plastic container from her hand, saying “Stitch take care of it!” He then proceeded to bite off the top and guzzle down the golden oily contents with absolute delight.
“Stitch, cut it out! You know that much oil is bad for you!” Lilo tried to pry it from his jaws, but he was enjoying his prize too much to relinquish it. It quickly escalated into a tug of war, and she knew getting into one of those with Stitch was a bad idea, but Lilo was just as stubborn.
Then Stitch's claws dug into the sides of the cheap plastic vessel, and predictably, the whole thing tore open and spilled it's remaining oil all over both of them.
“Eeeew!” “Iky! Iky!” After both of them expressed their disgust at the slimy feeling and got the worst of it out of their eyes and noses, Lilo gave Stitch the sour face treatment. Immediately the creature's long ears drooped and he looked down in shame. “Sorry. Meega take responsibility.”
Lilo's gaze softened, it was hard to stay mad at her little blue angel. “Come on, Stitch. Let's go.” She grabbed onto his hand and pulled him along, he didn't resist. He even had the decency to scoop up the torn pieces of plastic with his lower arms as they left.
At home, Nani merely rolled her eyes at them, and sent them off to the bathroom so they don't cover everything in the house in stains. Stitch hated taking a bath more than anything, since the water combined with the enclosed space tended to go against his survival instinct, and soap just felt terrible in his fur. Still, he knew he was at fault here, so he resigned himself to his fate, and he could at least use it to spend more time with Lilo which he loved to do more than anything, and the mess of oil didn't exactly feel better anyway.
Lilo had already discarded her swimsuit into the washing machine, and was waiting at the edge of the tub to help Stitch get into the bubbly pit. Despite his best intentions, Stitch shrunk back a bit at the sight.
“I know you can do this...” Lilo beckoned with an encouraging smile, extending her hand to him. “And you know it would make me really proud if you could do it without a fight. I'll be right there to keep you safe, promise...”
Stitch focused on her face and inched forwards. Her deep dark eyes and familiar caramel tan soothed him. Focus on Lilo, Stitch is good, he repeated in his head. Finally he reached her hand, and let her guide him into the wetness. His legs felt like they were about to turn to jelly, but he manage to keep his breathing normal. “Good alien!” Lilo cooed, to which he issued an annoyed huff.
Now it was her turn to climb in, and to further distract himself from the water going up to his neck, Stitch focused entirely on her. He knew that one of the reasons humans wore clothes was that they were shy about their bodies, and wile Lilo never went out of her way to go nude, she was also never shy or embarrassed to be naked around him. It didn't matter much to him anyway, but he found that he could decipher her scent better when there were no textiles in the way, and he also found the texture of her skin quite pleasing.
While Lilo was busy washing herself, Stitch used a little brush and his claw to reach all of the nooks and crevices of his form. This was easy enough now that he had gotten somewhat used to being in the water, but the hard part was about to begin when Lilo was done with her once-over.
“Okay Stitch, scoot closer, it's time for the sponge!”
Stitch almost bolted when she held up the dreaded yellow object, but her other arm also indicated that she wanted to hug him, so he chose to focus on that. Yeah... hugs are good... focus on hugs.
Bit by bit he slid closer to her, using her surprisingly long legs to pull himself onto her lap, which elicited ticklish giggles from her. His dense body was heavy on her thighs, but she was used to the weight. After grabbing her free arm and holding onto it like a lifeline, he surrendered to her ministrations, and let the dreaded super weapon known as the sponge coat his back and scalp in soap and water.
“Ah, careful with your claws! You know how sensitive my skin gets in the tub.” Lilo moaned at him.
He quickly nodded and adjusted his hold so that one arm was snugly around her waist, and one held forcefully onto the side of the tub, adding to the numerous little claw marks in the rim. Many battles were fought here, but today he had surrendered. While working the soap deeper into his short but thick fur, Lilo hugged him very close to herself, and nuzzled his brow and lidded eyes with great affection. Stitch in turn relaxed into her arms, and rubbed his cheek against her flat chest. Only... it was not as flat as he expected. It felt soft there, and warm, and it had a bit of a rise to it. Was her chest swollen? He sniffed at it just in case. Her scent had changed slightly, and her breathing got a bit more intense. Wanting to get a better read on her bodily health, Stitch gave her breast a curious lick.
“Ah...!” Lilo gasped.
“Gaba? Does Lilo hurt there?” He asked In a concerned tone.
"No, but please stay focused. And I told you, you're not supposed to lick people without permission. You know I don't mind too much, but...” She trailed off with flushing cheeks.
“Sorry... Stitch is... dizzy...” The blue creature was already wrestling to keep his compulsive aversion to bating in check, but he also enjoyed being close to Lilo and under her loving care. Those two feelings didn't cancel each other out, but layered over top of each other to create a dissonance. Add to that the strange change in perception he was undergoing regarding Lilo, and some new sensations he was processing, and it suddenly felt like his entire world was off-kilter. Stitch's brain was a true wonder of genetic design, but there were a few things it was not supposed to do. Unfortunately, in that moment, it was forced to do multiple of those things at the same time.
Something snapped, and Stitch immediately threw up over the side of the tub.
“Ugh, Stitch, I told you that much oil is bad for you! Now I have to scrub your muzzle again, and Nani will be so angry about the stains in the floor, and... Stitch?”
Cold fright overtook her as she realized, the other half to their dynamic duo was hanging limply over the edge of the tub, unresponsive, unconscious.
She put her hand on his big round nose and tried to feel something past her own pounding heartbeat. He was still breathing, good. But his nose felt hot and feverish. How could this happen so suddenly? He was fine just a minute ago!
She scrambled out of the tub, not caring about the water spilling everywhere, or the oily puke next to her feet. Lilo quickly covered herself in a towel, and hoisted her prone companion out of the water. With the slippery tiles beneath her feet and the considerable weight of a wet Stitch in her arms, she felt a bit helpless.
“Nani! Pleakley! Jumba! Anyone! Stitch needs help!”
Nani was there with Lilo while she waited on the steps in front of Jumba's study, having an arm draped over her little sister's shoulders to stop her from pacing restlessly.
“How much longer can this take? I thought Jumba said it won't be anything serious...” Instead of pacing Lilo settled for pulling and twisting her hair as she sat there.
“Lilo, it's only been forty minutes, these things take time! Better safe than sorry.” Nani tried to assure her
“I know, but I've seen him examine Stitch before, with the technology in there it should be way faster!” Lilo insisted.
Nani raised her eyebrow and crossed er arms. “Oh really? And who was the 'evil genius' that created Stitch?”
Lilo sighed. “You're right, I'll try to cool my jets... I'm just worried, y'know?”
“I know.” Nani replied with a gentleness only reserved for her sister.
A long and troubled silence elapsed before another word was spoken, and even then it came with difficulty.
“Lilo, another thing... I didn't want to say anything, because I figured you would sort it out on your own, but...” Nani floundered a bit while her sister stared questioningly. “Aren't you... getting a bit too old to bathe together with Stitch?”
“Too old? What does that even mean?” Lilo frowned. “And you know Stitch never fully got over his aquaphobia, he needs me!” She insisted.
But Nani just shook her head, unsatisfied with the justification. “You know what I mean, Lilo, you're a teenager now. Besides, you know you don't need to be in the tub with him to bathe him. Heck, I could even do it for you sometimes, so you have more time for your studies!”
Lilo was completely astounded at what her sister was thinking. “What are you so afraid of? Stitch and I have lived together for years now, I don't even think he sees human girls that way! And even then, the only thing that he did with Angel while they were together was cuddle and lick her!”
“You don't know for sure! Doesn't he have, like... alien boy parts?!”
“NO! NO, HE DOESN'T!” Lilo shouted, red faced.
“WELL, SORRY FOR NOT CHECKING!” Nani shouted back, equally embarrassed.
They were so wrapped up in their little back and forth, that they didn't notice the massive four eyed alien watching them with caution.
“Uh, sorry, is bad time?” Jumba asked from his open door.
“Jumba!” The sisters shouted in unison. “Is Stitch okay? Can I see him?” Lilo asked frantically.
“For now 626 is stable again, I was not able to determine the cause of his episode, so we just having to watch and see now.”
“Could it be... another glitch, like last time?” Lilo asked fearfully.
“No, is not. His molecular charge is at full, and only thing I detected was slight biochemical imbalance in the brain, but is quickly righting itself. Little girl, you didn't ask him to divide by zero, did you?”
“Of course not, do you take me for a Mertle?!” Lilo all but screamed at him.
“Okay Okay. Little girl be choosing violence today... The point is being, it should be fine for now.” Jumba explained patiently.
“Sorry for yelling... can I see him now?” Lilo asked more quietly.
Her large adopted uncle moved aside to let Lilo into the dim study. Among the imposing machinery that filled the room, and the complex tools and gadgets strewn haphazardly across multiple surfaces, there was a small bunk with a prone blue form. Lilo rushed to his side and two big black pools of intelligence fluttered open as soon as she raked her fingers through is chest fur.
“Lilo...?” The Alien stirred to look at her better “Meega nawa nal shiralli te soro.”
The girl blinked away a heavy tear of relief, and pulled him into her arms. “Don't scare me like that anymore, okay?”
Stitch extended his lower arms, just to give her a better hug. “Okay, Stitch try his best.”
Shortly after, the two left the room, claw in hand. No one bothered them about anything as they walked off and took the lift to their rooftop dome, and the rest of the day went by in relative peace. They passed the time doing things they had always done together: Listening to Elvis, dancing until their feet got tired, playing pretend games, and finding new ways to slouch and sprawl over the bed, over the floor, and over each other.
But throughout it all, through the familiarity and comfort, a realization was present in Stitch's mind, that he had been wilfully ignoring for years now. Lilo was growing up.