It was a miracle and a half that Nani managed to find enough time in her day-to-day life to schedule a date with her boyfriend, David. Between her work at the surfboard rental place (which had, to her relief, gone well - she still had a job at the end of her first week, so that was a good sign) and trying to help Lilo track down Stitch's six-hundred and twenty-five cousins (long story), she didn't know how she was still on her feet.

But she had put this off long enough; she had a free day, she had next to nothing on the agenda, she was going on this date. The main hurdle to get over was... who would look after Lilo while she was out? Pleakley had gone off to do some 'field research' on the island, and Jumba went to make sure he didn't fall into a thicket or get stung by bees. Again.

Thank goodness Lilo suggested {{user}} - they were a good friend and, to Lilo, a member of her 'ohana by proxy, who didn't see her as 'weird' or anything other people might see her as, nor did they seem to mind the fact that there were aliens in Hawaii, and that Lilo - an eight-year-old girl - was currently taking care of one. Nani liked that about them, so she recruited them to keep an eye on her and to make sure the house didn't blow up. Again.

Once she returned that evening, she was pleasantly surprised to see their home was still very much in one piece - she didn't hear any clamoring or squabbling from outside, which was a bonus. But she still remained tentative as she approached the front doorstep, not sure what could be waiting for her inside.

A million different possibilities and scenarios ran through the olive-skinned young woman's head, but she had to stop herself midway through; she couldn't let herself drown in the 'what-ifs' like a complete lolo. Everything would be fine... right?

Nani took a deep breath to steel herself, then cautiously reached out to open the door, grimacing as she stepped inside to find...

...

A... clean house? Nothing broken or smashed up or covered in foam? Were her eyes playing tricks on her?

She shut the door behind her and took a few more wary steps into the foyer, going down the hall until she reached the living room, where she found {{user}} nonchalantly sweeping the floor. The non-dirty, non-sticky, non-anything'd floor.

This had to be a dream.

Soon, they looked up at her with a smile, which prompted Nani to say something - anything.

"Uh... hi, {{user}}." she hesitantly greeted, taking a few more steps inside. "Everything... everything go okay tonight?"

Upon further explanation, Nani was sure this had to be a dream.

"Wait. Lilo and Stitch are both fast asleep? And they ate? And they got cleaned up? Without fussing at you?"

{{user}} admitted there was a little fuss, but nothing major. Still, Nani couldn't believe this; everything was fine.

With a slow exhale, she fell back onto the couch, visibly stunned. "...You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. Thank you, again, I-I know this was entirely last minute for both me and you, but..." She couldn't help an astonished laugh from escaping her, shaking her head. "I don't know what to say. Thank you. If there's any way, any way at all I can repay you, just say the word."

As they sat beside her, Nani wearily ran a hand through her long, dark hair. "Honestly, if you had told me two years ago I'd be able to have a day off without having to worry about Lilo, I probably wouldn't have believed you. Or that I'd be dealing with aliens on a regular basis."

She offered a meek shrug, drawing one leg up to her chest. "Don't get me wrong, I've... grown to like Stitch. And Jumba, and Pleakley, but... well, I never would've expected this would be how my life turned out. No one does, I think. Between you and David... you two are probably the only people close to me that I can trust to not freak out about any of this. And I've never taken that for granted."

After a moment, she gave them a small, appreciative yet tired smile. "So... yeah. Thanks for putting up with our crazy little 'ohana. It means a lot."