[fic Lilo & Stitch] The Cause of Trouble, Lilo/Myrtle

[escritoireazul]

Title: The Cause of Trouble
Author: Carla (escritoireazul)
Disclaimer: Disney owns characters from Lilo & Stitch.
Spoilers: The movie, but not any of the sequels or the television show.
Author’s Note: The title is from Elvis’s “Hard Headed Woman”, of course.
Written for: slashthedrabble prompt 159 "Drive"
Dedication: _beetle_ for all the fun Lilo/Myrtle she's written.

Summary: A hard headed woman / […] Been the cause of trouble / Ever since the world began.



There’s something different about Lilo, but Nani couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

Something besides the normal weirdness of a talking dog and alien uncles and the fact that, no matter how many times Nani took her out, Lilo just couldn't get the hang of driving a stick. She flew a spaceship before she was ten, but Nani’s Jeep was too much for her. It drove Nani crazy. First she thought it was her fault for not teaching right. Then it was Lilo’s fault for not trying hard enough. Finally she decided Lilo wasn’t ready and, when she was, it would happen.

It was a good thing Lilo didn’t mind walking everywhere. Nani drove her when she had time, but paying for food for a teenage girl, and Stitch, and, god, could the aliens eat any more, well, that meant working a lot, even with government help. Cobra did what he could, but there was a recession and the budget for social services got cut first.

But when Lilo started coming home with dry hair, and didn’t wear her bathing suit under her clothes all the time, Nani realized change was in the air. She couldn’t figure out what, exactly, Lilo was doing instead of surfing. There were no calls from her teachers, or complaints from the neighbors, or visits from the police. Lilo didn’t burn down the house, or let Stitch play with the chainsaw, or make messes in the kitchen with her experiments.

Nani came home from work early one day and got her first big clue. Really, it was less a clue and more an obvious slap upside the head. There was a bright red convertible parked in the driveway, at an angle so it took up too much space. Kauai was changing, becoming more populated, but there weren’t that many cars like that in their small town, especially ones with vanity plates: Myrtle. Poor girl, Nani almost felt sorry for her. There had only been two white girls in Nani’s class, and they had it pretty rough. The flashier they were, the rougher they had it. Parents, trying to help, and making everything worse. Nani knew just how that felt, just, you know, from the parental side of things.

They were around back, nothing big, just two teens sitting in the hammock and Lilo strumming something quiet on her guitar. Myrtle had her head tipped back, her face turned to the sun. Lilo watched her with the softest expression. Lilo didn’t usually look soft, most of the time she looked positively maniacal, but she was gentled, in the sunlight and the music and the girl.

Lilo’s in love.

It hit Nani like a wave, like she turned her back on the ocean, and she had to sit down for awhile. She made herself a glass of tea, sat in the kitchen with the windows open, and reminded herself to breathe.

There’s something different about Lilo. Nani didn’t quite know what to do about it.

End

Comments

[carodee.livejournal.com]

Nani takes aliens and spaceships and chainsaws for granted but Lilo crushing on a girl is the thing that makes her hyperventilate. *g* The way you write her though, it's clear she'll be fine once she's panicked in private. Very sweet and nicely written.

[escritoireazul.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Yes, I think Nani adjusts to things in time, but I think she definitely has limits to what she can take on an immediate level. Poor woman, Lilo just keeps throwing her curve balls.

[lady-nebula.livejournal.com]

This was wonderful!

[escritoireazul.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_beetle_/]

OMG!!!!!

Dude--okay, must take a moment to compose myself or all you'll get out of me is "dude"s and "OMG!!!!"s. . . .

There’s something different about Lilo, but Nani couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

I just love the understatement of that first line. It makes me wanna go "duh!", but despite all the obvious weird we notice about Lilo, think of all that's hidden underneath her skin, the stuff no one sees.

That first line was like a zen koan.

Something besides the normal weirdness of a talking dog and alien uncles and the fact that, no matter how many times Nani took her out, Lilo just couldn't get the hang of driving a stick.

Yeah, Nani doesn't know the half of it, yet.

She flew a spaceship before she was ten, but Nani’s Jeep was too much for her.

OMG!!!! I've fallen in love with your Lilo--so hard. And stick--dude, I started my slashthedrabble "drive" story and it's Myrtle teaching Lilo--trying to teach Lilo to drive stick. My Myrtle didn't have quite as flash a car, but--dude. Dude. I'm verklempt. I'm in serious love, here.

It drove Nani crazy. First she thought it was her fault for not teaching right. Then it was Lilo’s fault for not trying hard enough. Finally she decided Lilo wasn’t ready and, when she was, it would happen.

The perfect approach to Lilo. She's smart; motivated, just not in the direction one might expect or want. Not always. And pushing her doesn't help.

It was a good thing Lilo didn’t mind walking everywhere.

Your Lilo's just like I imagine her, down to the littlest things. I mean, as fun and easy as it is to write Myrtle, Lilo is harder to show/tell. Even through someone else's eyes. You capture her the way I see her but can't quite write her. My hero!
::hugs::

Nani drove her when she had time, but paying for food for a teenage girl, and Stitch, and, god, could the aliens eat any more, well, that meant working a lot, even with government help. Cobra did what he could, but there was a recession and the budget for social services got cut first.

And I love the realism of that--that it wasn't happily ever after, despite the way the movie ended. What happened to David? Why isn't the Galactic Federation Council helping out? The aliens are their citizens, after all, Stitch their collective creation.

Please write the story where Lilo flies the spaceship. Pwease?

But when Lilo started coming home with dry hair, and didn’t wear her bathing suit under her clothes all the time, Nani realized change was in the air.

Effing. Genius. That was just--perfect. You ease us into it, the way Nani eases into the realization. It's the little things that give us away when we're in love, not the big ones.

And you prose is just amazing. Take it from someone who tends to skim prose (it's a bad habit, I'm trying to break it, but it's very much a work in progress): your prose is awesome.

She couldn’t figure out what, exactly, Lilo was doing instead of surfing. There were no calls from her teachers, or complaints from the neighbors, or visits from the police. Lilo didn’t burn down the house, or let Stitch play with the chainsaw, or make messes in the kitchen with her experiments.

Nani's got the single-mom version of "okay". Not a bad thing, but she has an instinct for Lilo that's very mom-like, and she knows this isn't trouble in the usual Lilo-sense. It's not anything dangerous, not really. But something.

[escritoireazul.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the story as much as you did; your stories have brought me a lot of entertainment and happiness, so I'm glad to return the favor!

I do want to write more about how life is still difficult for Nani, even with the governmental help, and how do you ask for more money from the aliens when they don't know what life is like on Earth and it really hurts her pride. She'll do it if she has to, but she hates that she's not enough to take care of Lilo.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_beetle_/]

Nani came home from work early one day and got her first big clue. Really, it was less a clue and more an obvious slap upside the head. There was a bright red convertible parked in the driveway, at an angle so it took up too much space. Kauai was changing, becoming more populated, but there weren’t that many cars like that in their small town, especially ones with vanity plates: Myrtle.

So known about town, but also lonely, I'm thinking. Poor girl, indeed. And the way Kauai is changing? A nice touch. You tell a lot of story in a few well-chosen words.

Poor girl, Nani almost felt sorry for her. There had only been two white girls in Nani’s class, and they had it pretty rough. The flashier they were, the rougher they had it. Parents, trying to help, and making everything worse. Nani knew just how that felt, just, you know, from the parental side of things.

Nani . . . a mom before she's a mom. You have to tell more of this 'verse.

They were around back, nothing big, just two teens sitting in the hammock and Lilo strumming something quiet on her guitar. Myrtle had her head tipped back, her face turned to the sun. Lilo watched her with the softest expression. Lilo didn’t usually look soft, most of the time she looked positively maniacal, but she was gentled, in the sunlight and the music and the girl.

No words, man. That was beautiful and sad and smacks of unrequitedness--though I hope not, and that if it is, it's soon to become . . . quited.

Lilo’s in love.

Yes . . . beautifully so.

It hit Nani like a wave, like she turned her back on the ocean, and she had to sit down for awhile. She made herself a glass of tea, sat in the kitchen with the windows open, and reminded herself to breathe.

I love that she didn't let her shock goad her into action, but made some iced tea and sat down to think, calm down. I don't know what the Hawaiian take on homosexuality is, but Nani's handling this pretty well, so far.

She's a good parent :)

There’s something different about Lilo. Nani didn’t quite know what to do about it.

For once, she may not have to do anything =D

Utterly beautiful. Please make more--slash, gen--even het, because I love your Nani to smithereens and want her to be happy. And more Lilo/Myrtle, of course. Lilo's so . . . softened, here. As is Myrtle. You present deeper, more real sides of them than I have to date and I bow before the master.
::bows::

I can't believe you were antsy about posting this, it's wonderful. Make more, or I'll badger you till you do.

And don't think I wont. I know where you journal ;)

[escritoireazul.livejournal.com]

I like to tie things I know into the stories. A friend of mine grew up on Kauai, and he recently said it's changed a lot, so much so he's not sure he wants to go back to it ever, because it's full of people and buildings and traffic now.

I really feel for Nani, losing out on her youth in order to raise Lilo. I mean, it's fantastic, she wants to keep Lilo out of the foster system, but oh, how much she gave up. I do intend to write more about that.

This actually isn't the story I was antsy about posting. That one is still in progress. This was just a short thing inspired by the prompt. I am definitely writing more.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_beetle_/]

A Big Enough Lever (http://community.livejournal.com/slashthedrabble/471840.html)

=)

[were-lemur.livejournal.com]

Wow. It's just a quiet, understated piece of awesome.