Vk'leita and Lar'nix'va were pacing back and forth around the yautja version of a living room.

Their mates were laying on the floor, unconscious, and settled amongst heavy blankets and two mats that served as padding against the ground. Just a few weeks ago, the Witch had reappeared and turned them back into humans. Neither of the two yautja knew why. She gave no explanation for it and disappeared before they could demand one from her.

From the shadows of a long hallway, a gaggle of kids, or 'pups', as their parents liked to call them, watched with worry as their fathers paced around their inert mothers.

One of the youngest pups, Machiko's daughter, clicked her mandibles in worry. "Are we not going to have Christmas?" She asked her siblings and friends.

One of the older males, Helena's son, grunted at the girl, but didn't answer.

Christmas was an ooman tradition that their mothers had introduced to the first litter of pups they had. They had explained, to the best of their abilities, how it came about and why it was widely celebrated amongst their kind. Vk'leita and Lar'nix'va, the fathers of the two gangs of pups, had found it strange at first, but quickly learned to accept it. Especially when they saw how happy it made their mothers (and consequently, how happy it made the kids to receive gifts as well). Since then, the two families have celebrated the holiday every year, despite the weird looks it sometimes got them from the other yautja.

This year was different, however.
This year, the Witch returned and turned their mothers back into their ooman selves.

And now their mothers were sick and passed out in the main room of the house.

The pups watched how agitated their fathers had become when this happened. Yautja rarely got sick, thanks to their advanced immune systems, and fewer still knew how to treat sick yautja, because it was just that uncommon. Add to the fact that their mothers were ooman again and you were just asking for trouble.

Vk'leita paced around his unconscious wife before finally plopping down by her side and shifting her head so it rested on his thigh. He stroked his hands through her strands of hair and momentarily marveled at how soft it was.
He needed her to wake up. She was the healer in their family. She was even specialized to treat humans! Only she would know what to do about herself and Da'dtou-di's sickness. Vk'leita watched out of the corner of his eye as Lar'nix'va finally sat down as well and just took Da'dtou-di's hand in his and pressed it to his mandibles.

Vk'leita felt a tiny clawed hand rest on his shoulder and he turned his head to find his youngest daughter staring at him intently. "Daddy," She softly clicked, a human term she had picked up from her mother and he had come to adore his children when they called him that. "is mommy going to wake up?" Vk'leita frowned at her with his lower mandibles and reached a hand out. Gently, he grasped his daughter's waist and picked her up. He settled her on his lap, on the opposite thigh from where his wife's head lay. "Sei-i," He lied, wrapping an arm around her. "She will. She just needs to rest." He had no idea if she'd actually wake up or not, and that fact scared him.

Slowly, the rest of the kids came out of the hallway that they had been hiding in. The pups divided themselves up and surrounded their respective parents on the floor.

"What's wrong with mom?" Lar'nix'va's oldest asked him. Lar'nix'va turned his head towards his son and frowned. "We're not sure." He admitted. "She said she just wanted to take a nap, but it's been four hours." His oldest daughter pointed out. Lar'nix'va nodded at her in acknowledgement. "I know. . . but our healers won't be able to help them." "Because they're ooman now?" His oldest son asked again. Lar'nix'va nodded at him. "Sei-i. Their bodies are different now. Our medicines might not work on them."
Lar'nix'va felt a small head try to squeeze its way under his arm and looked down to find his youngest son trying to cuddle up to him. Lifting his arm, Lar'nix'va let his son hug his side before placing the arm back down around the pup's shoulders and giving him a gentle squeeze. His son reached out and placed a hand on his mother's forehead in return. "Why does she feel hot?" He asked.
Alarmed, Lar'nix'va placed a hand to her forehead as well and found that, sei-i, she was warmer than usual.

Looking over at Vk'leita, Lar'nix'va found him checking his mate's forehead as well. From the look on his face, she was warming up as well.

Clamping his mandibles together, Vk'leita looked at his pups, who were giving him worried looks. He had to get them out of the room and away from their mother, or else their worry would grow. Looking away from them, an idea slowly came to mind, finally causing him to look back at them. "I think I know what would wake your mother up." He said. His children looked at him curiously as he tilted his head in the direction of the 'kitchen'. "Do you remember that soup your mother likes to eat?" A couple of his children gave him blank looks, but then one of the middle children perked up. "The one with chicken in it?" "Sei-i." Vk'leita replied, relieved to find that his kids now knew what he was talking about. "Why don't you all go make that for her. I think the smell could wake her up." His children perked up and immediately stood. They ran to the kitchen, racing each other to see who would get there first.

Vk'leita looked over to find Lar'nix'va and his kids awkwardly staring at him. Vk'leita gestured with his head at the kitchen again. "They can do the same if you want them too. Use whatever you want in there."

Lar'nix'va looked back at his kids and clicked his mandibles to get their attention. "You remember what your mother likes?" He asked. The son he had tucked under his arm shifted his head to look at him. "That fish and rice stuff she's always eating." "Sei-i. She called it sushi. I want you all to run back to the house and grab the stuff to make it for her." "We will!" Lar'nix'va's oldest daughter stood and ran to the door. Her younger siblings followed, racing as fast as they could to get the things they needed and be back as soon as possible.

Now with the pups gone, Lar'nix'va and Vk'leita shared worried looks.

Their mate's foreheads were still getting hot.

"You're supposed to cut up the chicken before putting it in!" Vk'leita's oldest son snapped at one of the younger ones. The younger son growled at him threateningly. "Mom said it didn't matter!" He snapped back. "You can cut it afterwards!" "Mom always did it before!"

"Will you two shut it?!" The oldest daughter growled. Despite being younger than her oldest brother, she was already beginning to tower over both of them in height. A fact she regularly used to her advantage. "Don't fight when dad can hear you." "Too late!" Vk'leita called out from the main room of the house, scorn clear in his voice. "Don't make me come in there to separate you all." He threatened. The boys immediately shut up as more of their younger siblings came over, carrying cut up veggies that their mother normally put in the soup. "Is this good?" The youngest daughter asked the oldest son as she showed him her work. The oldest looked down at her cut up carrots and nodded. "Sei-i, put them in." He directed.

Their clamor was interrupted by the sound of more pups coming into the kitchen.

"Mind if we use a counter?" Lar'nix'va's oldest son, who was also best friends with Vk'leita's oldest son, asked. Vk'leita's son nodded and pointed at the counter. "Knives are up in on the top shelf. Bowls are on the bottom ones." "Thanks." Lar'nix'va's son slightly bowed his head as he and his siblings moved over to the counter to make their own mother's food.

The kitchen came alive with smells and sounds soon after, and several of the younger pups found that they weren't really needed anymore.

Vk'lieta's youngest daughter snuck out of the kitchen while the older kids worked and peeked out into the main room. She saw her father and Lar'nix'va speaking to each other quietly, but then she saw something else that made her squeal. "Mommy is awake!" She shouted, running forward.

Vk'leita and Lar'nix'va whipped their heads in her direction as they saw the girl barrel towards Helena. "Mommy!" She shouted, jumping towards her mother.

Vk'leita's mandibles opened in shock as Helena's arms opened up to receive her daughter's embrace. "Hey sweety." She softly cooed. Her voice was weak and sounded strange from her normal tone, but she was awake, and that's what mattered.
Vk'leita looked down at Helena's head in his lap to see her eyes barely open up. She tilted her head back to look up at him through half-lidded eyes and she smiled at him. "Hello my handsome beast." She softly said as her daughter cuddled her from her spot on the floor. Vk'leita let out a sound of relief as he leaned his head down and gently rubbed his forehead with hers. Helena chuckled and reached up with one hand to rub the side of his face. "What'd I miss?" She asked.

Vk'leita was beyond grateful that the Witch at least allowed them to still understand each other when they spoke.

He rubbed his forehead with hers again. "You and Da'dtou-di are sick." He clicked at her. "You both came in this room to sleep on the floor together." "That explains some things." Helena replied as she began to sit up.
Vk'leita peered up to find all of the pups peering at them from beyond the walls of the kitchen. Vk'leita could practically feel Helena's smile aimed at them. "Hello my sweethearts." She called. Immediately, her pups came running out to hug her. They crowded around her and searched to find a spot to hold her while Vk'leita tried to awkwardly make room for them. Lar'nix'va's pups stayed behind at the kitchen's entrance, looking dejected that their own mother wasn't awake.

After several minutes of hugging, Helena finally sat back from her kids and leaned against Vk'leita's chest. "You said we got sick and fell asleep here?" She asked her husband. Vk'leita nodded at her and stroked a mandible through her hair. "Sei-i. . .I don't know what you have." He said. Helena took a moment to cough into her hands before leaning back with a groan again, startling Vk'leita greatly. "I think I know what it is." She mumbled before looking at her oldest daughter. "Sweety, do you know where mommy keeps her medical bags?" She asked. Her oldest nodded and stood up to her feet. "I'll go get them!" She declared. Helena smiled at her and nodded. "Thank you honey. Bring back both of them so I can check Da'dtou-di as well." She instructed.

Her daughter ran off and then her oldest son stood up. "We forgot about the soup!" He yelled before running back into the kitchen. The others jumped up and followed him, panicking with the thought that they had burned their mother's dinner.

Helena turned her head towards her hubby and rose an eyebrow. "Soup?" She asked. Vk'leita nodded and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I needed to distract them with something to do. They're making your favorite." He stated. Helena giggled and drowsily nuzzled the side of his neck. "Thank you babe." She softly whispered. Vk'leita nuzzled her back and held her tighter. "You and your hundreds of nicknames." He teased. Helena chuckled just as her daughter came pounding down the stairs. "I've got them!" She declared, holding up the bags. Helena sat up and held out her hands for them. "Thank you honey." She said as her daughter handed them over.

Turning on her side, Helena motioned for Shorty to move Machiko over to her.

"Let's see if I'm right."

"I was right." Helena declared after checking Machiko and herself out.

Machiko had woken up about half way through the examination after Helena had tried to subtly stick a thermometer in her mouth. Then it took longer because her kids had come out of the kitchen to greet her much the same way Helena's own kids had. Lar'nix'va had swiftly sent them away after so Helena could finish her job.

"Right about what?" Vk'lieta asked, scooching closer to his wife on her mat.

Helena looked over at Machiko's still drowsy looking form and chuckled. "We've got colds." She said. Machiko groaned and grabbed her pillow to flop back on the floor. "I was getting used to never having those again." She complained from beneath the pillow. Helena nodded in agreement as she felt Vk'leita's hands circle her waist. "What is a. . .cold?" He asked in confusion. Helena leaned back against him and rubbed the side of his jaw with her thumb. "It's the most common and most annoying sickness amongst humans." She said. Vk'leita tilted his head at her, and from the corner of her eye, she spotted Machiko sitting up. Lar'nix'va wrapped his arms around her to give her support. "What does it do?" He asked. Machiko took a deep breath and tried to explain despite her stuffed nose. "It causes fevers, sore throats, and stuffed or runny noses. It's the most annoying sickness to have because it's nothing but an irritant."

Lar'nix'va couldn't help but smile at her snappish tone as she talked about the sickness. It was funny to see her get annoyed with simple things like that, especially when she was normally the most composed out of the both of them.

"How do we treat it?" Vk'leita asked seriously, not finding any of this funny.

Helena once again reached back and rubbed the side of his jaw. "There's not really a way to treat it." She admitted. "I don't have the correct tools or supplies to, anyway." "We can visit your earth and get you the supplies." Vk'leita said seriously. Helena giggled and kissed the side of his neck. "Honey, don't worry. This isn't life threatening. It mostly requires sleep and lots of water." "And vapo-rub." Machiko added, creaking an eye open at Helena. Helena chuckled and nodded. "I believe I've still got some in my old medic kit." She stated. "Please use it!" Machiko exclaimed.

Helena smiled and promised to send one of her pups to get it from her room when said pups from both families came out of the kitchen carrying a giant pot and a tray between them.

"Soup is done!" Helena's eldest son said proudly as he and his sister carried the pot over. Machiko's kids were more quiet as they presented an overly large tray of sushi to her. Both women grinned at the sight before thanking their pups. "Did you make enough for everyone?" Machiko asked, sitting up and off of Lar'nix'va, who had been holding her the entire time. Her children nodded and set the tray down. "There's more in the cold storage." Her oldest daughter informed her. Helena asked the same thing of her pups and they confirmed that there was enough for everyone. "Well, then you better go get the plates and bowls." She said to her two youngest, who got up and ran back to the kitchen. Vk'leita leaned his head around her and looked at two of the middle children. "Don't forget the scoops for the soup." He gave them a stern look until they got up and ran to the kitchen to get the yautja version of 'spoons'.

Lar'nix'va looked down at his mate and reached into his hanging supply pouch. Pulling out a wrapped parcel, he handed it over to Machiko, who slowly unwrapped it. It was a pair of chopsticks that he now carried around with him everywhere thanks to her.

"Thank you." Machiko slowly leaned up and kissed the underside of his chin, still feeling a bit groggy due to her cold.

Lar'nix'va purred at her affections and nuzzled the top of her head. "I've got more if you need them." He informed her. Machiko smiled and settled herself against him more comfortably. "I know you do." She reached a hand over and rubbed the bicep of one of the arms he had wrapped around her. Their children came back in with plates and spoons, and immediately Machiko's youngest daughter came bounding over to her.

"Mommy, are you going to be alright?" She clicked. Machiko held her arms out to her and her daughter came over for a hug. "Sei-i, I am." Machiko told her as soon as her daughter was settled in. "This is just something that humans get often." "So you're not going to die?" Her son butted in, walking over and sitting on Machiko's thigh. Machiko smiled at him and nodded. "Sei-i, I'm not going to die." She confirmed. Her son smiled at her and Helena clapped her hands behind the group. "We better eat before the food gets cold. . .and luke warm." She added, eyeing Machiko's sushi. Machiko nodded and Lar'nix'va reached over to hand her a plate. "Here." He softly clicked, pressing his mandibles in a yautja style kiss to the side of her head. Machiko smiled and squeezed his hand.

"This has got to be the oddest Christmas Eve I've ever had." She admitted. Lar'nix'va cocked his head at her and rose an eyebrow. "How so?" He asked. Machiko smiled and stretched out on his lap. "Sushi and chicken soup for Christmas Eve dinner," She giggled. "not very traditional." Lar'nix'va purred and leaned down to her ear, clicking softly so their pups wouldn't hear him. "I can think of one tradition we can do later if you're feeling better after we eat." He wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively, a human habit she had taught him. Machiko turned red but smiled at him before cupping the side of his face and planting a kiss on his jaw. "We'll see." She smirked at his hopeful look.

They ate in a relatively cheerful mood after that.

Bonus content: Dedicated to AFarAwayLand!

"Please Dachande!" Helena begged while Machiko was trying not to burst into laughter behind her.

Dachande gave her a sour look at her request. "Md-i." He bluntly replied.

Both Helena and Machiko pouted at him and Dachande felt his will caving. They had explained to him a long time ago what a gag gift was. A gift given as a joke to get a laugh out of someone. The girls had just given him a gag gift; an article of clothing they wanted him to wear just for them. Normally, he was fond of them enough to give them anything they wanted.

This though. . . .

Dachande held up the matching pair of lacy and frilly loincloth (the girls called it a 'thong') and bust top that was normally worn by women. This one was more oddly shaped though, and had a strange wire at the bottom of where the milk glands would be cupped. The loincloth, he didn't mind. Everyone of his kind wore them (despite this ones odd look). The bust top though, was sure to humiliate him if he was ever caught in it.

Helena held her hands up in a pleading motion. "Please." She begged again, pouting at him.

Dachande hated it when she did that. It's what his daughters did when they wanted something, and he had a hard time denying them anything because of it. He felt himself already caving, and then Machiko had to join in. "Please Dachande. It'll be just between us." She began to pout as well.

Pauk! There went his iron will.

"Fine." He grumbled, still looking sour. The girls cheered before him and he instantly knew that he was going to regret this. By the devilish looks in their eyes, this was going to become his greatest humiliation.

Five minutes later, after struggling to get the bust top on and then finding the women helping him stuff it until it was full, he found that he was correct.

But their happy laughter, even at his expense, was worth it to him.

Author's note: Translation time!

-ooman: human

-sei-i: yes

-Md-i: no

-Pauk: F**k

So fun story, I actually found a picture of a yautja wearing human lingerie once on DevianArt. You can tell where I got some of the inspiration for that last little gag bit from. It mostly came from AFarAwayLand though, who has been one of my biggest supporters and I am immensely grateful to her for it.

Anyways, Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season, no matter what you celebrate.

See ya in the next chapter!