A/N - Up until this point it's basically just been world-building the foundations of Cat's rise to fame. But from here I'm going to change the pacing of this story to be more jumping bigger time passages, speeding up time progression a lot. It'll linger on some snippets of time and skim others. This whole fic was meant to just be a series of one-shots but it felt incomplete without the initial world building so I decided to blend it. If I keep the whole thing at this current pace it would end up a few million words xD

As Christmas was upon them, their house was bathed in the soft glow of festive lights strung along the walls. Cat had insisted they decorate weeks ago, despite Jade's grumbling about tangled lights and glitter in the carpet. A tree stood in the corner, its silver and red ornaments reflecting the glowing fairy lights. The smell of gingerbread cookies wafted from the kitchen, mingling with the faint aroma of pine from a candle burning on the coffee table.

This was Cat's first day off in weeks, always dashing between various Christmas performances, meetings or rehearsals for her upcoming tour, and even the start of her second album. She felt bad about how little time she'd gotten to spend with Jade, so she wanted to make sure it was the perfect Christmas, just the two of them. Jason had moved out a few weeks ago now, off to Europe for a year to head the firms' new department out there- but he promised he'd do anything either girl needed. Not that he was ever imposing when he did live there- the house felt all the more theirs now that it was just the two of them.

Jade lounged on the couch, her feet propped up on the coffee table, scrolling idly on her phone. She glanced up, watching Cat dart around the room, ticking off jer menta checklist.

"Alright," Cat started. "Tree? Check. Stockings? Check. Cookies in the oven? Check. Playlist?" She paused and frowned, turning to Jade. "Did you update the Christmas playlist like I asked?"

Jade raised an eyebrow, her phone still in her hand. "You're kidding, right?"

"Jade!" Cat groaned, dropping onto the armrest of the couch. "We talked about this. The playlist needs to match the vibe. No punk Christmas songs!"

"First of all, The Misfits' Christmas is a classic," Jade said, smirking. "Second, do you hear the playlist right now? It's literally nothing but 'perfect vibe' or whatever you call it."

Cat sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "This has to be perfect, Jade. I want today to be special."

Jade set her phone down, leaning back. "It's already special because it's us. You don't need to drive yourself crazy over it."

Cat stood abruptly, brushing off Jade's comment as she paused to think again. "I still have to frost the cookies, set the table for dessert, and—oh no, the centerpiece! I forgot the centerpiece!"

"Cat." Jade's voice was sharp enough to make her pause. "Babe, come on. It's just the two of us. No one's coming over to judge our centerpiece."

"It's not about that!" Cat snapped, though her voice wavered. "I just... I want this Christmas to be perfect for you. You deserve that."

Jade stared at her, her usually stoic expression softening. She stood up and crossed the room, gently taking Cat's hands in her own. "Cat, look around. You already made it perfect."

Cat's eyes darted to the tree, the garland, the candles, and finally back to Jade. "But what if it's not enough? What if—"

Jade cut her off by pulling her into a hug, holding her close. "It's enough. You're enough. You're more than enough, okay?"

Cat's arms wrapped around Jade tightly, and for a moment, the weight of her perfectionist tendencies lifted. "I just want you to be happy."

"I am happy," Jade said softly, brushing a hand through Cat's hair. "But not when you're stressing yourself out over something that's already amazing."

Cat sniffled, laughing quietly. "I guess I might have gone a little overboard."

Jade smirked, pulling back just enough to look her in the eye. "A little?"

"Okay, fine. A lot," Cat admitted, rolling her eyes playfully. "But the cookies—"

"Speaking of," Jade interrupted, sniffing the air. "I think your perfect cookies are about to become perfectly burnt."

Cat gasped and tore out of Jade's arms, racing to the kitchen. Jade followed leisurely, laughing to herself as Cat frantically pulled the tray out of the oven.

"They're fine!" Cat declared, inspecting the slightly browned edges.

"They look great," Jade said, moving closer. "But you know what would make them even better?"

"What?"

Jade grabbed a cookie from the tray, ignoring Cat's protest about them needing to cool, and took a bite. "Eating them with you."

Cat crossed her arms, trying to look stern, but her grin gave her away. "You're impossible."

"And you love it." Jade leaned down and kissed Cat's cheek, leaving behind a dusting of cookie crumbs.

Cat giggled, swatting at her. "You're a mess."

"But I'm your mess," Jade replied, stealing another cookie.

They sat together at the counter, sharing warm cookies and quiet laughter. Cat's clipboard lay forgotten on the table, and for the first time that month, she allowed herself to let go. She was tired, so tired. Everything had been pulling her in every which direction. But she was having fun, and it was hardly a job to be able to complain about. Singing and performing was a job most people could only dream of- she had to put in the hard work to get the rewards of it all.

Cat nibbled on her cookie, her eyes flicking toward Jade. "You know, you're lucky you're hot. Otherwise, I'd probably kick you out for ruining my system."

Jade snorted, leaning back in her chair. "Your 'system' was threatening to ruin the fun. Somebody had to step in and save Christmas."

Cat rolled her eyes but smiled. "Yeah, yeah, you're a real hero."

"Don't I know it." Jade smirked, then reached for another cookie, only for Cat to smack her hand lightly.

"Those are for after dinner!" Cat said, though her scolding tone was undercut by her laugh. "You've already had two."

"Three," Jade corrected, grinning. "And what's the point of rules if we can't break them a little? It's Christmas."

Cat huffed dramatically, though the corners of her mouth twitched. "You're impossible."

"And yet, here you are, stuck with me," Jade said, leaning her elbow on the table. Her smirk softened into something gentler. "Seriously, though, thanks for going all out. I know I tease you, but it's nice. I'm glad you're home."

Cat's heart skipped a beat, her smile lighting up the room. "I'm glad I'm home too, even when you're stealing my cookies."

"Good, because I'm stealing another one right now," Jade quipped, grabbing another cookie and popping a piece into her mouth before Cat could protest.

Cat laughed, shaking her head. "You're lucky I love you, Jade."

"I am," Jade said softly, her voice almost lost beneath the quiet hum of the Christmas playlist.

They finished the cookies together, their conversation flowing easily. Cat told stories about funny moments at rehearsals, doing impressions of her over-the-top choreographer that had Jade in stitches. Jade shared sarcastic commentary about the holiday shoppers she'd encountered while picking up last-minute groceries yesterday, painting vivid pictures of chaos at the store.

Later, as they settled onto the couch, Cat curled up against Jade's side, a soft blanket draped over them. The room felt cozy and warm, the golden glow of the Christmas lights casting shadows on the walls.

"You know," Cat said quietly, her head resting on Jade's shoulder, "we should make this a tradition."

"What, you stressing over every detail and me rescuing you from your own checklist?" Jade teased, earning a light jab in the ribs.

"No," Cat replied, smiling. "Just us. Spending Christmas together. Making it our own."

Jade wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer. "Yeah. I like that."

The night wore on, the playlist repeating quietly in the background. The perfectionist tendencies, the teasing, the stress—they all melted away, leaving only warmth, love, and the kind of comfort that could only come from being with someone who knew you better than anyone else.

As Cat's eyes began to flutter shut, Jade pressed a kiss to the top of her head and whispered, "Merry Christmas, Cat."

Cat smiled, her voice soft and sleepy. "Merry Christmas, Jade."