Larry Stylinson Oneshots

Hold Steady

Author: abrighteryellow

Summary: Harry Styles is determined to tackle the makeup look that's captivated him since he was a kid.

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His right eye Harry can do just fine.

Lowering his lid until his vision starts to blur around the edges, he starts the black curve at his tear duct and draws it out, letting it widen as he does. He has to adjust his wrist when he gets to the outer corner, then Harry presses the side of the pen into the delicate skin there. His breath held, he arcs it upwards, instinctively knowing when to let it narrow into a sharp tip.

A perfect wing. 

His left eye is a different story.

It doesn’t matter how he tries to mimic the technique that gets him a single, flawless cat eye or which hand he uses to try and draw it. Attempting to match his eyeliner always ends with Harry slumped, frustrated, onto his vanity, a half a packet of used makeup wipes streaked with black under his elbows. 

Gemma had suggested that he dip into beauty YouTube, but the tutorials only frustrated him more. He doesn’t need anyone chirping instructions to him from the glow of their ring light; he knows what he needs to do, just not how to get his fingers on board with the plan.

Harry sighs as he wipes one more subpar effort from his eyelid. He turns his head back and forth in the mirror, wishing he could just copy and paste his singular success. But he’s spent for the night, and there’s not much left to do but put the finishing touches, just so he can remind himself why he’s putting himself through this. Harry picks up a silver tube of mascara and unscrews the top, then applies it to the eyelashes of his right eye with quick, sure strokes.

There.

When he started experimenting with makeup, it was just little touches. Some tinted eye serum here, a sheer lip stain there. But Harry wants to be bolder, is bold. It had only recently occurred to him that he could actually try on the trends that used to fascinate him from his sister’s fashion magazines, and he’s determined to do just that. The first time he stepped out of his apartment building in a creamy, full-coverage lipstick, a feather could have knocked him over. Makeup makes him feel powerful and worthy of notice. 

Well, most of it. The classic cat eye is his white whale — a source of equal fascination and frustration. He supposes that it dates back to the weekends he spent watching movies from the ‘50s with his mom. It wasn’t the fresh-faced heroines’ look but their rivals’ that fascinated him. They weren’t dabbing on blush and foundation to try to convince anyone that they were more naturally beautiful than they were. Those women wanted you to know that they had painted their faces, because why wouldn’t you, if you could? With their winged-out liner, they were sultry and cool, sophisticated and take-no-shit. Since then, the shape has stuck in his head as the most timeless example of what makeup can do.

He doesn’t expect to find help when he sinks into the throw pillows on his bed and pulls up a beauty message board on his phone. But amid the product reviews and hacks, Harry spots some information that could be an answer to his prayers.

In case anybody didn’t know, sephora does a free makeup application thing if you spend $50 or more. upvote to save a life.

He doesn’t have to work tomorrow; he has other errands to run anyway. Harry can’t think of a better reward for doing them than having his makeup professionally done for the first time. 

Already a little thrilled at the thought of it, he tilts his face up to the mirror one last time, admiring the way the kohl line around his eye brings his whole face into sharper focus. Then he pulls another fresh wipe from the pack and drags it across the sensitive skin, erasing his work.