The second Lux retreated backstage, her fake smile fell, and she felt her body float through backstage until she was in her dressing room. She thinks she heard a few people call out her name, but everything was so fuzzy, it was all a big blur. Lux fell against the door, shutting her teary eyes and sliding down to the ground with her back to the door.

“Lux?” She heard, but ignored it as she covered her face with both hands and felt the most painful sobs course through her entire body. She cried, and cried, and cried.

How could she do so badly?

The judge's critiqued her performance as if she sang the song in a different freakin' language. They all told her they didn't get it, didn't like it, she was pitchy, the song wasn't for her. She might have gotten maybe one compliment, but that was it. She did absolutely terrible.

There was no doubt in her mind that she would be sent home tomorrow.

“Lux..” She heard again, and this time the voice sounded stronger, clearer... sobered up.



Harry.




“They hated it!” She wailed out, looking up at him with black tears smeared all over her hands and cheeks, her eyes already red and bloodshot. She hiccuped loudly, wiping snot from her nose and shaking her blonde curls. “I was terrible, Harry.. I was so bad... I don't want to go home, I can't!”

“Don't... don't cry. Please, don't cry.” He begged, his voice still shaky from the alcohol thats been in his system practically all day. Seeing her breaking down was sobering him up faster than he thought was possible, the second she began to cry on the ground, he felt his hazy mind struggling to take back control over his actions and voice.

“I-I I tried so hard..” She cried, and he sighed heavily as he slid down next to her, holding out the sleeve of his sweater. She didn't bother questioning it, simply just wiping her snotty nose on it and continuing to cry and hiccup.

He put his arm down, surprised that he wasn't at all repulsed by her gross face and nose.

“You had a bad night.” He said, pulling his dirty sleeve down over his hand so he could reach over and wipe her cheeks for her. They were smeared again with tears and mascara within seconds.

“I had a bad night? I HAD A BAD NIGHT?? First, I fight with you only to make you happy. Second, you get drunk off your ass and kiss me! Third, you make me feel all...broken, and LAST, I sang like crap and am gonna get sent home! That's a little bit more than a bad night, Harry.” She sobbed, reaching up and wiping her own cheeks this time.

“Okay, okay..” He murmured, reaching over and slowly rubbing her back. “It will be okay..”

“I know I'm supposed to be strong and not let negative comments get me down and crap but I just.. I can't be strong right now, okay? Can I just please be weak and cry for a minute?” Lux's eyes filled with tears as she looked over at Harry, her voice shaking and frowning deeply.

“Hey, hey..” He murmured, cupping her face in his hands and using his thumbs to wipe her cheeks. “Crying doesn't make you weak, love. It just means you've been strong for too long.”

The second he said that she collapsed into him, crying her hardest and loudest and ugliest without caring that he was witnessing her at her weakest point.

He was right, she was tired of being strong, she was tired of pretending that she didn't hurt every day, mostly from something Harry did. It's ironic that the person who has been hurting her every day is now the person comforting her.

“C'mere.” He murmured, looping an arm under her knees and tugging her up onto his lap, feeling her tears on his shirt as she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

“Shh, Luxie. It's okay.”

He stroked her hair gently, closing his eyes to stop the dizziness he felt from still being buzzed, leaning back against the door and tightening his grip on her. Lux easily fell into him, one arm looped around his neck, her face in his shoulder, the other hand curled up near her face. Her crying began to slow.

“How about we go back to the house, get you some ice cream and into something more comfortable and I'll watch a movie with you, hmm? Whatever you like.” Harry offered, raising his eyebrows as she looked up at him slowly. She looked fucking terrible, so much so that he smiled at the sight of her. Her curls were mussed, making them look like a lion's mane, her eyes bloodshot, her face smeared with black make-up, her lips puffy. It was adorable.

How was it that she could look like crap and still make his heart go into overdrive?

“Who are you and what did you do with my Harry?” She mumbled, squinting at him through the rest of her tears. She sniffled and wiped her nose on his sleeve again, her bottom lip sticking out in a pout.
“He is currently doused in snot and tears, still quite buzzed from earlier, and feeling a major headache, so he decided to check out. So you get the nice Harry for just one night. Just one.” He watched her roll off of his lap, standing slowly and holding her hand out to him.

Harry looked at it for a moment, and then slowly placed his own hand into hers, feeling her fingers grasp his as she held his eyes for a long pause. She smiled weakly, pulling him up to her so he was standing before her. He smoothed her curls down and leaned forward, pressing his lips to her forehead firmly, smelling her perfume and salty tears.

“Okay. I'll take him.”

Notes

so I'm testing to see if the gigs work.... Here's chapter 20 cause I might not be able to update tomorrow due to all my homework and shit. So yeahhhhh, meow.x