Harry Styles imagines + preferences

flinch

blazingmoonshine this is for you. Hope you like it.

it was just cuddling in bed, body tangled in between the sheets. his head buried in the crook of your neck. he notices you flinch suddenly when he reaches his hand over to caress your cheek. eyes closed shut, breathing staggered and heavy, tears stinging your eyes. you think he's going to hit you.

'do- don't hurt me' you quiver.

you barely whisper it, but it's enough for him to feel his heart squeeze with ache. hurt you. never.. with concern in his eyes, he gently places his hand over your cheek, brushing his thumb gently over your skin.. that makes your body tremble. it finally clicked to him. the beginning stages of your relationship, sudden shudders whenever he held your hand or simply touched you. constant nervousness in your eyes, anticipating what he was going to do next.

'love..' he whispers softly.

taking in a shaky breath, you slowly flutter your eyes open. nervous and terrified, tears graciously falling. he brushes them away with the pad of his thumbs, pressing a drawn-out kiss to your forehead.

'i would never hurt you' he mumbles into the softness of your skin.

his gentle words startle you even more so, making you shudder under his touch. but he simply continues to whisper sweet nothings. 'never lay a finger on you' 'you mean the world to me' 'you're my world, my home' 'i love you'.

'and i love you too' you manage through sobs.

he rests his head against the crevice of your neck, kissing there lightly. that too makes you flinch.

'shh.. shh, not gonna hurt you' he repeats.

you warm up to his touch, tangling your hands in his end curls as he mumbles against your skin. 's'alright, love' 'no more hurting' 'fucking love you'. again you break down in tears, clinging onto him as he continues to whisper all the right things.

your previous relationship didn't end well. controlling, physical abuse, making you feel worthless. he would hurt you every time it pleased him then apologise and tell you he loved you. you believed him, hoping he would change for the better. but it only got worse.

with a gentle nudge to your nose, he stares at you with such tenderness. his fingers still brushing away your tears.

'when you're ready..' he tells you.

your arms grip around him tighter, a soft smile appearing. finally after all these years, you found the love of your life. him..