Harry Styles imagines

3 o'clock

It was some time past three in the morning when Harry awakened to the crying sound of his newborn baby. This happened pretty much every night, miraculously always at the same time. It was as if the little human had an alarm installed inside of her, knowing exactly when to go off. Thinking she was probably hungry, the young father turned around and faced his partner. He instantly melted. You slept so peacefully, like an angel, that it broke his heart to wake you up. He knew sleep was a luxury you couldn't recently afford. Your lives had made a drastic change after the new addition had been born. It was like a double edge sword. Harry gently laid his hand on your bare shoulder, then shaking it. You didn't notice anything at first, literally sleeping deeply, but when he shook a bit harder, you finally woke up, yawning and stretching in exhaustion. Rubbing your hands over your eyes, you looked at him questioningly, but before he could say anything, you already received your answer immediately from the baby phone on the dresser adjacent to you.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," you murmured.

You left the king-sized bed, wrapping your nightgown around your shoulders and slipping your feet into some cozy slippers, then rushed out of the room. When you arrived at the nursery, your baby's wails increased in volume, as if she had sensed that you'd entered her space. As if she knew you came to free her from her misery. You steered toward her crib, pulling her out of it and resting her on your arms.

"Hello, my love. What's the matter?"

For the next couple of minutes, you weighed her back and forth, trying to shush her, but somehow, her tears didn't cease. You checked her diaper- it was clean. You even tried to feed her, but she refused your breastmilk. Trying every possible way of making her stop crying but miserably failing at it, your own eyes started watering. Of course, negative thoughts would start consuming you. Your mind would bully you by making you believe you were a bad mother because you couldn't give your baby what she wanted. And combined with tiredness and fatigue, you were destined to break.

Finally, Harry came into the room. He had observed you standing in the middle of the room, had witnessed the failed attempts in comforting your child. He couldn't imagine how you must be feeling at that moment. But he knew you blamed yourself for the fact that the little baby mercilessly continued crying.

He approached you two from behind, snaking his arms around your waist.

"I'll take over, darling," he said softly, kissing the shell of your ear. "Go back to sleep. I'll look after her."

He pressed his chest against your back tightly before he did let go of you, a gesture intended to provide comfort. "I just want you to know you're not a terrible mother. You're a good mother, you've proven it often enough. Don't let your head hanging because it didn't work out this time."

You offered him a grateful gaze, forming a 'thank you' with your lips, and then laying your baby girl in his arms.

"Hey, Dove," he chanted as soon as he held the infant in his arms. He turned around and took a seat on the white rocking chair next to the crib.

"It's alright, bub," he cooed at his daughter. "Daddy is here. Daddy will protect you."

He kissed her soft cheeks tenderly, and your heart melted at the sight. It was no question that Harry had always looked good with kids. When you saw pictures of him with children, all of them instantly screamed, 'This guy is daddy material. Give this man a child.' Also the way he interacted kids, loving and caring, giving them his whole attention, making sure they knew he was listening to them, had made you realize that he'd become a wonderful father someday. He was a devoted father, fingers crossed.

Harry drove his hand gently over Dove's back while humming a lullaby. Your baby immediately relaxed to his voice and stopped crying.

"You're definitely her favorite," you commented humorously, but a slight pinch of envy could still be heard in your voice.

Your husband, noticing that, quickly defended himself. "That's nonsense, babe, you know that."

"C'mon, she just relaxed in your arms, in mine she cried. Don't tell me she isn't choosing sides while being a few weeks old."

Harry sighed. He understood where your frustration was coming from, but he wasn't ready to deal with it at three-something-o'clock at night. "Y/N, you're tired. That's why you're talking bullshit. What does a four-weeks-old know about picking sides? She's just a baby reacting to what she feels comfortable in at the moment. Don't draw any conclusions from just one incident. There have been other occasions she wanted to be with you, and only you."

Before you could say anything in return, Harry dismissed the conversation by giving you an imploring look. He had no intentions of arguing with you. Nodding your head in defeat, you then strolled out of the room.

"I love you, and so does Dove. We both love you so much," the British man called after you. He didn't want to you to go back to sleep feeling useless because he was aware of the fact of how the tiniest unnecessary thing could stir something in you. You had a purpose in their lives. He had to make sure you knew it.

When you finally felt the soft mattress under you back, you exhaled a breath. You couldn't quite explain why your emotions went out of control a few minutes prior upon realizing that your husband had made a point. Of course there will be times she'll want to be comforted by you, and there will be times she'll want to be comforted by Harry. There is no point in jealousy. Now the little baby prioritized being with her father, and that should be okay.

Your eyes slowly started falling shut, but the last thing you thought about before sleep drew you in was to profusely apologize to your husband for your infantile behavior in the morning.

Meanwhile, Harry had a chat with your baby. Normally, he'd tell her about the mundane things in his life but this time he told her about you. The argument you'd provided didn't sit right with him.

His eyes met the curious ones of his little angel. He took her tiny hand between his and started playing with her fingers.

"I know your little brain is not able to understand any words yet, but it is sure that you don't need them to process what is going on around you. You're a great observer, aren't you? You felt her energy?"

"Your mummy, the woman who is always there for you- she is absolutely gorgeous. The most beautiful human being in my life. She's intelligent, strong and kind. I don't think I have ever loved any other woman as much as I love her. She's sacrificed a lot without batting an eyelash. She knew about my chaotic life, the hurdles coming along by dating a star, but she mastered it with finesse. There have been times I thought she couldn't handle the negativity and hate thrown her way, however, she stayed strong. She's very strong. That's something I admire about her."

"Mummy cares for everyone, little dove. But most of all she cares for you, and that's why I want you to promise me that you will treat her good. Don't break her heart and trust. Be a lovely princess to our queen. Most importantly, love her and protect her. I will remind you of that as long as we both live."

He pressed his lips tenderly against his daughters cheek and rocked her back and forth until the infant slowly closed her eyes, snoring peacefully.

"Sleep well, my little angel." Harry whispered in her small ear, while placing her down in her crib. He tucked her in, making sure the blanket covered every inch of her body. "I'll see you in the morning."