Okay, hopefully I got everything you wanted in there! These imagines and requests I try to keep under 1500 words or so. Anyway, hope you enjoy :) Also, postpartum bodies are sexy. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar.
You frowned at your reflection in the mirror. You had only just had your daughter a few weeks ago, and your body had not yet recovered. Of course, breastfeeding had helped some, but you’d always been particular about being in shape. Especially since you showed up to events with Mr. Six Pack himself Ben Hardy. The dress showed off your new body in a way you didn’t really like.
“Hey, good looking,” Ben’s voice said from the doorway to your bedroom.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
“I look like I just had a baby,” you complained.
“You did just have a baby,” he reminded you. “There’s no shame in how you look. You’re as beautiful as you’ve ever been.”
“I wish I felt that way…”
“Come on, love, don’t be like that,” he said. “I promise, you look stunning. Besides, you don’t actually have time to change, the driver’s already here.”
With a sigh, you grabbed your shoes to put on in the car. You went through the kitchen to thank your mother once again for staying with the baby while you and Ben went to the premiere of his new movie. Originally, you told him you wouldn’t go, and you’d just stay home, but he pleaded enough and convinced you. Now, you wished you had held your ground.
Attending premieres was something you were still getting used to, even after all your years with Ben. The flashing lights and shouts from photographers still got you a little overwhelmed at times. As you prepared to step out with him once again, your stomach turned with nerves. What would everyone think? Would you turn up in a magazine somewhere with a reporter writing how awful you looked?
Ben took your hand and kissed your cheek before helping you out of the car. You began walking down the carpet with him. The noise was deafening at first but you just stayed close to Ben, trying to focus on getting inside with minimal trouble.
Words and phrases suddenly stuck out to you from the reporters talking amongst each other. Things like “chubby” and “flab” and “not in that dress.” You felt heat rise to your face as shame washed over you. Then, one photographer asked you to move out of his shot. No one had ever asked you to do that before. Hurt and humiliated, you whispered some excuse to Ben and hurried inside, ignoring the remaining press.
You made your way to the bathroom, tears spilling down your face. You snatched up a few paper towels from the dispenser and dabbed at your face, doing your best to keep your makeup in tact.
“Y/N?” Lucy appeared in the bathroom. “I thought I saw you disappear in here.”
“Sorry,” you whimpered. “I just needed a minute.”
You told you the things you’d overheard and her face shifted from confusion to sympathy. She pulled you into a hug.
“Oh, Y/N, those reporters don’t know what they’re talking about,” she said, rubbing small circles on your back. “You look beautiful. No one’s postpartum body is perfect.”
“Thanks,” you managed, but it was clear you didn’t believe her.
She bolstered you enough to emerge from the bathroom and try to enjoy the premiere.
The next day, you woke up from a nap to the sound of Ben on the phone. He was in his office, so it was muffled, but he was on speakerphone. You clearly heard a woman’s voice on the other end of the line. He was laughing a lot for it to be a work call. He sounded so happy…
You felt your heart break as you considered the implications of all of this. Carefully, you went upstairs. You packed an overnight bag and went to the crib to retrieve your daughter. You had to get out of the house. You felt like everything was coming down around you. You got in the car and took off to Rami and Lucy’s.
You went to Lucy for comfort when you arrived. Rami took the baby so you and Lucy could talk. You wept, despairing that your relationship with Ben was surely over. He needed someone as beautiful as him. She held you, stroking your hair, and soothing you with assurances that Ben loved you and would never abandon his family.
“Y/N, what the hell?!” Ben bellowed at you from the door.
“What...how did you find me?” you wondered.
“Rami texted me,” he said. “I’ve been trying to call you for nearly an hour and you haven’t picked up. Christ, I made one phone call and you and our daughter were gone! I’ve been worried sick!”
“I’m sorry,” you said. “It’s just…” you trailed off, wiping more tears from your eyes.
“Lucy, could you give us a sec?” he asked.
“Sure,” she agreed, and departed.
Ben took her spot beside you. “Y/N, just tell me what’s going on. Is it postpartum depression? We can get help for it.”
“No,” you assured him. “I just...I don’t feel beautiful enough for you anymore. My body is so different now. It doesn’t even feel like mine.”
He pulled you onto his lap. “Darling, your body is different. There’s no getting around that after having a baby. But this isn’t permanent, okay? You don’t need to run off every time you’re feeling insecure. You can talk to me and we can work on it together.”
“You were talking to some other woman!”
“Is that what this is about?” he asked. “God, Y/N, that wasn’t just some random woman. That was a wedding planner.”
He laughed. “Yes. I know most people have kids after they’re married, but we’ve never been very conventional, have we?”
“Ben, what are you saying?”
“It was supposed to be a surprise later on, but I’ve been planning our wedding for a while now, since before our little girl even got here,” he explained. “That’s who I was on the phone with.”
You laughed, feeling relieved and a little foolish. “Ben...you’re truly the most amazing man I’ve ever met.”
“You’re the amazing one,” he told you. “You’ve already given me more than I could ever hope for.”
He cupped your cheek in his hand and you closed your eyes, pressing your forehead to his. You stayed that way for several long moments, feeling in sync once again.
A few months later, you had the most beautiful wedding imaginable. In a dress you felt like a goddess in. Your daughter carried your rings on a pillow down the aisle, even if it was Joe who carried her. At the reception, Ben’s closest friends, including Rami, Gwilym, and Joe gave speeches that were both cheesy and hilarious. It was the most perfect day. But the thing that made it so was that you had the perfect man at your side. And you would have him for the rest of your life.
