The Imperfect Couple - 3
Character: politician!Bucky x ex-wife!reader
Summary: A separated couple must pretend to be happily married while the husband runs for Vice President, dealing with old issues and political pressures during his election campaign.
Warning: The couple's arguments could be triggering.
A/N: Steve Rogers is older than Bucky here.
Chapter 1 , Chapter 2 , Chapter 3 , Chapter 4 , Chapter 5 , Chapter 6 , Chapter 7 , -
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You arrived at the new apartment, feeling a small sense of relief for finally being under a different roof than Caroline’s. The thought of enduring the same torture as before made your skin crawl.
As you settled in, you broke the silence. “Your mom offered the attorney to us.” You remembered how you had insisted the divorce attorney make it as quick and painless as possible. “Why didn’t you finalize it?”
Bucky’s gaze remained steady. “Not once did I think you were actually going to leave me.”
“There’s no marriage between us,” you shot back, your voice sharp. “If you’d finalized it, you could’ve easily married a woman your mother approved of.”
Flashback Start
You recalled every time Caroline mentioned another woman’s name as if they were more suited for Bucky. “You know, Rachel just graduated summa cum laude from Harvard in social politics,” she had said at the rehearsal dinner.
Then, on your wedding day, as you and Bucky sat together, trying to enjoy the celebration, Caroline approached, holding hands with a stunning woman. “Bucky, look who’s here? Katherine just arrived from London.”
Caroline’s voice dripped with approval. “Both of them went to the same law school.”
You clenched the fork in your hand so hard you thought it might snap.
Why the hell was she introducing another woman to you on your wedding night?
Did she expect you and Bucky to have a threesome with Katherine?
From that moment, you knew your place—an outsider who didn’t come from the pedigree Caroline so desperately wanted for her son.
When you finally left the house, you remembered her raising her champagne glass with a smirk. “I always knew you weren’t the one.”
Flashback End
“They need someone with a spotless record,” Bucky said, breaking you from your thoughts.
You stood there, your emotions a mix of anger and disbelief.
“I’m not making excuses for you. I know the old me wasn’t good enough, that I couldn’t be the man you could rely on,” he admitted, his voice thick with regret.
He looked at you with a desperation that caught you off guard. “You could poison my drink, stab me in my sleep. I wouldn’t fight it. I’d let you.”
His eyes, usually so confident and composed, were now filled with a deep, pained sincerity. The weight of his guilt seemed to crush him, and the shadows of remorse darkened his features. His hands trembled slightly, betraying the calm facade he tried to maintain.
Your breath hitched, your heart pounding in your chest. How could he say that so casually? What kind of twisted love was this?
“That’s how much I need you,” he confessed, his eyes never leaving yours.
“You’re using me,” you accused, your voice shaking with a mix of fury and sadness.
Bucky didn’t deny it. “Like I said, it’s a business relationship. But I’ve trusted you from the beginning. Put my faith in you.”
He reached out, taking your hands in his, holding them together like a prayer. “And I hope we can work together. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to work in the White House.””
🌸🌸🌸🌸
The following day, you met Steve, the future Presidential candidate. He greeted you warmly, his genuine smile easing some of the tension you felt. You’d met Steve and his wife, Peggy, a few times before—honest people who never treated you like you didn’t belong. Steve had even defended you whenever Caroline or others looked down on you for not being in the same league as them.
"I’m so glad you’re here," Steve said, clasping your hand. "When did you arrive?"
You chuckled softly. "Well, when three Secret Service agents showed up at my door, who was I to say no?"
Steve chuckled too, though there was a hint of awkwardness in his eyes. He tilted his head slightly. "Let’s talk."
You walked together, the air thick with unspoken words. "I know it’s difficult for you to be here. I owe you big time," Steve began sincerely. He had witnessed your marriage crumble, and despite his and Peggy’s best efforts to support you and Bucky, things had fallen apart.
You sighed. "What confuses me is, why me? He could’ve chosen another woman, someone way more qualified."
Steve leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a whisper. "To be honest, I think you’re the best option. He probably won’t show it, but Bucky was happy when he heard you were coming."
You scoffed, glancing over at Bucky, who was watching the two of you from a distance. "Impossible."
As you scanned the room, you spotted someone familiar—your brother, Tim. Excusing yourself from Steve, you made your way over to him.
"I’m glad you’re here," Tim said, his voice filled with warmth, though his eyes carried a weight of their own.
You narrowed your eyes at him. "I can’t believe you. You knew what I went through, and yet you’re working with him? You sucked up to him."
"Look at me," Tim said firmly.
You glanced down at him, seeing the determination in his gaze.
"Who’s going to hire a disabled person like me?" Tim who seated on his wheelchair, his voice wavered slightly as he spoke. He had been born with both legs, but when bone cancer struck his left leg, the doctors recommended amputation to stop it from spreading. That surgery had shattered his dreams of becoming a professional tennis player.
"It was James who offered me a job," he emphasized, "with a high salary."
Tim continued, "You can keep your anger, but face it, Y/N—they won’t pay the bills. For people like me, I need more money to survive in this world."
You opened your mouth to respond, but before you could, Bucky appeared beside you.
"Hi, Tim."
"Hey," Tim replied.
"I'm going to steal your sister for a bit." Bucky turned to you. "Our next schedule is couple’s therapy," he said, his voice calm but authoritative, cutting the conversation short.
You hated this part. The thought of attending therapy with Bucky made your stomach twist with unease. You shot Tim one last look, a mixture of concern and frustration in your eyes, before following Bucky out of the room.
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
As you and Bucky sat across from Aiden, the therapist, the atmosphere was thick with unresolved tension. The room was simple yet comfortable, with soft, neutral tones that were supposed to be calming but did little to ease the storm of emotions swirling within you. You could feel the weight of Bucky's presence beside you, a familiar heaviness that both comforted and suffocated you.
Aiden leaned forward, his expression neutral but attentive. "So, what are you feeling right now?"
You hesitated for a moment before speaking, your voice laced with frustration and exhaustion. "I don’t think I have the courage to live another day in his family. His mother is the devil spawn. Even seeing her shadow triggers me." The words spilled out of you, raw and unfiltered, a reflection of the years of pain and resentment you'd kept bottled up.
Aiden nodded, his gaze shifting to Bucky. "And what about you, Mr. Barnes?"
Bucky's eyes remained fixed on a spot on the floor, his voice steady but lacking its usual conviction. "I didn’t think that way. As long as we stick together, we can get through everything." There was a hint of desperation in his tone, as if he was trying to convince himself as much as you.
You turned to look at him, disbelief and anger simmering beneath your calm facade. "From the beginning, we should’ve never gotten married. You only focus on yourself, never bothering to look behind you. Me, trying my best to fit into your circles."
Your voice wavered, the painful truth of your words cutting through the silence like a knife. You had always known you were out of his league—young and innocent, believing that love could conquer all.
But you had been wrong, and the reality of that mistake was too much to bear.
His mother’s voice echoed in your mind, the countless times she’d told you that you weren’t good enough, that you didn’t deserve him.
"Your mother was right. I don’t deserve you," you said, your voice barely above a whisper.
Bucky’s expression tightened, his guilt etched into every line of his face. "I’m sorry. I really am sorry." His voice cracked, the weight of his regret finally breaking through.
He had never wanted this—to see you hurt, to see you broken because of him and his family. But the damage was done, and the guilt gnawed at him, relentless and unforgiving.
Aiden observed the exchange, his eyes narrowing slightly as he spoke. "I see that you’re the victim here, ma’am. And your former mother-in-law is the main reason why." He glanced at Bucky, his voice firm. "Mr. Barnes, your mother hurt her deeply, and now you must do everything in your power to make amends."
Bucky nodded, his voice thick with emotion. "I will. I'll do anything to erase the hurt you’ve received from her." The sincerity in his voice was palpable, but it was clear that the guilt weighed heavily on him. He had failed to protect you, to shield you from his mother’s venom, and that failure haunted him.
Aiden’s voice softened, but there was a steely resolve in his words. "Use this pain, both of you. Let it fuel you to confront Caroline, to reclaim your strength. Don’t let her win. Turn this pain into power."
As you sat there, the enormity of the situation began to sink in. You had been through so much, and the path ahead was uncertain. You had expected to loathe the couple’s therapy, but surprisingly, it turned out to be a beneficial experience.
🌸🌸🌸🌸
After the couple's therapy, the silence between you and Bucky was palpable, each of you grappling with the raw emotions that had surfaced.
The therapy had stripped away your filters, leaving you both exposed—your anger and frustration flowing freely. Bucky remained stoic, absorbing your harsh words with an almost resigned patience.
Returning to the Barnes household, the atmosphere was thick with tension. The room was filled with Bucky’s family: his parents, Julius and Caroline; his brother, Shawn, who struggled with cocaine and felt diminished by his inability to meet Caroline’s lofty expectations; and Hazel, Bucky’s sister and Nate’s mother.
Hazel, having felt overshadowed as the spare child, had chosen a career in fashion to escape the constant comparison to Bucky, who was seen as the golden child.
You couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy for Shawn and Hazel, both of whom shared your misery under Caroline’s disdain. But that sympathy was tempered by their enjoyment of watching you suffer, thanks to their mother’s contempt.
Greg, a family friend, was the bearer of the news that the whole family would attend the upcoming convention event.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” you said firmly, your tone clipped.
“Why… why?” Greg asked, confused.
Caroline rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Here we go.”
Bucky tried to interject, “Don’t…”
You cut him off with a steely gaze. “After that consultation, you still want to continue this?”
Caroline's eyes narrowed. “I knew we couldn’t trust her.”
Shawn chuckled, and Hazel remained indifferent.
“Quiet,” Julius commanded, his voice brooking no argument. The room fell silent.
With a sense of finality, you approached Caroline. “You’re so jealous of me,” you said, your voice dripping with disdain.
Caroline’s eyes widened, a mixture of anger and shock. “What are you talking about?”
“Because you know I’m going to get what you can’t have,” you smirked, savoring the moment. “Being the wife of the Vice President.”
“You bitch,” Caroline spat, something snapped inside her. Deep down, you were right—she was jealous of you. You were younger, smarter, and luckier. It was her dream to be in your position, but now it seemed like she had paved the way for you instead. What’s worse, you didn’t fit her criteria at all. She felt you didn’t deserve this.
Without warning, Caroline lunged at you, grabbing your hair. The two of you were soon locked in a fierce struggle, yanking each other’s hair and grappling with a fury that left no room for remorse. The physical confrontation was liberating, an outlet for all the anger you had been holding back.
You felt no fear and no guilt towards the seventy-year-old woman. At last, you could release all the anger you had been holding in.
Waiting for karma takes too long, and you can’t expect God to do all the work. So you took this chance to give her a lesson she won’t forget.
“Stop! STOP!” Bucky and Julius’s voices cut through the chaos as they tried to separate you. Shawn and Hazel, their faces a mix of curiosity and apathy, slowly backed away from the scene.
It was a struggle to pry you apart; Caroline, in her rage, was more unruly and disheveled compared to your own controlled fury.
“Hufft,” you adjusted your disheveled dress and hair, glaring at Caroline with a fierce, triumphant look. “You know what? I hope your son wins, so I can rub my new position right in your face.”
Caroline’s expression was one of shock and fury, her face a portrait of someone who had been dealt a blow she wasn’t prepared for. Her eyes were wild with a mixture of anger and disbelief.
“You’re absolutely right,” you looked at Bucky, your voice steady. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to live in the White House.”
Caroline’s gritted her teeth.
“If the world wants to see us as a happily married couple,” you said with a cold smile, “I’ll give them the most blissful marriage they’ve ever seen. It’ll be the kind of marriage everyone talks about when they mention a perfect union.”
Bucky’s eyes widened in surprise at your cold declaration. For a moment, he was stunned, but as he processed your words, admiration and pride flickered across his face. He straightened, a hint of a smile forming, clearly impressed by your bold resolve and newfound strength.
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MISS YOU
pairing: gojo satoru x f!reader, platonic!megumi x platonic!reader
synopse: After his relationship with you ends, Gojo meets you again in the middle of a mission, where he didn't expect to see you there, and rescues you, ending with a somewhat revealing conversation.
warnings: exes to lovers, drama, fluff, a little of angst, happy ending.
word count: 2499
Gojo Satoru's eyes were wide as he recognized the person walking a few meters in front of him. It had to be her, or else he was freaking out to the point of seeing his ex, who he hadn't seen in a few years and who he was still in love with, body and soul. Yes, the strongest sorcerer in the Jujutsu world was still in love with his ex, a normal person, with no powers, with no knowledge of the world in which Satoru lived. This last fact, which then, was the trigger for a painful ending for both of them.
Yuuji looked at his teacher in doubt, they had stopped suddenly, just like that. He moved his gaze forward, in the same direction Gojo was looking, in search of what the other was looking for, but he didn't find anyone he knew.
“Sensei…” Yuuji thought about asking something, but Gojo quickly cut him off.
“Come on, Nobara and Megumi must be delirious by now.”
Satoru had a thousand thoughts circulating through his mind at the exact moment they started walking again. He wishes had the courage, the lack of shame in the face, to go to the girl you saw seconds ago and act as if nothing had happened. But how would he go up to the woman and say: “Hi, how are you? It's been a long time since we've seen each other.” nonetheless, at that moment there, not even he could say what had happened to him.
When they arrived at the mission location, where Megumi and Nobara were waiting for them, the girl was the first to realize that something wrong had happened. Gojo had his hands in his pocket and had whispered “let's get this over with” to the three, and for those ones who already knew the teacher they had very well, where most of the time he left the three of them to deal with the curses alone, such words and posture were alarming.
“Are you okay?” asked Nobara, receiving a yes from the oldest, who began walking towards the abandoned building.
“He saw a woman when we were coming, and he's been like that ever since” commented Yuuji.
“A woman?” This time it was Megumi who asked. The gears of his brain tried to associate each woman he found in the apartment he shared withJoy, After all, he was her guardian, and only one woman appeared in his mind, the only one who really seemed to love the white-haired asshole.
The other boy nodded in agreement.
“Are you going to make small talk there or what?” They heard Satoru's voice, who was still waiting for them.
The second time Gojo saw the mysterious woman was in the presence of Megumi. Gojo and his need for sugar caused the two of them to be in that situation at first.
It was still a Tuesday, and it seemed that Megumi was two steps away from killing the man next to him. Satoru had forgotten to restock the cupboards and fridge, and when they saw, there was nothing edible enough for them to eat in the morning. He could still hear Satoru saying that eggs with lettuce and milk were a good combination, but his stomach turned every time he thought about it.
After the oldest realized that even he didn't want that, they headed towards a bakery close to where they lived. The bread and some snacks that they sold ready-made were Megumi's favorite choice. And the opposite of Satoru's, who got three strawberry donuts and a coffee with extra sugar, it shouldn't even be called coffee anymore because it was so absurd.
They sat at a table in the back and ate what they ordered. From time to time, Gojo exchanged a few words with the boy, who responded briefly, until the moment when Megumi started to stare at something behind Satoru, who bitterly regretted killing his curiosity by looking at the person Fushiguro stared.
“So she was the one who left you stunned that day on the mission” Megumi commented seriously. “I didn't know she had returned to the city.”
“Neither do I” replied the oldest.
You didn't seem to notice the presence of your ex and the boy you promised to protect at all costs, even though you glanced in their direction a few times, and Satoru was eternally grateful for that, he wasn't ready for a meeting between you two.
“You should talk to her.” It seemed like Megumi had read his mind, but in a totally opposite way. “Apologize for making an idiot of her, or maybe tell her that you're an idiot and did everything wrong, or just tell her the truth.”
“Sorry Gumi, I know you liked her” he shrugged, “but the past is the past.” The way he said it was funny, because he didn't even believe he had said that.
And for the second time, in less than a month, he spent an entire day thinking about the woman who he still had dreams in certain nights.
Satoru was a busy man, that was a fact. After Itadori Yuuji ate one of Sukuna's fingers that night at school, his life became even busier. The Jujutsu world had become a worse mess than it already was, and he was the strongest sorcerer. He, Gojo Satoru, carried a huge burden, the burden of being the strongest, the one who should protect the world… and it sucked.
The curses were more aggressive, and the one looking directly at him seemed to embody this fact. The curse was not of a high level, at most level 2, but it was smart enough to take hostages. There were others like the other curse, his students were taking care of it, but the building was huge, and they weren't sure how many curses were there. This whole situation was rare, he had never seen several different curses together in the same place.
“Sensei!” Megumi shouted from some room in the hallway they were in.
Gojo made a straight and quick gesture with his hand, immediately leaving the room and the curse, heading towards Megumi's voice to reach him. The corridor wasn't that long, he even found one of Megumi's dogs going to search one of the rooms that was still missing, he arrived at the last door, which was half open, opening it completely and finding the boy standing in the middle of the room along with his other shikigami.
“She's here” said Fushiguro, upon seeing Gojo at the door.
He wanted to ask who, but his brain quickly rattled off the facts of the past few days and who he knew who could, one in a million, work in this building. He remembered a while ago, when you had mentioned at some point that you had received a job offer at the company in that building, and it seemed like his entire body had gone into a state of shock. If you were here, you had accepted the proposal.
“Where is she?”
“Upstairs. There's no one there yet” Megumi replied.
He had no idea what was going on in Gojo's mind, he would guess that the feelings he saw the older man harbor for a whole year after the two broke up were coming out little by little in that exact moment. He hoped the man wouldn't do anything crazy or anything like that.
Satoru didn't even think twice about teleporting upstairs. He was about to do something crazy if any of those curses had touched you. And it didn't even cross his mind that the reason for their breakup, as soon as you saw it, would come back to the surface when they found each other, after all, at that time he promised himself that keeping the secret about being a sorcerer was better than nothing.
The rooms on that floor were larger, appeared to be used for company conferences. There were few places to hide, and for the first time in his life, he prayed to some deity that you were safe. As he searched one of these rooms, he heard whispers from what sounded like a child and an older person counting numbers under their breath.
“What is a child doing here?” he whispered to himself.
“Who's there?” The person inside the room asked.
Satoru recognized that voice very well, how could he not? He spent almost 3 years listening to you whisper his name several times, among many other things.
“[Name]” he called for you softly.
Without thinking twice, he opened the half-open door, where he found the woman he loved so much in the same way he remembered, along with a girl, who looked to be about seven years old, holding your hand and with her eyes all teary.
“Satoru, what the hell are you doing here?” His face was surprised, and for a second he could see a trace of relief coming from you.
“Shit… We need to get out of here.” He was scared as hell.
Gojo approached you and took your empty hand, leading you and the child towards the fire escape. In his mind, he thought that if they went down that way it would be safer, and they would find Megumi downstairs.
“T-there are some monsters here” stammered you, letting go of the hand that Gojo was holding and stopping.
“I know that. You need to get out of here as quickly as possible.” The man spoke quickly. “Megumi… he's downstairs, he can help you better than me.”
Upon hearing the boy's name, your eyes widened, thinking about why he was in this building, and only then did it sink in that nothing made sense. The building where you worked had been attacked by horrible creatures, your ex-boyfriend was in front of you, exactly as you remembered, with the eye band thing and everything, and the boy that you saw Satoru take care of for three years, was on the floor below doing who knows what.
“You need to get down now.”
Two hours after the incident, Satoru, Megumi, Nobara and Yuuji were in the hospital corridor waiting for news from you, the last two not knowing why Gojo and Fushiguro seemed so apprehensive. They didn't quite know how to start a conversation with them and ask who the woman in the room was, without wanting to seem intrusive or anything like that, but the silence was already bothering them both.
“Sensei, who is the wom…” The door was opened before Yuuji could complete the sentence, revealing the silhouette of a woman, the same one he had seen a while ago and that left Gojo unregulated.
“What are you doing here?” asked you when you saw Satoru and Megumi's faces, along with two other children that you had never seen.
“We wanted to know how you are” Megumi was the one who replied.
You didn't really know how to react to the boy's response, as you didn't expect such an act from them, especially from Gojo, who was looking at you from behind his strip with a thousand thoughts in his mind.
“Can we talk?” The man got up from the bench and stopped in front of her. “Alone.”
Nobara and Yuuji left looking like they didn't like it very much, wanting to hear the future conversation between you two. Megumi seemed a little reluctant to leave you guys alone, however, after you gave him a small smile as a sign that he could go without worrying, he left you two.
“Look…”
“You have a lot to explain, Satoru” you cut him off. The more you tried to put things together, the more confused you seemed to get.
“Me and Megumi... we can see those things.” He was so distressed that he didn't even notice his shoulders falling after feeling like a weight was being lifted from his shoulders. “And we have some powers.”
“Like Harry Potter?”
“Harry Potter?” asked Satoru, a little shocked by the meaningless association you made and receiving a nod. “No. It has nothing to do with Harry Potter.”
“Then…”
“We are sorcerers. These creatures you saw today are curses, they are born from negative feelings, and I work to kill them.”
“Why the hell didn't you tell me this before? — you asked, irritated. The pieces of the puzzle little by little begin to fit together in your mind. “ You are idiot?”
“What?” Satoru was stunned.
“Did you do all that fuss because you didn't want to tell the truth?”
And there it was, the dreaded subject had arrived. The albino's heart was out of rhythm, he thought it would be easier, he had lied for your good, he was the strongest jujutsu sorcerer, what if some curse attacked you without him being around? Two hours ago, he saw that his thesis was blocked by past events.
“I thought if I walked away, you'd be safer,” he replied. His hands were sweating, he didn't know where to put them. “You are too important to me, and I couldn't bear to lose you.”
“And you still lost me, didn't you?” Satoru seemed to have received a bucket of cold water, after such words from you. “I spent a whole year wondering what the hell had happened for everything to end so suddenly. I've loved you all this time… I mean, I still think I love you, but it doesn't matter anymore.”
Satoru opened his mouth and closed it, dumbfounded. He expected everything except “I think I love you”. A year had passed and, just like you, he still loved you.
“You love me?” You seemed not to be paying attention to the words coming out of your mouth and when Gojo asked such a thing, his penny seemed to have dropped as well.
“I… it's a lot for one day, Satoru. Hours ago I was being attacked by some monsters, and now, here we are arguing about our old relationship.”
“Go out with me again,” he said. “I'll tell you anything you want, and if you think it's no longer possible, I won't go after you again. I just need a chance.” He sounded like he was begging.
The voice inside Gojo's head said that if he didn't do something now, he would probably never have the chance to do it again. He hated the fact that he might lose you a second time.
“I know I made a big mistake with you, and I regret it bitterly. But I just need a second chance.”
"I swear, Gojo Satoru... I swear if you do anything like that again, I will curse you for the rest of your life."
Satoru at that moment promised himself that he would never hurt you again the way he had done in the past. He didn't know he could miss a person as much as he did in that one year apart, and he wouldn't want to feel that way again. Having someone you love by your side was comfortable.
a/n: i hope you guys liked! And my ask are open for request 👋
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