CW: Internalized h0m0ph0bia, mentions of sm0king, angst, swearing, no happy ending
Requested by: Altaruwusmolboiz
“Internalized homophobia question mark question mark? You do with that what you will.”
Fandom: How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Pairing: Bud Frump x m!reader
Summary: You’d fallen in love with Bud pretty much immediately after seeing him. However, he had a few objections.
Author's note: AHHHHHHH I love Bud SOOOOOO much!!! The person who requested this is a GENIUS! I never thought of Bud this way before and I’ve been waiting for an idea like this!!
Bud Frump never seemed like the kind of guy to… feel. He was always picking on the “lower” employees of the World Wide Wicket company. But strangely enough, never you. At least not since about a week after you’d been hired.
On your first day, Ms. Hedy LaRue had been showing you around, dropping flirty comments toward you, trying to size you up, seeing if she could exploit your “masculine tendencies” or something. You didn’t know or care about her schemes, your eyes were glued to Bud pretty much immediately after you laid eyes on him.
Unfortunately for you, Hedy noticed your gawking at the CEO’s nephew. She had to say your name probably about five times for you to finally snap out of it.
“Who th’hell are you starin-” she barely finished her question before laying eyes on him, then you, then him again. She gasped with excitement and in her well-intended mischief, she got his attention and waved him over. And before you could protest, he strutted right over.
“Well well well… who’s your victim today, Ms. LaRue?”
She giggled and introduced you.
“Bud Frump. Charmed, I’m sure.” He held out his hand for you to shake, which you did, albeit, nervously, causing him to chuckle to himself and comment on your sweaty palms.
His voice was so… confident. You tried to stutter out a response, hopefully quick-witted enough to impress him, get on his level.
“Well, who wouldn’t be around you?”
Crap, too good. Maybe, if you were fast enough, you could move to Dallas before he could respond.
Bud was certainly caught off guard by your accidental flirting. Hedy, on the other hand, was having the best day of her life.
Before Bud could muster a response, you asked Hedy to show you to your station. Which she sadly obliged, wishing this would continue.
As you turned away, you could swear Bud had a dusting of blush on his face. As soon as you were out of his sight, he speedily walked out of the watchful gaze of the ladies of the office, going out a back door, where he would go to take a smoke.
He slammed the door shut and started, for a lack of a better term, freaking out. Did someone just hit on him? And was that someone a man?! Were you a secret agent sent by his uncle trying to sniff out gays in the office? In that case, he’d have to warn Hedy before you caught her flirting with anyone and everyone of every gender.
Bud’s mind continued to race until he glanced down at his watch, seeing it was time for lunch. He then got an idea, a wicked, awfully wonderful idea. He’d trick you into revealing who you were working for… over coffee.
About two weeks later, you were sorting mail as your job description stated when Bud walked up to you, leaning against the wall next to you. You smiled when you saw him, which brought a strange pang of sadness to his heart that he couldn’t revel in that smile, your face, your eyes. No, he had to keep his guard up, but let it down just enough that you’d take the bait.
“Hello, Mr. Frump! How can I help you?”
God, this was going to be hard. “I was wondering if you’d like to join my friend, Smitty, and I for coffee? On me.”
“Oh, that sounds fun! Let me get my coat!”
You grabbed your coat and followed Bud to a nearby coffee shop. After about ten minutes, you noticed that Smitty hadn’t shown up yet.
“She… had something come up last minute. Secretary stuff, you understand.”
You nodded, taking in the information. This meant you were alone, with Bud, in a coffee shop. He sipped on his cappuccino before staring you down, waiting for you to make a move. But you never did. Was it all in his head? Were you just trying to flatter him two weeks ago to move further up the company ladder?
After an unsuccessful attempt at getting you to flirt with him, he changed tactics. On your walk back to the mail room, he yanked you into a janitor’s closet and slammed the door behind him before pinning you to the wall, seeming very aggravated.
“Wha- Bud?! What the hell are you doing?!”
“Don’t play innocent with me, pretty boy… I know your secret.”
You suddenly felt very small, trapped. Like the cat had finally caught you, the mouse. “You… you do?”
“Yeah, my uncle sent you to sniff me out. I knew he always had his suspicions about me an’ who I like to neck! Well, it’s none of his business!”
“Yeah?” He didn’t mean for that to sound so aggressive, but it did.
“Your uncle did not send me to “sniff you out,” now can you please let me go?”
He thought for a moment, then another. Bud didn’t want to let you go, he knew he probably should but since when has Bud Frump ever cared about what lower employees wanted? “No.”
“I won’t let you go. Not… not until you tell me why you said… that.”
Then it dawned on you. He had made up this elaborate story in his head all because you asked who wouldn’t be nervous around him. For what?
“I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have said such a thing. It was inappropriate.”
“Well, I didn’t exactly… hate it.”
You felt your cheeks heat up at that. You started to say something, but he closed the gap between you, his lips on yours. Obviously, you leaned into it. You’d be a fool not to.
Thus began the weeks of secret, afterhours hook-ups. They got further and further from work. From closets to your respective cars to hotel rooms nearby to your home, but never his. Which bothered you, but did you say anything? No, you felt lucky to even be close to him like this. You figured he had his reasons for not letting you into his home. Maybe he was insecure about his house? You didn’t know or care. Bud was here, in your home, right next to you in bed. When he could be anywhere else, he chose here, with you.
As you got out of bed to go shower you let it slip.
You never meant to say it, but it just happened, catching Bud off guard. He jolted up in bed, eyes wide and staring at you.
“I… I can’t.” He uttered, shaking his head before jumping out of bed and hastily putting his clothes on. As he finished buttoning his shirt he all but ran to the bathroom to fix his hair. He locked the door behind him, staring in the mirror for at least five minutes.
Was that really him? Flustered, flustered by a man’s love. A man’s love for him, another man. He always worried he had something wrong with him. This only confirmed his fears. Maybe he could leave, sever ties before they got too strong. He felt his grip tighten on the bathroom counter. It wasn’t too late, he would still climb the company ladder all the way to his own office, to CEO. But he couldn’t do that with you. He could only pick one, and the answer felt clear.
Finally, he opened the bathroom door, walking back over to you. He uttered your name, making you look up at him. You recognized that look of his at this point, his mask was back on.
“Look, I can’t… be with you and be CEO one day. This was bound to end at some point. Just, don’t hang on to me for too long, alright?”
You immediately protested. “Bud, no! I can’t let you go so easily.”
He shushed you. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be. Please don’t cause too much fuss, you’ll make your neighbors worry.”
You began shaking. With rage or sorrow? you didn’t know. “Bud, don’t pull that bullshit with me. You had to have felt something for me!”
He caressed your face. “Sweetheart, of course I did. But then I woke up, I think you should too. Settle down, find a nice wife, start a family.”
You wanted to pull away from him, perhaps that’s what he wanted too. He stepped back, turning towards the door. You wanted so badly to protest, but you knew he wouldn’t listen. Bud was too stubborn.
So you let him go, but you knew he was the one doing the letting go.
For once, Bud Frump let go.
Please lmk if you enjoyed this, it’s my first fic. Feel free to request one via the form on my pinned post!
