omg if you wrote more alan grant x reader i will literally name my firstborn after you. you write him so well bless you 🥹
A/N: Lmao, will do Anon. I have no prompt from this so I'll figure out my own one.
Prompt: "4. understanding each other without words
5. recognizing the sound of their steps
15. watching their oblivious s/o lovingly
38. craving their company after a stressful day"
From this prompt list (I've used it before for Benoit Blanc). 1000% friends to lovers rn.
Pairing(s): Teacher!Alan Grant x Colleague!GN!Reader
Contains: Teacher!Alan, Teacher!Reader, Alan having a long day with back pain, mentions of trauma (Jurrasic Park incident), panic attacks
Word Count: 2k
It was stupid, your little crush on the lead paleontologist at the dig site. You were the site manager, in charge of ensuring everything ran smoothly. Really you were just a Business 101 teacher, but Dr. Alan Grant himself requested that you manage the site. How could you say no? Your break room crush wanted you all the way out in the badlands of Snakewater, Montana with him. Okay, maybe not just him but there's something here, right? You've known each other for years, you sit in on his lessons when you're not teaching. He smiles when he sees you enter the room. You could only hope there's something special.
For now, you sit in the teacher's tent reading some papers that were dropped off with the food for the week. Dr. Sattler, the lead paleobotanist, was making some food for herself. A cup of tea sat on the table in front of you, occasional sips being taken. You heard footsteps move past you outside the tent. It was a light stomping & slow, it was Alan, & boy did he need coffee.
"Morning, Alan," you spoke the moment he grabbed at the tent's curtain door.
Alan was taken aback a little, shaking his head before pinching his nose, "Good morning, Y/N."
It was cute, the way he stumbled to the coffee machine. It was already on considering Ellie used it. He lazily pressed each button, rubbing his face with both hands afterward.
"Rough night, Dr. Grant?" You spoke, a teasing edge on your voice.
Alan froze for a split second before speaking, "How did you know?"
"Is it not obvious?" Your reply caused him to turn around, coffee now in hand.
Alan turned to Ellie with a confused look, to which she responded, "Looks like normal Alan to me."
"Well, I did have a rough night. I tweaked my back near the end of the day yesterday, sleeping was hell."
The dark circles under his eyes were becoming obvious. You couldn't help but pout a little in response. It would be weird to offer a massage. He's just a work friend.
"Well try to rest today," you suggested with a reassuring smile.
He waved off your suggestion, figuratively & literally, "No, no, some of the students found a really good fossil with that computer thing. It would be a shame to miss out on that, & I can't let them mess up such a beautiful fossil."
You stood up from the table & set the papers down, "Well I'm all caught up on work on my end. Mind if I come with you? Tap a few bones with a chisel maybe?"
Alan looked down & chuckled at your statement before shaking his head once more & looking up. A cheery sigh escaped him as he looked into your eyes.
"There is much for you to learn about paleontology, Y/N."
You were standing across from Alan as he was sprawled out on the ground, brush in hand, lightly brushing dirt away. You didn't notice the dopey smile you had on your face till Alan looked up at you, a chuckle escaping his lips.
"What?" You asked, laughing & putting your hands on your hips.
"You're standing around lookin' cute, I thought you were going to join me in the dirt," he teased back.
You both blushed. Not that either of you noticed the other was freaking out just as much. Alan couldn't believe he was so forward &, frankly, you couldn't gather that he might actually have feelings for you. You quickly turned around to hide your blush, Alan's heart sinking. You turned back around, with equal speed, brush in hand. You kneeled down on the dirt, leaning on your elbows & finding yourself in a similar position to Alan. You began brushing the dirt away. You tried to sneakily watch Alan to see if you were doing it right. His brows were furrowed as he brushed at the bone in front of him.
"Dr. Grant! I brought the supplies from this week's dropoff!" A student called out, a pile of boxes high enough to block their vision was shaking in their arms.
You couldn't help but freeze as the kid stepped towards the site. A few more steps & he'd surely step on the bones, inevitably freaking out & accidentally dropping everything. He'd be dead by dawn if Alan had anything to do with it. Luckily, Alan intervened early, shooting up quickly to stop the kid. A groan escaped him as he reached his hands out.
"James, the table is this way!" He tried not to sound too upset.
"Sorry, Dr. Grant!" James apologized as he turned towards the aforementioned table.
Alan's right hand darted to his back, applying pressure as best he could. You stood up slowly, noticing Alan's attempt at hiding the pained grimace on his face. You began walking towards him as he gripped his hat on his head, crushing it between his fingers.
"Professor!" Your focus was drawn to someone shouting your title, considering you were the only non-doctor here, "You got some faxes, the receipts from today need to be revised & sent to the school!"
You realized now it was your assistant calling out, a student volunteer getting work experience in the weirdest of locations. You thanked them as you grazed a hand over Alan's back.
"Please rest," you whispered to him as you walked away.
As you went off to do your work, it was Alan's turn to freeze. He may be good under pressure, when deadlines are coming, or even when dinosaurs think he would make a perfect midnight snack; But god did he feel absolutely helpless under your touch. He felt himself leaning into the touch & now he was stuck in this awkward bent hip position. He sighed as he adjusted his posture, convincing himself that it wasn't your touch that suddenly made the pain go away. Coincidence, he'll call it. He got back into an uncomfortable position, determined to get a good look at this fossil by nightfall.
By the time you left your "office" tent, it was dark. You looked towards the dig site to see some floodlights pointed towards the fossil. A couple eager students, & likely, Dr. Alan were hard at work. Dr. Sattler would soon come to end their fun & make sure the students got their 8 hours of rest in. You decided bed sounded much more comfortable than attempting to get them to sleep anyways. You opened the door to your trailer, letting it shut behind you. You toed off your shoes & took off your button-up & pants, changing into less dusty clothes before climbing into bed. You gave it one last good stretch before plopping onto your bed. You got comfortable, adjusting a couple pillows before feeling right.
A couple knocks hit your door, "Y/N, are you awake?"
Alan was trying to be quiet in case you were asleep but you could tell he needed to see you. You stood up slower than usual, you were tired after all, & opened the trailer door. Alan's arms twitched up slightly, he retracted them.
"Can I-"
You interrupted him, "Of course."
Alan's arms darted around your waist. From his place, a step below you on the trailer stairs, his head reached the crook of your neck. He nestled into place quickly, as if you had done this a million times. In reality, you & Dr. Grant had hugged once.
That time he hadn't asked, he knew he caught you off guard & he beat himself up about it ever since. It was his first day back on campus after he mysteriously left for an island with Dr. Sattler. You had come in to check on him after your classes, which happened to be late that night, & found him in his office. He was hunched over his work, head in his hands. The office door was left ajar, maybe he was still running office hours? Nonetheless, you pushed the door open slightly & knocked as you did so. You seemed to scare the life out of him. He jumped back & out of his seat, throwing papers into the air with him.
He yelled something barely intelligible, sounding maybe like, "GET BACK!"
"Alan! It's me, Y/N," You tried to calm your colleague as you walked toward him, his eyes were going everywhere but in your direction.
You managed to get a couple feet in front of him, his hand was clutching his chest & his breathing was beyond fast.
"Alan, I need you to take deeper breaths," You spoke as you reached out to touch his hand, "Please."
Finally, his eyes met yours, your hand wrapping around the one that held his chest so tightly. The genuine look of concern in your eyes grounded him. He looked around the room to see he was safe in his, albeit, now messy, office. Without thinking he scooped you into a hug. You were shocked at first by the sudden movement, your hands took a moment to find their place. In the moment, Alan didn't process that he caught you off guard, that would haunt him later. Right now, you were the one thing making him know he was safe, & holding you felt right. He had barely spoken to you before this. You were another teacher in the giant school that was U of M. But in the few times he's spoken to you, he's fallen hard. It surprised him that you stopped by, he was hoping you weren't there to ask him about Jurrasic Park.
You never did, & after that night you were always around. You sat in on his lessons & he even sat in on yours on the rare occasion. You offered to talk to him about whatever happened if he ever wanted, he never did. Alan was stubborn that way, he didn't like talking about feelings.
So you'd be lying if you said it didn't shock you when Alan asked to come into your trailer late that night. He sat down on the "kitchen" chair & looked up at you, pulling his hat off & setting it in his lap. His eyes quickly decided looking at the floor was more comfortable.
"Sorry, if I'm intruding, I had a rough day."
"You're not intruding, Alan, you never are," you tried to find eye contact but there was none, "You want to talk about anything?"
A long moment of silence sat between you. Alan was clearly fighting himself on something. Finally, a sigh escaped him.
"Do you remember... that night in my office?"
He didn't have to explain, of course, you knew, "Yes."
"It happened again, last night."
"I'm so sorry, Alan."
"Don't be," He had a clear train of thought & you couldn't break it, "I fell & hurt my back, I was terrified. I wanted to run to you but the fear that something was outside kept me trapped."
He wanted to run... to you?
"I've been in so much pain all day," he continued, "& it felt so isolating to keep last night to myself, bad isolating. When you just knew something was wrong-"
Alan stood up & took your hands in his, his eyes found yours just as quickly, "How did you know?"
"You looked, not like you, if that makes sense. I just knew."
Alan's hands darted to the sides of your face but yet again, froze. His eyes were filled with determination & fear. You weren't scared. You lifted your hands to guide him. His hands now resting on each side of your jawline. In the silence, Alan lightly traced a line across your cheek with his right thumb. You gave him the smallest of nods, looking deep into his eyes. Alan pulled you in for a deep kiss, a sigh escaping him when you kissed back. In a moment, you were separated again.
"Mind if I stay the night?" Alan spoke softly.
"I would love that."
A/N: This took me so long & I can't believe I didn't get burnt out. I am so happy with this.
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