For the AU Prompt: Nature Documentary AU with Buccaneer and Olivier
I’m sorry these took so long to get to!
-So Buccaneer is a naturalist and biologist who has been studying this one species of bear for years.
-when he hears that a very rich family wants to sponsor a nature doc about the Briggs Mountains and the Briggs Mountain Grizzly, he’s absolutely ecstatic, and jumps at the chance to join the team
-Except he didn’t count on having to put up with a “stuck up” and “posh” and “sissy livered” etc representative of the family. He is... None to Pleased by the revelation, especially when he sees that said representative looks like a fashion model, and worse, because of her, even more useless people are now being toted around, including a beleaguered secretary who is very obviously more used to a desert climate.
-Except, of course Olivier is not nearly as.... useless as she looks. She’s actually had a deep interest in the Briggs region herself, and is the major push behind the documentary’s funding. She wants to bring attention to the harsh and beautiful environment, and help keep it protected.
-There’s a lot of animosity between them at first, as Olivier insists on running things the “Armstrong Way”, and Buccaneer insists on doing things in the way he’s always done them, using secrets of mountain tribes he’s descended from. Not alot of work gets done, and the team is struggling between all the push and pull to actually film the animals they came to film.
-It all tides over after they get trapped together, separated from the rest of team during a surprise storm. They’re forced to work together, and start to realise each other’s actual strengths, the hidden things that bring them together.
-This is just affirmed when they (using a smaller more portable camera) get some incredible shots of a bear family, doing bear things, including some behaviours that are rarely observed. Both are over the moon, and from then on, the documentary is smooth sailing.
-It totally wins some kind of fancy film award, and during the acceptance speech/after party what have you, Buc and Liv kiss, finally admitting what they’d felt growing throughout the trip. Miles (the beleaguered assistant) wins at least one betting pool. Her family is... a little distressed, and Olivier couldn’t care less, because she’s always loved her job/hobby more than she’s cared about other’s opinions of what she does.
-They live together happily in the mountains part time, continuing to study and film the bears, and the mountains, and eventually their children and friends and family.
Bonus: At least once during the trip someone jokingly was filming the filmmaker’s camp. Miles, in his best Steve Irwin impression started to joke about finding the “Elusive Briggs Grizzly”, and observing it’s sleeping habits. Then he opens Buccaneers tent, and is... more than a little embarrassed to find that “the Elusive Grizzly” has a mate. The footage is never found.