strange addiction - ryland grace
fandom: project hail mary
pairing: professor!ryland grace x grad student fem!reader
word count: 4.5k
content: smut w a plot, oral (m receiving), fingerfucking, use of pet names, softdom!ryland yet also kinda subby!ryland, p in v!!!!!!, unprotected sex, and college professor x grad student AU
summary: dr. grace prides himself on being a rule-abiding professor, but human biology is a cruel master. when his favorite grad student, you, hits her breaking point over her review, ryland's instinct to comfort her completely overrides his ethics... but it doesn't end there.
a/n: hello my loves!!! this took me so much time lol.. and it was not proof read so feel free to correct anything. lots of microbiology stuff in here that may or may not be wrong!! also some of this was written while I was half asleep so please have mercy on me... literally while writing it I felt like it was so dragged on and detailed. but I hope you enjoy!! 🙂↕️🤍
"Alright you guys! Welcome back, hope you all had a lovely weekend, but it's time to get back to business." Dr. Grace exclaimed. Always so ecstatic for a Monday morning lecture.
"Your midterm exams are in approximately..." He paused, checking his computer screen for the date, September 19th, "seventeen days, which means you have about two weeks left of review and lectures from me. So let's get started."
He turned to the massive whiteboard behind him, grabbing a green marker out of a tray with ease.
"Today we will be reviewing two things... Number one:" he paused for dramatic effect, "the absolute weird, yet fairly interesting, freaks of the microscopic world.... extremophiles!" He turned back with an excited grin as he scanned the lecture hall.
The hall was fairly empty.. this was a very difficult class, so not many people took it. There were maybe 30 people around you, all in the center rows.. and they all seemed to be just as interested for Dr. Grace's class as you, but you knew they weren't.
"Remember the lesson from... early August, I believe? The one about the creatures (extremophiles) who see a boiling hydrothermal vent or... a solid block of ice and thinks 'Yeah.... this is home. time to breed!' Yeah, we're gonna review those freaks."
He turned back to his white board. "But! That's only half of the misery for today. Second on the agenda, we will be reviewing.. cellular respiration in anaerobic conditions... Or as I like to call it: What organisms do to generate energy when the universe decides to deny them oxygen."
He turned back around, putting the markers cap on with a soft pop! He scanned the rows again. Majority of the class was quiet, other than the soft clicking of other students taking notes. You, however remained perfectly engrossed in what Dr. Grace had to say. His eyes grazed the room until they met yours where he found you paying attention, as always. He winked and gave you a smile before looking away.
He grabbed a sheet of paper off his desk, reading from his list of review questions.
"Alright! Who can tell me what happens when you take an organism that usually lives in a crazy hot volcanic environment, and you put it in a averagely normal temperature petri disc? What happens to its cellular membrane? Does it A. Dissolve, B. Freeze, or C. Just get severely pissed off?"
The classroom remained silent. You knew the answer.. of course you did. Dr. Grace had been reviewing with you for quite some time after you asked him to tutor you. He had you come by his office at least once a week so he could make sure you were keeping up with everything.
You remained quiet, seeing if anyone would answer. No one did.
Before you could raise your hand, he spoke again.
"Come on, guys. There's like a 33.3333333% chance you get it right if you simply just guess." He sighed. "If you guys don't participate, I'm not going to know what you need improvement on."
Still... Silence.
Finally, after an awkward 30 seconds, you raised your hand and spoke when he gave you a small nod.
"Well, Dr. Grace, the cell membrane would freeze.. or just lock up. Generally for an organism like that, it would have a ether-linked lipid monolayer that needs the extreme to survive. If you dropped it into something that is just average temp, the membrane would completely shut down... which would stop all nutrients from passing in and out of the cell." You explained.
He grinned as you spoke. Now leaning against his desk, his cheek pressed into his palm.
"Excellent explanation," he said as he stood up straight, applauding you.
"You see class, this is exactly the type of dedication you need to have! Be like her, my favorite future scientist."
You smiled softly, holding his gaze as he praised you for something you went over only days ago.
The rest of the class was full of review and awkward silence until the hour finally ticked away.
The entire class hurried to pack their bags and escape the everlasting tension, however you hung back, taking your precious time.
"Don't forget to bring your best active motivated brains tomorrow! I need to see more energy!!!!" Your professor exclaimed.
You finished packing your books into you bag and slung your bag over your shoulder. You approach Dr. Grace's Desk. He was already typing away at his computer as always, yet he looked up the moment he took a deep breath, your perfume filling his nostrils.
He smiled up at you. "Great job today, you truly are my best student," He said, then sighed. "Hey, listen, you know how much I enjoy tutoring you, but we're gonna have to put in on hold for a bit, mkay honey? I've got a lot of students who really need some extra review."
You paused for a moment. Honey? He'd never called you that before... and it certainly shocked you. You felt heat creep up your neck, but you shook it off.
"Uh.. yeah that's fine, Dr. Grace.. No worries" You said, shifting your weight.
"Wonderful. If you need help, just let me know, okay? Just because I've got other students to tutor doesn't mean I'm gonna let my star student get confused," he replied, tilting his head. "But I doubt you'll need anything. You're my top student, you know that."
You smiled at him, still slightly stuck on the fact he had called you honey. "Yeah, Thanks Dr. Grace... I'll see you tomorrow?"
He nodded, his head tilting back towards his computer. He was quiet..., but you ignored it.
⪻────★────⪼
As the week went by, you attended Dr. Grace's lectures just as you normally would. However, once you got to week two of review, all the subjects became blurred.
You were extremely stressed out.
Midterms were in only 9 days.
But... you couldn't bother Dr. Grace. He told you he had other students to worry about.. and you didn't want to get into his way.
You were sat on your campus bed, flipping through the microbiology book he'd given you. You scanned the pages, looking through his handwriting notes, doodles, opinions.. You sighed. Everything just kept mixing together.
You decided you needed a breather. You got out of your bed, grabbed your coat and headed out of your dormitory.
You walked through the campus grounds until you made it to your favorite coffee shop, The Petrova Pot.
You pushed the door open, the sound of the bell ringing following suite.
You walked to the counter, smiling at the barista as you ordered your coffee. A plain ol' vanilla latte. Just something simply.
They had your coffee out in only seconds, and then you headed to the back of the cafe, a more secluded area that had a few dining tables. You began making you way towards your favorite spot in the corner when you noticed it was taken.
And it was taken by Dr. Grace.
You smiled.
You walked over to him, sitting across from him and his laptop.
"Good evening, Dr. Grace."
He froze, and looked up. As his eyes met yours, a smile spread across his face.
"Well hello there.. funny seeing you here," he said as he shut his laptop. "What's my star student doing getting coffee so late?" He asked, genuinely curious.
You hummed in response. "Oh I just needed a breather... I've been a little stressed about the exam lately." You said. Dancing around the fact that literally everything was squishing together into a confusing jumbled mess of microbiology.
He frowned. "How come? You've been doing so well in class.."
You sighed. His face was so cute. He looked genuinely upset for you.
What? Did you just call you teacher cute?
You snapped yourself out of your gaze and got back to the conversation at hand.
"Everything is just.. merging together," you admitted, "I can't... I don't know."
He nodded. "Science does that to you.." he thought for a moment, checking his watch. "I don't have any tutoring sessions for at least another... 3 hours. Wanna come by my office for some help?" He asked.
You, of course, perked up immediately. You nodded. "Yes please, Dr. Grace."
He chuckled softly, grabbing his laptop bag that was hung from the back of the chair. He slid his laptop inside and stood up.
"Come on then," He said with a smile, his glasses slipping off the bridge of his nose.
You stood, grabbing your coffee before following him to the exit of the cafe.
⪻────★────⪼
The walk to your professors office was mostly quiet. Except for the many times he saw a bird in the distance that was interesting to him. He would say some nerdy fact he somehow knew, and you'd follow with a laugh or a smile and nod.
The two of you walked through the campus hallway until you got to his door. He fished through his pocket until he found his key, pushing it into the lock and twisting the door open.
"After you," He said, holding the door open.
"Thank you." You said with a smile, walking inside his office. You were familiar with it. You'd had many tutoring sessions here before, but something felt very different today.
He shut the door behind the two of you, locking it.. as he usually did. He slid into the rolling chair behind his desk, you in the soft chair across from him.
He pressed his elbows to his desk, resting his chin in one palm. Making eye contact with you.
You held each others gaze for a while until he looked away, clearing his throat. He scanned his desk as if he was looking for something.
"So uh.. what was it you needed help with?" He asked, looking at you again.
"Oh uhm... it's a lot..., but recently I've been missing up the exponential growth rate formula with the logistic growth rate formula.. Which is crazy because they're pretty different, but.. whatever" you shrugged.
He nodded, listening intently. He spun his chair around and opened his file cabinet where he had paperwork, notebook paper, and various worksheets. He slid out a piece of notebook paper and a worksheet titled "Exponential Growth Rate vs. Logistic Growth Rate."
"Well, my dear, you're in luck." He grinned, sliding the papers in front of you.
Dear... He had called you that before, but this time.. something sounded different. Either that or you were completely and utterly delusional, but let's stick with the first option.
Your mind began to fill with thoughts upon thoughts. So much so that you completely toned out his entire explanation on what you were trying to get help on.
You were staring flat down at the papers in front of you, zoned out. That was until your head was tilted up by a hand on your chin.
"Something on your mind?"
You froze.
Your face grew pink immediately as you began to try and stutter through an explanation as to why you had just completely ignored everything that came out of his mouth.
"I- uhm- sorry I'm just- Tired." You said, swallowing as you made eye contact with him.
"Are you sure?"
You nodded. "Uh.. yeah let's just.. get back to the formulas."
He sighed, his hand falling from your face. You almost let out a sigh from the loss of contact, but you managed to keep it in.
The two of you worked on a few problems before he let you try on your own, him tending to a few emails on his computer. The worksheet was.... very confusing. Just a bunch of graphs and you had to label them. Just lots of tedious stuff. Eventually you got to a problem on the back. You did it over and over and over again, but the answer you got was never an answer that was on the list.
You groaned, laying your head down on the table. "This is so irritating." You mumbled.
You heard his chair spin in your direction. "Hey, come on now. Don't get upset sweetheart, it's okay."
You groaned again. This time not out of frustration... well.. not completely. He kept calling you names. Making your face flush every single time.
You sighed and looked up. He was now beside you, crouched down on his knee.
"Hey, look at me.." He said, his voice softer than you'd ever heard it.
You looked down at him, moving your chair to the side so it was facing him.
He slid his hand up your leg, resting it on your knee, rubbing gently. "It's okay, honey.. I know it's frustrating." He said.
You swallowed. You could feel your face heating up. But not just your face. His palm on your leg felt like it was burning through the fabric of your jeans. You sat there, looking down at him. Heart race increasing by the second. You didn't dare speak.
He held your gaze, his hand now rubbing up and down from your knee to your thigh.
"C'mon, talk to me."
God what were you to do. He was right there. His face closest it had probably ever been, and he was staring at you in such a.. caring way. But you could tell there was something more.
You took a deep breath, your lips parting as you did. His eyes darted down for a split second. So fast you would've missed it by the blink of an eye, but you didnt.
"Dr. Grace." you said, voice trembling in the slightest.
"Listen to me.." He murmured, "You are so incredibly smart.. You've been pushing yourself so hard lately. Just breathe and tell me what you're struggling wi-"
You cut him off. You pulled him into a kiss, your grip strong on the collar of his suit.
At first, he was shocked. Then he kissed you back. But after a few seconds, he pulled away, standing from his knees. Pushing himself away from you.
"I- I'm sorry. I- We can't-" He stuttered, pushing his back into a wall.
Your heart rate increased once again. You thought about getting up. Leaving and never returning to his class again. However that clearly wasn't the right choice. You could feel it in your gut.
You stood. Walking until you were right in front of him. His panicked eyes met yours.
"Please.. we can't-" He said quietly. He looked like he was going to cry.
"Dr. Grace.. I will leave. But only if you tell me you want me to."
His lips parted. He tried to speak but nothing came out. He was shocked.
You stood there. Waiting for him to say anything at all.
After what felt like ages, he finally spoke again.
"I can't do that.." He said. He was clearly scared. Not because of you, not because of how he felt towards you, but for his career.
But obviously some things were more important than others.
"Don't go. Please don't go." He said, staring directly into your eyes.
You remained silent. Just to see if he'd change his mind. He could've. He looked absolutely terrified, yet also full of so much desire.
"Please. I want you so badly."
"Okay." You nodded.
With that, he stepped forward, sliding one arm around your waist and one hand to your cheek, pulling you into another kiss like the last. Except this one was initiated by him.
Both of your hands slid around his neck, your fingers tangling in his dirty blonde hair.
The two of you kissed for what felt like hours until he finally broke away, but only to tilt his head down so he could kiss your neck.
You gasped softly, feeling his breath beneath your jaw. He began to push you backwards gently until your body hit his desk.
Before you could protest anything, he crouched down slightly, but only for a second so that he could wrap his hands around the backs of your thighs. He hoisted you up onto his desk, his lips never leaving your skin.
"Please." kiss "Let me show you" kiss "how badly" kiss "I need you." He said. He pulled back to look at you. "Please.. I know how insane I've been driving you. I was doing it on purpose.. I... I need to make it up to you."
The sound of him practically begging to please you drove you even more insane than the subtle touches, the pet names, etc.
You nodded. "Okay.."
He let out a breath of relief before kissing you again. His hands slid to the back hem of your shirt, tugging at it. You pulled back, but only long enough to pull your shirt off.
"So pretty.." He whispered between kisses. His hands sliding up your waist, kneading at your skin. One hand slid behind your back, unhooking the clasp of your bra. It felt between the two of you.
His hands almost instantly moved up, but they only hovered. He pulled back slightly.
"Can I..?"
"Are you seriously asking me that right now, Dr. Grace."
"Are you seriously still calling me by my surname?"
"I-" You began.
He pressed his finger to your lips. "Ah. Call me Ryland, sweetheart."
You nodded. "Okay..., Ryland."
He smiled. The way his name rolled off your tounge was so satisfying to him.
"Now.. where was I." He said before kissing you again, his hands finally making contact with your breasts. He squeezed softly, tugging at the now hard mounds on your skin.
A soft moan left your lips, and that only pushed him further. He broke away from the kiss once again, trailing down your throat, your collarbones, your chest, until his lips finally made contact with your nipples.
Your fingers gripped the fabric of his suit jacket that he still had on for some odd reason. You were about to push him back to tell him to take it off when he sucked harder, his teeth biting gently down.
You hips bucked instinctively towards his, and only then did you notice how wet you were.
"Ryland.." you gasped softly as his lips left your skin with a soft pop.
"I know, honey, I know.. it's okay." He said, stepping back. He slid his jacket off his shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. Then quickly unbuttoned his dress shirt that had a hidden coffee stain on the sleeve.
Once his shirt was fully off, you noticed how.. jacked he was. The whole sight was attractive. His biceps, his abs, his subtle happy trail that led under the waistband of his jeans...
He caught your gaze. He moved his hand to cup your jaw, making you look up at him. "Didn't expect this, hm?"
You shook your head. Of course you didn't. Who would?
"Don't get cocky." You said, slipping your fingers into his belt loops, pulling him closer. His jeans looked incredibly tight.
He hummed and kissed you again.
You moved your hand, unzipping his pants, pushing them down to his thighs.
Even though you were in a locked office, there was still a chance of an admin with a key walking in... and honestly that turned you on even more.
Now that his jeans were pushed away, he was a lot more free. You traced your finger around the line of his cock, causing him to whimper softly.
It was as if he hadn't been touched in years.
You hummed softly, pulling away, but only so you could see his facial expression. You palmed him through his boxers very gently. Making sure he felt everything.
His head fell down onto your shoulder, followed by him whimpering into your neck
"F..fuck- Please.. please don't tease me right now."
You laughed softly. "Don't worry, you won't have to wait much longer.." You said, pushing his boxers down.
His cock sprang free, already leaking precum. The sight made you drool. He was big... not only in length but also in girth.
You stood up from the desk, pushing him into the guest chair that was conveniently behind him.
"What are you-"
You didn't let him finish. You wrapped your lips around him, a deep, wet feeling that made him groan.
He gripped the armrests as you sucked the head of his cock, swirling your tongue around the ridge. He let out a ragged breath, his hips beginning to buck instinctively.
"Holy shit-" He gasped, trying to hold his hips back so he didn't hurt you.
You used your hand to grip the base, pumping him in rhythm with your mouth, making sure he felt every bit of the friction.
He leaned back, eyes closed, his chest heaving as you took him deeper, your throat tightening around him.
He took your continuation as a sign. He reached down, his fingers tangling in your hair to guide your head, pushing you further onto him. The pressure was immense, filling your mouth completely, making you swallow each time he thrust upward.
He shifted his weight, his legs spreading wide to give you better access, and he started to move with a desperate urgency, his hips snapping forward quickly.
Every time he hit the back of your throat, a muffled, needy sound escaped you, which only seemed to fuel him.
"Oh my g-god- I- I'm so close already" He whimpered. His legs began to shake.
And just as he was about to let go, you pulled back. Thin strings of saliva connecting from your lips to his tip.
He whimpered, looking down at you. He looked absolutely wrecked. His hips twitching.
"Wh-why'd you do that..?" He asked, panting softly.
"Just a little payback." You said as you stood up. You were obviously just teasing him, but he seemed to believe it.
"No no no.. please I'm sorry," he said, grabbing your hand. "Please, honey, I'll show you how sorry I am."
You gave him a sympathetic smile. "I was joking, Ryland."
His face fell, but he shook it off, standing despite the shake in his legs.
He came close, pulling you into his chest. He whispered softly into your hair. "I'm not.."
You pulled back, looking up at him.
"Oh?" You nodded. "Okay, show me."
He nodded in return. pushing you back into the desk. As he was about to lay you down, he stopped. He turned around, bending down to pick his jacket up. He laid it down in the desk.
Your heart warmed at that sight. Was he really worried about you getting hurt in a moment like this? You laughed to yourself.
He didn't question it and just laid you back. He moved his hands to the waistband of your jeans now, and he pulled them down easily, along with your panties which were absolutely soaked.
He hummed in approval.
"You're so beautiful, sweetheart.." He whispered, bending down to kiss you once before pulling away. He slid his finger down your body until they eventually reached your soaking mess.
He began dragging his fingers through your folds, lathering them with your arousal. You moaned softly, head falling back on his desk.
He gently circled your entrance with two fingers, teasing until he plunged them inside of your. The stretch felt good.
"Ry-"
"I know, honey. It's okay. I've got to stretch you out a little." He whispered. His voice was just.. so hot. that it turned you on even more.
He continued finger fucking you softly until you were clenching around him, squirming against his palm. "Ryland please- please I'm gonna cum-" You whimpered.
Originally his plan was to deny you an orgasm, just as you did to him, but when you looked that sweet while whimpering his name? He couldn't. So, he picked up his pace, hitting that spongy spot over and over again, making you see stars.
It took only seconds for your orgasm to wash over you. You moaned loudly, your eyes rolling back. He fucked you through it, waiting until your legs stopped their relentless shaking to pull his fingers out. He brought them to his mouth, unable to wait to taste you.
The sight made you shiver.
"Mm.. you taste so good." He mumbled.
You whined softly. Getting aroused again simply from the praise spilling from his lips.
"It's okay. I'm about to make everything all better, okay?" He said, pulling you to the edge of the table.
You instinctively wrapped your legs around his waist, pulling him close. He smiled at your eagerness as he lined himself up with your entrance.
"Look at me." He said, grabbing your hand. "I need you to breathe."
You nodded, taking a deep breath, your hips daring to move.
After you took a few deep breaths, he finally began to sink inside of you. The stretch burned, causing both of you to whimper softly. He eventually fully bottomed out inside you, panting softly. He wanted to move so so badly, but he wouldn't dare.
You were breathless. It stung, but it felt so good to be so filled up. Your hips shifted against his, making both of you gasp.
"Ryland.."
"Yes, Sweetheart?"
"Move." You said, unable to wait any longer.
He obliged, pulling completely out except for his tip, and then slamming right back in. He made up a gentle pace. No too fast, but not too slow.
"God.. you're so tight." He groaned softly, gripping your hips.
Soft whimpers fell from your lips. You gently threw your arm over your head, but that only lasted for a few seconds.
"Nuh uh, baby.. mmn- I... Wanna see your pretty face while I fuck you.." He said, pulling your hand away.
You looked at him, eyes half lidded as you panted. The sight of you was perfect to him, and it only made him pound into you faster.
You gasped, feeling as he hit that spongy spot once against. "Oh my g-god- Fuck- right there-" You moaned, your pussy clenching around him. "Ryland-"
He groaned at how tight you were around him. "That's it honey, cum for me.."
And that's just what you did. You closed your eyes, heels digging into his lower back as you cried out his name. He followed behind in almost seconds, white hot please cascading over the both of you. He gently fucked the two of you through it, until he eventually pulled out. The both of you panting.
He sighed softly, pulling you up into a sitting position so he could wrap his arms around you.
You leaned back against him, completely exhausted, letting your head sink back into the crook of his neck. His hands moved in slow, soothing circles over your bare waist, anchoring you to him in the quiet, dim light of the office.
Neither of you spoke; right now, nothing mattered.
He simply pressed a soft kiss to your temple, his heartbeat steady and grounding beneath your palm.
"Stay right here," he whispered into your hair, his voice thick with devotion. "Just for a little while. Let me hold you."
