Imagine Colt and Grace tried meet up before he's sent away (Ryland Grace & Colt Seavers)
Project Hail Mary Masterpost | The Fall Guy Masterpost
I'm not immune to Coltland twins propaganda.
"Come on, don't leave me; it can't be that easy, babe. If you believe me, I guess I'll get on a plane. Fly to your city, excited to see your face. Hold me, console me, and then I'll leave without a trace."
Colt is bruised and battered on set, only half paying attention when he's bombarded by an intern. They hand him his phone, and he can see why they seem so frantic. On the screen is a cluster of Phone notifications, stating he's had 17 missed calls. Above it: Ry.
It had been years since they last talked. Not Colt's fault, he has to say. There had been an argument. Ryland was angry, words as acidic as they usually were when he was impassioned. He told him Colt would die doing those stupid stunts. Colt couldn't bring himself to tell him about his accident after that.
He jumps when the phone buzzes in his hand again, ringing to life. With a stuttering heart, he answers, shuffling to a more desolate location in hopes of having an ounce of privacy. It's quiet for a moment, then—
"Colt?" Okay. Yeah. That was definitely his brother. He doesn't have time to process that thought before Ryland is spouting some nonsense about Cambridge, words melting together in the panic. Colt interrupts the rambling, bopping his leg up and down with nerves even while standing. That's when Ryland says it: "I need you."
Ryland was an idiot. He was temperamental, stubborn, and could overall be an ass. But he was also his brother. His other half, quite literally; they shared a placenta after all. So Colt follows his half-baked instructions, going all the way to the UK because Ryland was there for some fucking reason.
It's an excruciating 12 hours on the plane—longer than what it'd usually be. He'd heard something about the flight path and airspace, keeping it clear, blah blah blah. Nothing important, probably. He spends the entire flight without a wink of sleep, leg bouncing so much that he's sure his seatmates want to murder him the moment they get off the plane. He never did get used to traveling, even though his job required it. He uses that as an excuse for why he feels so innately wrong.
People are crowded around a TV when he reaches the boarding area. It's clear that they're not showing flight schedules. Not anymore, at least. Colt doesn't linger, ignoring it in favor of rushing to the baggage claim, phone in hand and calling Ryland. Each one goes to voice mail. It feels like hours the way his luggage slowly comes toward him. He tries one last time, looking toward a near-by monitor. Just as he does, a rocket bursts across the screen, with the words Hail Mary lift-off plastered next to the • LIVE text in the corner. His mouth dries as the robotic voice repeats back words that have already been said: "I'm sorry, the person you're trying to reach is unavailable."
He spends years mourning. Never gets over it, really. How can he? His brother was gone. Launched into space. Left without a trace.
He's angry at first. Really angry. He pushes everyone away. All his time is spent on his work: exercising, doing physical therapy, shooting scenes. There's never a lull in his schedule. He prefers it that way, if only to occupy his mind with anything but the elephant in the room. It becomes difficult when the world starts changing.
Jody isn't immune to his feelings. They fight a lot, even having to take a months-long break. He doesn't deserve her, he feels. But she understands him, maybe a little too much. And even through the tears and the yelling, they both know that in these trying times, they need eachother. They make it through in the end. It doesn't make it less hard.
Late at night, Colt can't help but linger on what Ryland said. I need you. Three simple words. Did he think the same when he strapped in for launch? Did he watch the countdown with baited breath, knowing he was leaving behind the only family he had left? Did he even really mean it?
It felt cruel. Unbelievably cruel. How could he say those words and go back on them? How could he give Colt hope just to whisk it away? That wasn't like him. Sure, he might've lashed out a lot when they were younger, but it was always out of love. Those final words weren't love. They couldn't be.
After some coaxing from Jody, he starts therapy. Not just the physical kind, but the actual "sit down and talk about your feelings" kind. He's put on a long waiting list. When he finally gets his turn, he's sure he makes them a lot of money from all the bullshit that's piled up.
It gets easier. Not easy…but easier. Time heals wounds or whatever. Then, when he's forty-something, new information comes out surrounding Project Hail Mary. The world buzzes as it's revealed that there was a forced sedation, all because of a gene that allowed Ryland to survive through some bullshit medical coma.
A trial is had. There's a woman at the center of it: Eva Stratt. Colt testifies against her as best he can. She looks pale when he steps up to the stand. He imagines he looks the same when he hears Ryland's last recorded voice message, pleading to not send him away. All the healing he tried and failed to do, all the work he put in to accept the facts and still push forward; it was all for nothing. All for a lie. He can't believe it.
A handful of years later, the beetles come back to Earth. Colt spends hours crying at the released footage. He spends even more time doing so when men in thick, black fleece-lined suits show up at his door to give him a video message. He's directly addressed, a similar face to his own looking back at him as Ryland apologizes for everything that's happened. He can't help but linger on how much younger Ryland looks in comparison to his reflection.
The arrow of time marches forward. The world gets better. People die less. Memorials are made. The public hail Grace as a hero, even through the muddy details surrounding the mission. And just as they would've done before the supposed end of the world, they make a documentary: Project Hail Mary. Colt acts in it, the first and last job of his career outside of being a stuntman. It's hard carrying the face of someone who isn't here anymore; but if he can do one thing, it will be to have the world remember his brother for who he is, not what he was made to be. And that will have to be enough for him.
Feel free to use this idea for fics/art! Just credit me ;p
What I listened to while writing: No One Noticed
