Work Text:
It wasn't the normal blaring alarm that woke Colt in the early morning. Instead he was jolted awake by his phone ringing on the bedside table. The soft rays of the dawn sun had only just begun to trickle through the partly closed curtains. Ever since Ryland had told him the news about the organisms that were now known as Astrophage and how those minuscule cells of energy were eating their sun, Colt hadn't been able to look into the sky without dread pooling in his gut. Likewise the warmth of the sun on his skin only made him wonder how much longer he would be alive to feel it.
Colt blinked awake and groaned as he stretched his arms before he turned towards the sound that was still ringing. Leaning on his right arm, he reached out for the phone. He was able to catch a quick look at what the time was. Just after 5 o'clock. A few hours before his alarm would've awakened him. His brother's name and picture was staring back at him and Colt frowned as he sat up more properly. Then Jody's body next to his moved and Colt froze as he could just make out Jody mumbling something in her sleep. Better take this outside.
The phone stopped ringing and started again as he quickly dressed himself in a t-shirt and sweatpants and he made his way out of the bedroom. He ended up leaning back into the couch. Maybe not the best choice when he could feel how his entire body yearned for sleep against the soft fabric that only felt even more like a cloud like this, but whatever.
"Yeah?" Colt's greeting was cut short with a yawn as his eyes threatened to close. Ryland didn't say anything at first but Colt could hear the way his breaths shook. Colt's frown returned, deeper this time, and felt his body tense. It was the kind of borderline panicked puffs that would always come before the tears did. His brother was afraid.
"Ry? What's up?" Colt sat up straight, his unoccupied hand digging slightly into the soft cushions.
"Colt, I–, they said–," Ryland managed to wheeze out with a gulp. Alarm bells were going off left and right in Colt's mind and sleep was the last thing his body yearned for in this moment.
"Ry, hey! breathe man, breathe," Colt said as calmly as he could, which probably wasn't that calm, and took a deep breath to help illustrate the point. He was sure his worry was bleeding into his voice but he didn't care, his biggest concern right now was figuring out what was going on with his brother. Ryland took a few quivering breaths that sounded steadier and steadier by the end.
"Yes, just like that," Colt tried to reassure but he feared the tremor in his own voice gave him away. He hadn't heard his brother like this in a while. Not ever since he'd visited Colt at the hospital after his fall. But then he'd been able to be there for Ryland. Give him a hug, get a good look at how he was doing. Now he wasn't, couldn't, and he knew how much Ryland hated to be alone like this. He hated it too. Having only a voice to rely on was making his own throat dry with worry. The only thing he could do was try to make him feel better.
"I don't want to do it." Ryland's voice was small, full of tears. "They said I have to do it but I can't."
"Do what?" Colt asked carefully.
"They want to–," Ryland sniffled before he continued, "they want to send me. On the mission."
Colt froze, the ice in his veins making his spine go rigid. What the hell was he talking about?
"What?" Colt gasped, disbelieving. "You're not going on the mission. Why would they ask that of you?"
A strangled sound came from his brother and Colt wasn't sure if it was a laugh or a cry.
"They died, Colt," Ryland sobbed, the despair in his voice cutting like a knife through Colt's heart. "They're dead and they're saying that I might be the only one who can replace them."
"Well, they'll find someone else!" Colt spluttered, indignant and appalled at the incompetence of seemingly everyone involved. Surely they could find someone else who wanted to be sent on a suicide mission. Okay, maybe that was a bit much but his baby brother was currently sobbing into his ear so his apologies if he didn't have much grace over for anyone else.
Ryland was quiet then, only his breathes could be heard for several moments. Colt used those moments to try to calm himself down.
"Where are you, Ry?" Colt asked after one big breath that didn't really calm him down at all. It did however put a temporary lock on the anger that had just boiled to the surface. This was no time for anger that couldn't go anywhere anyway. Objective Make Ryland Feel Better was back on track.
"You don't have to come here now," Ryland protested, "I'll talk to them."
"I don't know, maybe I can talk some sense into them, hmm?" Colt offered, only half joking. If he needed to, he'd on the road by the end of the hour to drive all hundreds of miles over to wherever Ryland might be.
Ryland snorted wetly. It was something between a chuckle and a wheeze but Colt would take it.
"They can't force you, okay?" Colt implored. "I won't let them."
"Yeah," Ryland hummed. His breathing seemed to be mostly stable at this point and his voice wasn't completely filled with tears. Colt smiled softly to himself and finally let his body relax.
"Call me later, okay? If they try anything at all, let me know," Colt almost demanded. He had to fight off another yawn. Exhaustion once again started to pull him deeply into the couch.
"Okay, I will."
Colt nodded to himself as Ryland ended the call. The roiling pit of worry in his stomach still nagged at him but Colt brushed it away. Sleep and the warmth of Jody's embrace was calling him.