There’s a short story that’s a prequel to The Martian called “Diary of an Ass Can” and um… idk about you but I’ve never seen anything more Johnny coded than that title.
Also- since Mark’s mission role is mechanical engineer (botanist is his science role), I feel like that fits really well for Johnny too!
Johnny isn’t a botanist in this AU though. I could not see him giving a fuck about plants for the life of me. Plus, as someone majoring in botany- botanists have a very specific vibe to them (queer). Johnny dose not have that vibe. He gives off offensively straight vibes, even if he's not.
As for the rest of the crew-
Price would obviously take the place of Commander Lewis. I can kind of see Price as a rock guy so… I think geologist kinda fits him.
Kyle is the mission’s pilot. I’m not sure why I decided that fits best for him, but I did. In the movie, Martinez is pilot and MDV/MAV specialist (mars descent/ascent vehicle specialist) and I’m making Kyle take on both of those roles- plus systems operator (which was Johanssen’s job originally).
Simon’s mission role is kind of a mash up of the remaining Ares III crew members. First of all, I'm actually making him the botanist, not Johnny. But, he’s also the crew’s EVA specialist and medic. He didn’t have any real medical experience prior to this, but neither did any of the others, and I think they kind of just of decided that out of all of them, his background kind of meshed the best. they more or less just gave him a fuck ton of intensive medical training, hoping to make up for the fact that there wasn't a doctor in the Ares III roster.
To elaborate of what Johnny’s mission role even was- he was the crew’s engineer and reactor technician.
Rather than growing potatoes like Mark Watney did, Johnny's first course pf action upon realizing he was left behind was to attempt to signal the Hermes... and NASA. Mainly NASA, really, but it'd be nice to let his crew know he wasn't dead.
At no moment did he consider trying to do anything else. by Sol 8 (and for reference, the rest of the Ares III crew had evacuated on Sol 6) he was scavenging the corpse of the MDV for parts. Major stomach wound be damned, Johnny knew that the sooner he acted, the better his chances were. Hell, there was even a chance the Hermes was still hanging around in upper orbit. He doubted NASA would demand what's left of the Ares III crew to work right after loosing one of their own.
(Well- NASA might try, but Kate would let hell freeze over before that command would be given.)
Also- in the book, if the resupply probe had failed, all of the Ares III crew members except Johanssen were going to fucking kill themselves and have her canabalize their bodies so she could save Mark (since it would be too late to go back to earth at that point) and get them both back to earth which is…. Fucking insane. But I’m going to say that I think Price and Simon agreed to do the same but didn’t tell Kyle. They knew he would never let that happen so they were going to essentially guilt trip him into not letting their bodies go to waste so at least he and Johnny would be saved.
I think Johnny getting left on Mars would’ve went down a bit differently than Mark being left on Mars went.
For one, I think Simon was the one who refused to accept it.
Price loves Johnny with all of his heart, but I think that once Johnny’s suit went offline and they lost his vitals and location, Price would’ve made the call to leave. He wouldn’t have let himself hope.
In that moment, all he knew was that a piece of equipment torn loose by the storm had hit Johnny with enough speed and force to breach his suit and send him flying through the air. Even if the hit hadn’t killed him, Price knew Johnny only had a minute or two to live after his suit’s loss of pressure.
He knew Kyle was doing everything trying to keep the MAV upright, but the winds were only getting worse and the ascent vehicle was dangerously close to tipping- leaving them all stranded and as good as dead.
When Kyle told him they’d lost Johnny’s vitals and position, his heart sank. Visibility was at zero- he could hardly see Simon where he stood just three feet in front of him, and he’d seen how far Johnny flew.
If it was only his own life at stake, Price would’ve done it in an instant. He would rather die trying to save Johnny (or even just retrieve his body) than leave him there.
But it wasn’t just his life- it was Simon and Kyle’s too. He’d already lost one of his partners that day, and his mind would immediately go into making sure his didn’t lose another.
Afterwards though? It would absolutely tear him up. Knowing (or thinking) that he’d left johnny behind would destroy him. Every time he closed his eyes, he’d think about how Johnny maybe felt in those last moments. He’d wonder if Johnny had still been clinging onto life in those last moments and heard him make the call to leave. He’d wonder if that was the last thing Johnny had ever heard- his captain telling the rest of his crew to leave him. He’d think about Johnnys body- about how it would never decompose. How it would just lie there, frozen in time.
(Honestly, Price would probably have half a plan to kill himself the moment Simon and Kyle were safe back on earth.)
Simon had to be physically dragged into the MAV by Price. The moment Price gave the order to continue with the abort, Simon felt something break inside of him.
He’d been the one to feel Johnny’s hand yanked away from him as the communications disc hit him. He’d been the one who’d seen it coming and had tried to pull Johnny out of its path. He’d been the one who’d seen the look of pain and fear on Johnny’s face as the glove of his suit slipped from Simon’s.
The look of betrayal on Simon’s face as the MAV lifted off Mars broke Price. He couldn’t look at Kyle or Simon after that- wouldn’t speak aside from clipped, gritted out orders to the other two until after nearly a day back on the Hermes.
Kyle was the one who did the most convincing job of holding it together out of the three. He grit his teeth and refused to let himself think about it. Every time his eyes drifted towards the empty seat where Johnny was supposed to have been sitting, a wave of nausea pulsed through him.
No. No this can’t be happening. Johnny can’t be dead- they couldn’t have lost him. He’d just been joking with him not even 15 minutes ago. This can’t be happening.
He’d have to tear his eyes from the empty seat and force himself to focus on piloting the MAV. He told himself he’d have time to grieve later. He had to.
When they finally got back to the Hermes, all Kyle managed to do was strip himself of his EVA suit before he was barreling towards their sleeping quarters. The moment he slid into his bunk he began to shake. The full weight of what’d happened came crashing down on him.