Coltland Gentry inspired hurt/comfort au based on a tattoo tiktok I saw a while ago (matching soad lonely day tatts), various gosling verse edits on tiktok, and Court's own origin story. I know most of these are pretty common headcannons already but this was my try with the twist of the tattoos.
Their father became an abusive drunk after their mother died when they were younger. Court normally steps in to take the brunt of things but it's been getting worse and he made his brothers agree they wouldn't be at home alone or without him there just in case. Court comes home to find their dad attacking Ryland and it's obvious that he's gonna kill him if he's not stopped. Court is tired of seeing his brothers hurt and terrified and he realizes there's only one way to make it stop. So he makes it stop.
Court (17) was arrested and the twins (13) were separated when they went into foster care. The brothers have never been apart like this before. Right after the incident, Colt was able to stay with a friend from school temporarily but Ryland had to stay a few days in the hospital before he could be released, and they wouldn't allow any visitors. Unfortunately the friend's family didn't want to get too involved with what had happened so once Ryland was released they told Colt the two would have to find somewhere else to stay.
They had no other family in the area and no one else willing to step up for them, so they entered the foster care system. Because they weren't super young and not a lot was known about the family dynamic the twins got separated into different foster families, even though C/R protested and had given multiple joint and individual statements to the police already. They also weren't allowed much contact with Court while charges were still being determined.
The three are able to be reunited fairly quickly once its clear things were done in self defense. Court gains custody of his brothers and they choose to not claim their father's body from the morgue. When the twins are 16, on the anniversary the event they get tattoos to reaffirm their bond with each other - matching lyric to tattoos from System of a Down's "Lonely Day".
Ryland: AIYGIWGWY
Colt: AIYDIWDWY
Court: TYHAWA
The three do drift a bit as their careers pick up and change but they're their for each other if needed and try to get together once a year on the anniversary of Court gaining custody.
Orrrrr if you're wanting to go the hurt/LESS comfort route -
One of the teachers who Ryland had a really good relationship with gains guardianship of the twins and they lead a semi normal life for a while. Court's trial dragged on and he ended up spending a couple years behind bars until he was deemed innocent and his actions considered self defense. After being released though Court keeps his distance from his brothers because he doesn't want to screw up their lives even more and eventually he fully fades into the background, but still keeps a close eye on them.
Once the twins turn 18 they change their last names. Ryland chooses their mother's maiden name and Colt chooses a name that won't connect them from a glance, because they both have big goals in life and he'd hate to get in the way of Ryland's academic success due to his hopeful hollywood career. Neither of them want their father's last name to appear on their high school diplomas though.
The twins either get their tattoos when their name changes become official or a few years down the line (maybe after Ryland's left academia, when realized the he was starting to act like the person he swore he'd never become and needed to ground himself a bit), but Court secretly goes and gets his tattoo by the same artist a week after his brothers.
ORRRR we can go the MORE HURT/ABSOLUTELY NO COMFORT route -
Court is found guilty and given a long sentence. The twins try to help with getting an appeal started but Court tells them to drop it, that they should focus on themselves. He'll figure it out with his lawyers and they need to figure out how to not lose each other now that they're in the system.
He hates seeing the looks on their faces when their foster families allow visits so he requests no visitors after a while, and eventually as far as his brothers are aware, he dies in prison. He attends his own funeral from a distance and still keeps tabs on his brothers. They find a way to file for emancipation at 16, change their last names, and still get matching tattoos, even though they're unaware they now match with a ghost.
He refuses to mourn when Colt's death hits the news cycle. He needs to confirm it for himself so he gets to work, finds out what's actually going on and starts getting ready to send resources and help Colt's way, only to proudly realize his baby brother has things under control. Court's not surprised that when he checks up on Ryland he isn't grieving and has a determined sort of look in his eye when the incident happens to be brought up. He saw the same look on his face when that empty coffin was put in the ground.
Court is there in the shadows when Colt makes his grand reveal. He's keeping a bit closer than normal to Colt afterwards, just in case, and he horrifyingly is witness to Colt listening to the voicemail Ryland left him....6 hours ago.
Colt is in a state of shock but Court immediately starts trying to find any news about a space launch and starts making calls, only to find out he's too late.
With all the publicity surrounding Colt, he knows what he's about to do will make waves, because he's not supposed to know anything about the mission and was dead until just recently, but of course his twin kept him up to date on the simple version of what he was involved with.
At a press conference Colt called, instead of speaking about his own situation like he'd initially announced he was going to do, he provides a statement that his lawyers approved (Court also checked the statement), a memorial video for Ryland, and releases the first part of the voicemail.
On the one year anniversary of launch of the Hail Mary, Colt gets a new tattoo, a fox. Court goes the day after, to the same artist, to get his as well.
