“You see, it’s against FIFA regulations for players to wear jewelry on the pitch, but out walks the entire Australian football team when the game was resumed wearing literally every piece of jewelry one could possibly wear in support of our own player who forgot to take the stud out of his ear. They refused to continue playing over the rule until he was allowed back on the pitch for a fair game against them.” Simon kept up with stories like that, helping any patients stay calm and in the process helping him keep his mind off his brother still being missing. Well, mostly off his brother. The player that forgot to remove the stud was his brother, but Simon made it through the story without getting emotional. “I think you’re all set. If you have any more problems, you know where to find me.”
“shit,” maya furrowed her brow sympathetically, biting her lip as if it took back her sarcastic comment. “he was on the plane too?” she asked. that was worse somehow. no matter what happened to her, maya at least knew that nayeli was safe. rodrigo might’ve been an asshole, but he wasn’t a bad father–they just could never get along. if nayeli had been on the plane too and they’d been separated, well, maya didn’t think she’d be so casual about making light of their shared predicament. “sorry, man.” she wished she could think of something better to say–something comforting or profound. whatever words she had for such sentiments had been scattered across the island like luggage; she wasn’t about to offer him some trite reassurance that his brother would be alright either.
lost in thought, gaze focused on the dancing flames of the fire, maya was caught off guard by the alcohol comment and she chuckled darkly in surprise. “technically for disinfecting?” a wry grin tugged at the corners of her lips. “hell, who doesn’t love a cleanse.” she joked and took the flask from him gratefully. there was very little that couldn’t be salved with beer as her colleagues would agree–part of a profession that prided itself, as a whole, on ditching conferences to talk theory in a pub rather than waste time staring at poster after poster. “generous.” she commented, taking a swig. “you have a name, too?” wiping her mouth off with the back of her hand, she handed the flask back to the man. “i’m maya.”
“Yeah. We were going to L.A. to meet our family. It was easier in the long run. Well, supposed to be easier. Americans don’t get into football as much as the rest of the world, so we’d get some rest and down time there before going home. Fate clearly had other plans that it didn’t want to let us in on.” Simon could hear the lack of emotion in his own voice, even as he felt another tear slip down his face. It was partly concerning, but he knew he was just trying to hold it together. He was alive, and if it turned out that the worst fate a person could meet was his brother’s companion now, Simon had to go on in honour of him.
Smiling through the sporadic tears, Simon accepted the flask and raised it in silence for a moment, his eyes closed. A deep breath in and out and he returned his attention to the woman. “Gotta make due with what’s available, after all.” Taking a drink from the flask, the slight burn of good whiskey welcomed by him, Simon nodded at her question as he passed the flask back to Maya. “I’m Simon. Despite these strange circumstances, it is nice to meet you. I don’t get to do this often; have a drink and talk I mean. Not the whole crash on an island in the middle of the ocean thing. This is a first. Hopefully a last, granting we make it off the island and I’m just gonna stop talking now because I am bringing the mood down so far it can feel the heat from Hel,” he finished with a slight laugh.
leaning up against the cool rubble of the fuselage, maya refrained from the crowd that gathered more directly around the fire. with each beat of her heart, she felt more breathless. closing her eyes tight, she inhaled, 1 … 2 … 3 … 4, and then exhaled, 2 … 2 … 3 … 4. a quick trick learned between careening vans on ill-kept mountain roads and before every take off of every flight. biting her lip, she realized the irony–using a tactic of comfort in the fallout of oceanic flight 815.
a deep sigh marked the sting of her daughter nayeli’s memory. they’d been there two days, surely rescue crews were already looking–hunting the charts of the ocean like hounds with the scent of a fox. nayeli. maya inhaled deeply and held her breath for a moment–she’d be with her again–before exhaling and opening her eyes only to forcibly blink back the sting of campfire smoke and painful longing to return home. as her eyes focused through the stark light of the fire against the night sky, maya saw a figure approach. “not much for crowds?” she asked, raising a brow. folding her arms across her chest. “yeah, me neither.” looking back up at the sky, she let out a dark chuckle. “rough night?”
“More like rough everything. My brother’s out there somewhere.” Simon paused, breathing in deep to keep his emotions in check. “Or maybe he’s somewhere on the island here. I don’t know.” Looking back at the wreckage for what seemed like the fiftieth time, he could only glare at it as though it would eventually give him some answer that he could be satisfied with. Simon had been looking right at his brother when the plane ripped apart in the sky. He watched as they were separated. The screams made a home in his nightmares, and they all sounded like his brother. How could he help anyone else when he couldn’t even stop his own brother from d- Simon couldn’t finish the thought. “How do you feel about alcohol? It’s technically for disinfecting now, but whisky was made to be enjoyed,” Simon tried to joke, holding out one of the flasks he sneaked out of the supplies, offering it to the woman with a kind smile.
[ alex høgh andersen , cismale , he/him ] - SIMON ØSTERGAARD, the 24 year old from AARHUS, DENMARK was seated in the middle section of the plane when it crashed. HE was a FOOTBALL PLAYER back at the main land and HE was in Sydney because HE WAS COMPETING IN THE WORLD CUP REPRESENTING DENMARK. It’s no surprise he became a MEDIC considering his CONFIDENT and TRUSTING personality.
[ alex høgh andersen , cismale , he/him ] - SIMON ØSTERGAARD, the 24 year old from AARHUS, DENMARK was seated in the middle section of the plane when it crashed. HE was a FOOTBALL PLAYER back at the main land and HE was in Sydney because HE WAS COMPETING IN THE WORLD CUP REPRESENTING DENMARK. It’s no surprise he became a MEDIC considering his CONFIDENT and TRUSTING personality.
Jumping right into things now! Wooo!! Again if you want to plot or maybe even form connections, hmu!
Born in Denmark to a large family.
Being one of nine children, his parents had to find a way to get all of their kids out of the house for a while for some peace and quiet and that way was football.
Five of the nine children, Simon included, stuck with the sport as they got older, all eventually joining professional teams.
Technically outside of football even though it was because he played, Simon took on the role of caregiver. He was one of the youngest of his siblings, but he liked knowing how to take care of any injuries they got, whether it was because of football or injuries in general. It was an emotionally fulfilling thing for him to know and his knowledge only increased with the extent of injuries his siblings sustained.
Simon, along with his younger brother, went to Australia together to compete in the World Cup, representing their home country.
Denmark winning the World Cup against Australia was going to be a big deal back home, so instead of heading home like he originally planned, Simon decided to go to the States as a way to celebrate while still getting some peace and quiet after a very long month of games.
When his parents contacted the brothers from California that they’d all arrived safely and couldn’t wait to see them again, Simon and his brother finalised their own flight details and boarded Flight 815.
Simon last saw his brother in the part of the plane that was presumably lost to the ocean.
Possible connections:
His brother. I love angst, really I do. I just don’t want any of these bbies to be dead, so bring Simon his brother maybe? Simon is such a cupcake, and his brother being okay and reuniting with him again after all that worry makes me emo. I need this.
People Simon helped in the aftermath of the crash, tending to their injuries, calming them down, whatever. [0/5]
Person that helped Simon in the days after because he was too concerned with keeping busy trying to help everyone else that he wasn’t giving himself the same kind of care. [0/1]
