How Not To Have A Relaxing Holiday

Hotel Headaches

TWO: Hotel Headaches

The rest of the flight passed quickly though Astrid's need to go to the bathroom had unfortunately necessitated waking Snotlout. Of course, the man had been awkward and refused to move, clearly hoping Astrid would have to slide over his body to get out. But he clearly had miscalculated the determination of one Astrid Hofferson as she had lithely scrambled up to a crouch on her seat and looked over to Hiccup, who had already risen to let her out. Deliberately, she rested her foot on Snotlout's groin and trod there-hard-as she clambered over him.

Doubled up with tears streaming down his face as he clutched his assets, Snotlout missed Hiccup taking Astrid's hand and helping her down, earning himself a relieved hug and a kiss for good measure.

"I've missed you," she murmured as he kissed her again.

"Me too," he replied.

"You've missed you?" she teased him.

"No-I've missed spending the flight with my amazing beautiful and sassy girlfriend," he sighed. "Instead I got the short immature bath-shy muttonheaded...I forget the rest."

"Same here," she sighed and pecked another quick kiss on the cheek. "Now I really must go to the bathroom." Sliding back into his seat, Hiccup had watched her go.

"Did you know she's violent and gorgeous-and clearly has the hots for me?" Snotlout asked, still wiping the tears from his face.

"How did you come to that insane conclusion?" Hiccup asked him impatiently.

"Well, she couldn't wait to get her hands on my..."

"She didn't get her hands on anything," Hiccup snapped in exasperation. "She trod on you. Hard. Deliberately. Any normal person would take that as a message."

"Of passion," Snotlout told her, waggling his eyebrows.

"Boy, I can see why Mindy dumped you," Hiccup commented. His cousin stiffened.

"You have always been jealous of my awesomeness," he said sharply. "I mean you're skinny, clumsy, sarcastic, auburn..."

"And those are some of my best points," Hiccup added ironically.

"While I am handsome, strong, awesome, brave...let's face it," Snotlout told him. "By the end of this holiday, Astrid will be my girlfriend, not yours!" Hiccup scowled at him.

"How did you reach that conclusion?" he growled.

"Because when she sees us in direct comparison, a total Babe like Astrid will obviously choose the alpha male," he said as she arrived back, However, he was up like a shot, offering her his hand which she slapped aside before returning to her seat. Hiccup folded his arms and sulked, annoyed and a little concerned. His cousin had always been a rival, even when he had swapped to another school partway through Sophomore year and Snotlout had never missed an opportunity to humiliate, taunt and undermine his cousin in any scenario. His presence would make the holiday a lot less fun. And though he knew that Astrid was in love with him, he just hoped his cousin wouldn't try to ruin things for him.

oOo

Landing passed uneventfully and Astrid had squeaked in excitement at the sight of the orange-brown dry earth, dotted with brush and a few olive groves that clustered around the airport perimeter. The cloudless blue sky was brilliant with sunshine and as they disembarked, Hiccup had been relieved when Astrid had taken his hand and they had walked together to the line for passport control. Behind them, they could hear the rest of their friends, including Snotlout whining that he hated waiting and that he was hungry. But it was a relief when he had gone to collect his hold luggage while the couple had just walked straight through and found the bus laid on for their transfer. They had been almost the first on and had managed to stow their bags and get a seat at the front together.