A/N: Another story? Well, I am currently on holiday and have been recalling past vacations...including those that didn't go so well. And while I couldn't include everything that went wrong in my personal experience of holidays (frankly, no one would believe that) it seemed time to send our favourite HTTYD characters to the delights of the sunny Costa del Dragon and all the mayhem that awaits. Enjoy...

Disclaimer: I still don't own How To Train Your Dragon. Rights remain with Cressida Cowell and Dreamworks

-o-

ONE: Flight Frustrations

Astrid Hofferson was standing impatiently by the doors as the bus finally pulled up at Dragon's Edge Airport. The driver-a standard full-bearded Archipelago Viking descendent-fastidiously pulled up exactly to the mark on the bus-stop outside the Departures Terminal entrance and as soon as the door hissed and opened, Astrid was out, sprinting for the gate. Hiccup Haddock, her long-term boyfriend bounded after her, their luggage gripped firmly in his hands. Astrid was lithe, blonde and ferociously determined while Hiccup-tall and lanky with a prosthetic left lower leg from a serious road accident when he was fifteen-was sassy, sarcastic, smart and caring and had loved Astrid since he was about ten. A couple since the start of Junior Year at Berk High School, they had gone to College on Dragon's Edge together and now, in the vacation before Senior Year, Hiccup had picked up some last minute tickets for a short break in the resort of Costa del Dragon, the Spanish resort beloved by the inhabitants of the Archipelago. He and Astrid, who had jobs to make ends meet while they were studying, had managed to get time off and were looking forward to five days of hot Mediterranean sun, sand and relaxation.

Except, of course, they lived in the Barbaric Archipelago, that collection of inhospitable Nordic islands in the North Atlantic where everyone had been descended from a Viking and the most ridiculous things were accepted as normal. So of course, the bus to the airport had been held up by over an hour because a herd of yaks had escaped onto the main highway out of the town and pretty much everyone had needed to be roped in to help wrangle them off the road. Astrid had been pretty successful but Hiccup had been barged to the ground and lightly trampled before Astrid could rescue him. His jeans were grubby and his trainers scraped but he had dusted himself down, grabbed his bush hat and jammed it back on over his auburn hair. Pale, freckled and auburn, he wasn't exactly designed for hot sunshine but he knew Astrid loved the sun so when the last-minute package deal to Costa del Dragon had come up, there had been no need for discussion.

Astrid sprinted forward through the compact Departures Zone, her large bag swinging as she weaved her way through prospective holidaymakers. She had double-checked all of Hiccup's work in booking the holiday, the flights, the seats and had printed out copies of everything so she was well able to check them in-provided he wasn't too far behind. Scanning as she ran, she dodged a woman with a trolley piled high with nine suitcases and sprinted to gate 5 with Hiccup a few yards behind.

"Astrid Hofferson and Hiccup Haddock for Flight 519 to Alicante," she said as she arrived at the desk and slapped her passport onto the counter. The women sitting there staring at her smartphone didn't even acknowledge her for a moment. "I said…" Astrid began again.

"We're closed," the agent said, her face bored.

"The gate doesn't close for two minutes," Astrid told her firmly. "It says so on the ticket and the board. You known-the one behind you?"

"Sorry-you're too late," the agent said. She was a slightly portly woman with too much make-up, peroxide blonde hair and her eyes glued to her phone. The bright red and green uniform was straining around her solid shape.

"No, we're not," Astrid told her sharply as Hiccup panted up. "Now check us in please. We're in seats 21A and 21B."

The women finally looked up and rolled her eyes, tapping the screen. She shook her head.

"21A and 21C," she corrected Astrid. The blonde glared. Dressed in a denim minidress with a pair of sky blue Converse, her sunglasses pushed up on her head and her sun-bright golden hair braided over her left shoulder, Astrid was furious as she slapped her printout on the counter.

"21 A and B," she corrected the women. "I have the seats confirmed with our booking. We paid to book them." She demonstrated the page but the woman didn't even bother to look.

"And another passenger wanted to change so as you hadn't checked in, I did it for him," the agent said lazily. "He paid an extra twenty dollars seat change fee."

"We paid for adjoining seats," Astrid insisted. "So we could sit together and…" Hiccup placed their bags on the scales to confirm they were under the 10kg limit and rested a gentle hand on Astrid's tense shoulder. His emerald eyes were reassuring.

"That's fine-can we have the boarding cards please?" he asked calmly.

"But…" Astrid's face was impatient but she halted when she looked into his handsome, sharp-jawed face. He gently stared into her flashing blue eyes.

"It's okay," he reassured her. "We can ask this other guy if he will move. I'm sure he'll be reasonable when he understands. He can have the window or the aisle-whatever he wants. We'll be together, Milady-don't you worry." She looked up into his eyes and her anger dissipated.

"You're right," she said. "Everything will be okay…"

"Your boarding passes," the woman said uninterestedly and slapped them on the counter. They looked up and Hiccup nodded.

"Thank you," he said pleasantly, his slightly nasal voice genuine as he grasped the passes and their passports.

"Last call at gate 13," the agent called as they grabbed their cabin luggage and ran, holding hands, towards the gate.

"You know…I was planning…on picking up some duty free…" Astrid panted as they sped along the corridor. They were the only ones at security and the guards waved them rapidly through, smiling at the young couple as they raced for the gate. The last couple of passengers were boarding as they reached the gate and were checked through, speeding down the ramp and through the door into the crowded aircraft.

"Made it," Astrid said smugly, handing her boarding pass to the flight attendant. Smiling falsely, she checked the number and gestured, waving the latecomers along the narrow aisle. The overhead lockers were bulging with bags and as Astrid reached the seat, Hiccup swiftly found a space above row 19 and another by row 23 and managed to stow their bags. But when he arrived back at the seats, unencumbered, he found Astrid arguing with a stocky, short raven-haired man.

"It's my seat," the man argued.

"Technically not because we booked it first," Astrid snapped.

"Technically yes because I have the boarding card for this seat," the man told her rudely.

"Look-my boyfriend and I are in these seats and we booked them to sit together. You can have the window or the aisle as long as we can sit by each other," Astrid bargained. But the man just shook his head.

"I wanted a middle seat because there is twice the chance of sitting next to a total babe," he said as Hiccup blinked. "And bingo! I've scored."

"Snotlout?" he murmured, recognising his cousin. He and Snot (whose name was actually Simon) had never been close and he wondered if the Gods really did enjoy torturing him because Snotlout was almost the last person he wanted to sit next to on a three hour flight. The man looked up, his blue eyes narrowing.

"Hiccup? What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Apparently going on holiday," the auburn-haired man said, "Now will you please move over to allow me to sit next to Astrid?"

"Lemme think-no!" he said.

"Can I ask you to take your seats please?" an attendant asked firmly.

"I will when he moves," Astrid demanded. "He's in our seat."

"Can I see your boarding passes please?" the attendant asked. Astrid glared.

"We paid for A and B," she insisted.

"Please take your seat-in A and C!" the attendant told her firmly. "Or you can leave the flight…" Glaring, Astrid gestured and Snotlout reluctantly got up to allow her to take the window seat but he hastily slid back in before Hiccup could, forcing the tall man to sit in the aisle seat. Casting an annoyed look at the stocky man, Astrid settled into her seat and stared out of the window while Hiccup winced as Snotlout elbowed him painfully in the ribs as he turned to look at the blonde.

"Hiya Babe,' he said sleazily. "I bet you never imagined you would get so lucky!"

"I am already lucky-but it's bad luck to have some short selfish nothing sit between me and my boyfriend in a seat that I have paid for!" Astrid snapped and elbowed him in the gut. He exhaled painfully.

"OOF! You'll thank your stars when you find how fascinating I am…" he mumbled as she settled in. Quietly, Hiccup slid into his seat, folding his long legs into the small space and tightening the belt across his lap. He was just reaching for the safety card when he got elbowed again by Snotlout. Growling in his throat, he snatched the card and read as the attendants ran through the briefing. Snotlout elbowed him in the ribs.

"Hot totty," he commented, waggling his eyebrows. "I think we're in." Hiccup dropped his card and stared at him in shock.

"Snotlout- we're not in anything!" he said incredulously. "I'm here with my girlfriend-who I would really want to be sitting with. Anyway, I heard from Uncle Spite you had a girlfriend." Snotlout scowled.

"Mindy dumped me," he commented as the plane started to taxi away from the Terminal. "She said I was too immature, self-absorbed, lazy, unfaithful, mutton-headed, yak-brained, bath-shy and irritating. Personally I can't see it myself."

"I can," Hiccup told him flatly wrinkling his nose and noting that Mindy had been spot on. "The way you just behaved to us proves it." Snotlout gave him a superior sneer.

"Well, I can't see you ever getting off with a Babe like…"

"Snotlout-I'm here with Astrid Hofferson! My beautiful, smart amazing girlfriend of over four years! And I would be sitting next to her, having a lovely time, if some short immature self-absorbed lazy unfaithful mutton-headed yak-brained bath-shy irritating creep hadn't stolen our seat and refused to move!"

Snotlout stared at him for a long moment, emotions warring in his pale blue gaze-and then he shook his head, tutting.

"Someone isn't getting any," he sneered. Hiccup snorted in exasperation and rolled his eyes.

"And Dad wonders why I always tell him not to ask Uncle Spite and you over," Hiccup muttered as the aircraft swung onto the runway and the engines rose to a roar. He stretched his hand over in front of Snotlout, ignoring the man's protest and found Astrid's questing hand, feeling her warm grip tighten on his. Snotlout opened his mouth but Hiccup managed to elbow him in the ribs hard enough to shut him up. Astrid, for all her ferocity and strength, hated flying and she had really wanted Hiccup at her side on the flight. Cursing his cousin again, Hiccup leaned his head forward and saw her resting back into her seat, her eyes closing and consciously calming her breathing.

"Hey, I could…" Snotlout began but both Hiccup and Astrid immediately snarled:

"SHUT UP, SNOTLOUT!"

"That's just mean…" he protested as Hiccup leaned his head forward.

"Milady-I'm here," he assured her and her lips tilted in a small smile.

"Thanks," she murmured as they accelerated and her grip tightened painfully. Hiccup felt himself pressed back into the seat as they roared up the runway and the nose lifted.

"Here we go," he murmured as they finally lifted off on their holiday, feeling Astrid crush his hand-but he didn't mind. He would do anything for her-even put up with three hours of Snotlout "And once we're there, everything will be perfect."

oOo

The flight definitely wasn't perfect as Snotlout managed to spill Hiccup's beer down his front by trying to talk to Astrid, elbowed him in the side more times than Hiccup could count and worse, someone was kicking Hiccup in the back non-stop. Finally, he rose and turned to glare at the thoughtless person who was tormenting him.

"Excuse me-would you mind not kicking me in the…Tuffnut?" Hiccup snapped and then stared. The familiar lanky shape of Timothy 'Tuffnut' Thorston, his former schoolmate looked up at him. The man was lean and lanky, his long face framed by long blonde dreadlocks and his pale brown eyes uninterested.

"That's a weird place to kick…oh, hey Hiccy!" he said. "What are you doing here?"

"Going on holiday," Hiccup commented sarcastically. "And being kicked in the back by a muttonhead."

"Oh really? I was just bored so I was kicking…oh…" Tuff said, his eyes widening. "Ooops?"

"Hiccup? What are you doing here?" The woman in the seat next to Tuff glanced up at him. A female version of Tuff with blue-grey eyes and her pale blonde hair in three thick braids, her long face twisted into a smile.

"Isn't this the way to the asylum?" Hiccup replied sarcastically. "Hey Ruff."

"Throkster-Hiccup's here," Ruffnut (or Rachel) Thorston announced, looking over to the tall, rather buff red-headed man crammed into the window seat. "Hiccy, this is my boyfriend Throk…"

"Hiccy?" Hiccup murmured.

"I am very pleased to meet you, Hiccy," the man said seriously.

"It's Hiccup," the auburn-haired man corrected him and offered him his hand. "And…um…right back at you."

"Hey Fish-Hiccup's here!" Tuff called and a head popped up from the row behind Tuffnut. A round-faced rather chubby man with blue eyes and a short blond pudding-bowl cut grinned.

"Hiccup!" Frederick 'Fishlegs' Ingerman exclaimed. The husky man was a geek who was finishing his degree in Herpetology (with a minor in Arctic Flora and Ecosystems) at Archipelago University and was Hiccup's best friend from school. They still talked though not so often as they should with competing relationships and different courses and schools but Hiccup's spirits rose slightly. It might be nice to catch up with his friend. "Oooh- this is so exciting! That are you doing here?"

"Rhinoplasty," Hiccup replied shortly. "I have my clinic is in the rear washroom. How are you guys all here?"

"There was this great last minute deal," Fishlegs explained, his voice excited. A raven-haired woman with green eyes popped up next to him.

"I heard a bachelorette party had cancelled at last minute because the bride had dumped the groom for being immature, self-absorbed, lazy, unfaithful, mutton-headed, yak-brained bath-shy and irritating," she said. "Personally you wonder why she agreed to marry the loser." Snatching a quick glance at Snotlout, who had fallen asleep against Astrid who in turn was looking immensely fed up, he sighed.

"I can't either," he agreed. "Hey Heather."

"Hey Hiccup-what are you doing here?" Heather Bazerkir-Fishlegs' girlfriend-asked.

"I heard this flight has a great deal on colonic irrigation," he replied dryly. "Good to see you too."

"Dagur-Hiccup's here," Heather announced and a very buff man with carrot red hair in a short spiky almost-mohican hairstyle, green eyes and claw tattoos over his left eye popped up from the next row back and grinned.

"Brother!" Derek 'Dagur' Bazerkir, Heather older brother called. "What are you doing here?"

"Assisted suicide," Hiccup shot back. "Any volunteers? Anyone? No? And don't tell me-you're on the same package as these muttonheads?" Dagur nodded.

"I thought I'd bring Mala, my fiancee, on a short break," he admitted, casting a loving glance at the woman sitting on his left. She rose enough to look over the seat back, her serious face framed by a strawberry blonde page cut and green eyes serious. She waved.

"Good to meet you, Hiccy," she said. Hiccup sighed.

"Hiccup," he said automatically.

"I heard Costa del Dragon has excellent waterspouts," Dagur added. "You know I love to keep active…"

"Me too," Tuff added. "And the night life is supposed to be excellent."

"Loads of cafes and bars," Heather added. There was a scuffling to Hiccup's right and Astrid popped her head over the seat.

"And fabulous weather," Astrid said, looking at the assembled friends they hadn't seen for ages.

"Hey Astrid!" Heather said, her face stretching into a huge grin. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to have a quiet break with my boyfriend-but it's good to see you all too," she smiled. "Now we can all catch up and have a really great time." Hiccup glanced over and felt an inwards sigh as his girlfriend began to happily chat with their friends.

Because we wouldn't have a great time with just the two of us, he thought with dismay. Turning round, he sank back into his seat, feeling Snotlout lean against him and drool on his shoulder. I guess this may not go to plan after all.