Four: Come again

He must have only been asleep for minutes when something hit the adjacent wall making his eyes snap open in disorientation and alarm. He cast around the dark room, feeling an arm wrapped around him, silky hair brushing his neck and a warm body pressed against him. Sometime during the brief period he had been asleep, Astrid had wrapped herself around him and he felt really awkward...because she looked exactly like his High School crush, the girl who wouldn't even acknowledge he existed...and who was almost certainly back home in Berk with her friends. He had last seen on graduation day and she had probably not even seen him. But it was a bit...awkward...

Something slammed against the wall again...and a load moan echoed through the wall. This was followed by an answering groan, another slam and a feminine voice begging...

He rolled his eyes and tried to shift to press his pillow over his head...but he was completely trapped by Astrid. And she had been exhausted. She needed her rest if she was going to drive them the rest of the way to Berk...

The moans were more urgent and louder and the groans and pleas were more desperate. The bangs grew more frequent as well and he closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep...but he was now wide awake and staring irritably at the ceiling, wrapped in a bad-tempered but beautiful girl, listening to a couple having very noisy and very graphic sex in the next room...

"Thank you for nothing, Thor," he muttered through gritted teeth as the groans and bangs started again...

oOo

Astrid's eyes slowly opened and she gave a small smile as she yawned and stretched. She was lovely and warm, snuggled down under the blankets with a warm...

...stranger?

She pulled away and swatted Hiccup's shoulder: his back was turned to her and he was curled up, his hands clamped over his ears. She gave a huge stretch then cheerily shook his shoulder.

"Wake up, sleepyhead," she said loudly. He groaned.

"Six times..." he mumbled. She shook him again.

"What?" she asked as he rolled back to stare at the ceiling, looking dreadful. He was ashen and there were huge shadows under his bloodshot emerald eyes.

"Six freakin' times!" he growled. "That bastard next door got off SIX TIMES with the loudest woman in the history of Midgard!" Astrid looked puzzled.

"I didn't hear anything," she said in a confused voice. He glared at her, looking wrecked.

"Oh, you wouldn't!" he accused her angrily. "You were wrapped around me like an octopus and dead to the world. Literally. That...harpie...was screaming blue murder for half an hour during time number five and you just drooled on me! I think you could sleep through Ragnarok!"

"But you were asleep..." she protested, getting annoyed.

"I heard Every. Single. Minute..." he growled through his teeth. "The sixth and final time finished...two hours ago, thank Thor. Just. Thanks for waking me up..." She grinned and sat up, pulling the blankets down. He whined and snatched at the rugs, trying to curl up...but she was ruthless...

"C'mon-we need to hit the road!" she told him briskly. He rolled to face her, angry.

"Already done that, thank you so much for reminding me!" he snarked. Then he cringed as he tried to move. "Gods, I am so stiff."

"You'll be fine!" she said cheerily. "I'll go first to the bathroom!" She bounced up and he stared at the ceiling.

"Good...because it will take me that long to get up..." he groaned and painfully tried to pull himself up. In fact, Astrid was emerging from a fast shower, dressed in jeans, socks, a thermal under a blouse and braiding her golden hair as he was still painfully strapping his prosthetic on.

"All yours!" she said brightly. He levered himself up.

"Are you always this cheerful in the morning? he grumped. She cast him an acidic look.

"None of your business-since after today you'll never see me again, Biker Boy!" she shot at him. He stretched with a selection of hisses and cracks and slowly limped to the bathroom, wincing at the bomb site she had left.

"And is there a single dry towel in the place?" he protested.

"I have much longer hair!" she shot back as he looked around to locate the least soaked one then took a swift cold shower-because the hot water had run out. Astrid was looking up and impatient as he emerged, still limping, his hair damp and tousled. He scowled at her as he found a clean tee-shirt to wear under a green shirt and green sweater, a pair of dark brown jeans tucked into his biker boots. His leathers were wrecked but he had grabbed some duct tape and patched the elbows of his jacket. "Are you always this grumpy in the morning?" she added.

"None of your business...though I'm a kitten if I'm allowed to sleep," he growled. "Damn...these cost a fortune..."

"You do keep going on..." she told him. He cast her a sore glance.

"Well, can't exactly wander out in this weather in just my sweater...this is my only coat," he told her.

"You could always jog to keep warm..." she began and then blushed. "Sorry..." He stared at her and sighed.

"Left my running prosthesis at home," he deadpanned. Her azure eyes flicked up.

"You have a running prosthesis?" she echoed. He quirked an eyebrow. "Sorry. I-I just never imagined you were a runner..."

"What, you thought all this Vikingness was a Graeco-Roman wrestler?" he teased her. She grinned at his dry tone.

"Hmm...I guessed MMA," she smirked. He shuddered.

"Thor, no," he said. "I hate being hit. Any sort of non-contact sport is fine..." There was a knock on the door. He sighed, laid his jacket down and walked to unchain the door. It was a guy in the same uniform the man in reception wore the previous night. He sighed and opened the door.

A fist slammed into his face, sending him staggering back a couple of paces and dumping him on his back on the ground.

"What the Hel?" he shouted as the man took a pace forward, his fists bunched.

"That's for threatening Jose last night, you..." Hiccup waved a hand desperately, his other grabbing at his bleeding nose.

"Hey! Hey! He gave away the room I had booked and paid for!" he protested. "I was within my rights to demand he gave me something! He was going to pocket the money and leave me with nowhere to stay!" Astrid stepped forward, her fists bunched, glaring at the man. He stared at Hiccup then back at her.

"Really?" he asked in a surprised voice. They nodded. "That damned Jose-I'll fire his sorry ass so fast he'll have friction burns!" He lowered his fists and stared self-consciously down on the man. "Um...sorry for any inconvenience. Hope you enjoyed your stay. Come again!" And he slammed the door behind him.

"Helheim will freeze over," Hiccup muttered, trying to staunch the bleeding. Finally, he managed and stumbled up. Astrid gave an apologetic smile.

"Is your life always like this?" she asked him curiously. He shook his head carefully, dragging his coat on and grabbing his rucksack.

"No, before I ran into you, my life was filled with months and years of nothing exciting happening," he told her sarcastically. She sighed.

"I really am sorry," she apologised. "Let me buy you breakfast." He paused and then smiled as he checked the room once more and nodded.

"You know...that would be really nice," he admitted as something banged and moans and grunts suddenly began next door. Hiccup rolled his eyes as Astrid stared and began to giggle. It really was very loud. "Will you please SHUT UP!" Hiccup yelled. The sounds stopped but there was a creak as someone got off the bed and the sounds of the chain being unfastened were audible. Hiccup and Astrid stared at each other and ran for it before the man could emerge...

oOo

After a surprisingly pleasant breakfast at a diner ten miles down the road, Hiccup was feeling a little more human. Astrid had been sarcastic over his consumption of four coffees but he was feeling half-dead and the caffeine really perked him up.

"You know caffeine is a poison which affects your cardiovascular system, brain, gut and bladder?" she told him primly, drinking her orange juice.

"And you know I don't care?" he shot back, eating a plate of eggs and toast. "I've been kept up all night by a sexual athlete next door and punched in the face this morning..."

"Can't think why," Astrid shot in sarcastically.

"Ha ha. Love your pleasant and warm demeanour too, especially as the reason why I was there was getting mown down by you!" he retorted. She munched her granola and dried fruit.

"You really are whiny," she noted.

"Am not," he replied childishly. "I didn't want to make this trip and it would have been so easy to turn back but I promised my Mom I would come this year..." She stared at him.

"You don't go back each year?" she asked him incredulously. He took another long sip of his coffee.

"Hel, no," he told her. "I left after graduation and this is my first time back. All I would do there is meet family I can't stand and be told my life choices are irrelevant because my dad wants me to follow him into the family business..."

"So what do you do?" she asked. He sighed.

"Engineer...mainly automotive design," he told her. "My Dad works in local government and wants me to serve there as well...but I would rather claw my eyes out with a fork! All I ever wanted to be was an engineer, to build and create..." She sighed.

"Mine hated I left Berk," she admitted. "But I couldn't wait to get away. It was so...insular. No one ever left...or you got drawn back in...so I left to study out there, meet new people, see new places...forge a new life..." He sighed.

"But you're going back anyway?" he murmured.

"Nowhere else to go," she sighed. He stared at her.

"You have no ties, you have a very useful qualification...you have everywhere to go!" he told her.

"No, I have Berk to go to," she sighed as they headed back to the car.

They were lost in their thoughts as they sped northwards along the Highway until a couple of hours passed. Suddenly, Hiccup became aware the engine was sounding very rough and he patted Astrid's arm.

"Pull over," he told her sharply.

"Come on...couldn't you wait? I told you all that caffeine..."

"NOW! The car is going to..."

There was a bang, a strong smell of burning and smoke and flames began to pour from the hood...