Tintin x Reader

Chapter 23

Tintin began to sit upright, his attention focused on you more than ever. You looked utterly panic-stricken, and he couldn't bear to see you that way. Your breathing went ragged as you could feel your heart beating wildly against its your rib cage, because Rancher, the man sent to finish you off, was standing as nonchalantly as ever at the other end of the train cart.

Question began to swarm your head, each sounding more alarmed than before, and you could only mutter, "Oh no, oh no, oh no." Your fight or flight senses began to kick in, as unpleasant memories of Rancher's assault days before resurfaced.

The journalist's hand reached for your shoulder, trying to calm you down. "(Y/n)," he said. "What's happening?"

Tintin noticed that your gaze kept flickering from his face to the end of the train cart, and before he could even ask what you were looking at, you choked out, "It's Rancher. He's here."

The name of the man who attacked you was a word that triggered a swirl of emotions through Tintin – worry, concern, but the one that drowned the rest of them all was anger. Deep, unbridled rage coursed through him, because he made himself promise on that unfortunate night that no one was to harm you again, and when he found out from you that the man had tracked them down again like a relentless hound, he could almost feel his blood boil.

You raised a slightly shaking hand to point to where Rancher was standing, with Tintin following it with his gaze, and he silently confirmed that it was him. The copper-haired boy observed at a quick glance that Rancher was not paying that much attention to you four, and he concluded that maybe it was due to Rancher's overconfidence that he didn't need to eye you too closely. Determination stirred up an idea in Tintin, and he took it as a moment in which you could all escape.

"(Y/n), I need you to act normal. I understand that you're panicked, trust me – I am too, but don't let him have any suspicions that you've seen him already. It's our only way to get away from him as discreetly as possible. Okay?" Tintin said, his hand still resting on your shoulder for assurance, and you could feel your panic slowly subside.

"Yeah," you said softly, a deep exhale slipping from your lips. "Okay, uh, you need to tell Captain and Max."

Tintin leaned forward, alerting Captain Haddock and Max of your current predicament, and both males immediately sported worried expression on their features.

"Blistering barnacles," Captain replied. "Well, Tintin? What's your plan?"

"My plan, Captain," Tintin began slowly, "is to simply get everyone away from Rancher safely. I've checked what train station we've just passed, and I'm pleased to say that our stop to get to the airport is merely two stations away. With what happened at Marlinspike Hall, I'm certain that most of us are aware what Rancher is capable of. Except for Max, of course."

Max merely rolled his eyes.

Tintin disregarded Max, and continued. "All we have to do is blend in with the crowd. I'm sure that the moment we stand up, Rancher will advance once he's able to separate us from the bustle of the train station. So, as soon as the train doors open, we'll take advantage of the people entering and alighting the train. Keep your heads down, and walk towards the nearest exit. The less commotion we make, the better."

After Tintin's brief explanation of a risky plan, time seemed to drag slower than you wanted it to seem. You tried not to look in Rancher's direction, in fear that he might realize that he had already been caught in his unsuccessful disguise. You could hear you heart drum wildly in your ears, and yet long exhales were what you could only do to keep your anxiety at bay.

The others were less than calm as well.

Tintin was stiff, and his expression conveyed nothing but worry for you. You had generally known the journalist as a clear-minded person, usually calm, but to witness him being so on edge didn't help you either.

Captain Haddock and Max halted in their conversation as well, due to the drastic mood shift after Tintin's monologue. With Snowy looking up at you from Tintin's lap, you were startled to watch the white dog drop to the ground, and gently nuzzle his snout against you left calf, as if it was the terrier's way of providing comfort.

"Aw, Snowy," you reached down to pet him. "We'll be fine."

It was then when you noticed that the train began to slow down, and Tintin signaled the three of you to get ready to leave immediately.

Doubt swarmed your thoughts, as you thought, Will Rancher notice us leaving?

As the train doors began to open, all of you rose to your feet, and began moving as quickly as you could to the exit. Passengers began to alight the train, numerous figures pouring out the train cart you were in. All of you waited for the last second to leave the cart, and you could see in your peripherals that Rancher began to pivot slowly towards your position.

Right before the commuters outside of the train would clamber aboard, your group of four advanced quickly towards the exit, trying to move against the passengers trying to board already. It was a rather tight maneuver around the cart, as people began filling up sooner than expected, and it only a matter of minutes before the train doors would close.

You were thankful for the crowd, as it made it harder for your attacker to approach you. From all the noise in and outside of the train station, you could barely make out a loud grunt, assuming it was Rancher, and with a risky look behind your shoulder, you could see him shoving unfortunate passengers aside just to create ample space.

Tintin, Captain Haddock, and Max were already outside of the train, you could see the tops of their heads beyond the entrance, until a loud whine of a dog ripped your attention away from the doors.