Chivalry
An Adventures of Tintin Fanfic by SouthernImagineer/ecto1B
(A Modern Retelling)
Five.

Tintin gnashed his teeth. He entered the shower stall, slid the glass door shut behind him, and promptly stripped his sleeping clothes from his clammy body. He pulled the yellow tee over his head, and then tugged his pajama bottoms down along with his boxers. Once he stood completely bare before the showerhead, Tintin lobbed the wad of clothes over the door to keep them from getting wet. Then, with an unhurried, weary motion, the young man stretched to switch the water on.

The showerhead erupted with a mighty hiss, the sound stinging the depths of Tintin's ears. He cringed minutely, but then smiled when the frigid water gushed to strike his body. Sweat and dirt immediately began to slip down his skin and into the shower drain, settling his body temperature back to normal.

Doing his best to focus on becoming clean, Tintin shut his eyes and stepped further into the water's line of fire. He ignored any thoughts pertaining to his current mission, and instead concentrated on the feel of the water gliding across his face and torso.

First things first.

Tintin reached for the shampoo bottle on the shelf beside the showerhead. He gripped it, uncapped it, and squeezed a nickel-sized amount onto the palm of his hand. Before the substance could drip down his wrist, Tintin ran the shampoo through his coppery hair, working it down to his scalp and to the back of his neck, grinning contently all the while. Muscular, firm fingers massaged the crown of his head, down to his temples and the spot just beside his jaw.

That hits the spot. Reflexively, Tintin caught himself in a light moan. He squeezed his eyes shut and let his head fall back against the shower's back wall, while water splashed his hair and face and drained his head of the frothy shampoo.

Conditioner? Tintin eyed the second bottle with much curiosity. I don't usually use it. He opened his mouth to sigh and let a wave of water collect on his tongue. Why not?

As soon as the last of the conditioner had trickled from his shoulders, Tintin went for the body wash, and the blue sponge he'd brought from home. Depositing a decent glob onto the sponge's porous surface, Tintin worked the soap throughout his body, making sure to reach every dip and rise he possessed, just in case there was some mud stuck from his most recent trip.

Not only did he like looking clean, he liked feeling clean, as well.

Finally, every last bubble had disappeared down the drain. Tintin took one last smell of the chilly water and the waning scent of his shampoo. He stuck his face beneath the shower's spray, ran his tongue across his teeth, and spun the dial to off.

"Ya ready, lad?" Haddock tapped his Fossil watch. "It's almost noon."

Tintin finished pulling his yellow, red, and blue striped shirt over his head as he exited the bathroom. His fingers delved to his waist, adjusting the belt that held his dark wash denim securely around his waist, and then he kicked a leg up, fixing the heel of his black Toms.

"Apparently you're not ready…" remarked the captain with a smile. "Ya got everything packed?"

"Yep. And the hotel staff will be bringing our luggage to the car while we meet with Miss Crane," Tintin said. He hooked his sunglasses on the front of his shirt. "Are you ready?"

Snowy padded over to stand beside Haddock, and the captain scooped him up in one arm. "Never been readier, my boy. But d'ya have to dress so flamboyantly?" He paused, pursing his lips, observing Tintin's attire with a suspicious eye. "People are gonna start assumin' things if ya keep dressing like that, lad."

Instead of taking the words harshly, Tintin only chuckled. He understood where his friend was coming from. "I know. But, Captain, am I not entitled to look my best? To dress according to the latest fashions for men? I like to look decent when I go out. Besides, Americans dress differently than Europeans. I'm trying to fit in."

"Ya definitely are the definition of metrosexual, in that case," Haddock responded.

"Call me what you like." Tintin's eyes twinkled as he tried to keep a straight face. "You're just an average drunken sailor, then."

"Now, that, my boy, is where the conversation ends." Captain Haddock abruptly nudged the redhead aside as he neared the door, bumbling. "Excuse me. Every man for 'imself!"

Laughing, walking shoulder to shoulder down the hallway, Captain Haddock and Tintin strolled in the direction of the nearest elevator, their laughter accompanied by Snowy's gleeful yipping all the way.

"Miss Crane." Politely genuflecting and taking her hand, Tintin greeted the young woman exactly how he'd greeted her the day before. She, in turn, did the same, letting the faintest of smiles grace her lips. "It is wonderful to see you again. I hope things are well?"

The woman dipped her head, and a long blonde curl fell from behind her ear. "Thanks to your help and devotion towards my case, I am doing much better than I was yesterday."

"Fantastic." Tintin released her hand and took a step backwards, towards the his companion. "Miss Crane, I'd like you to meet a very good friend of mine, Captain Haddock." The captain ambled forward. "He will be joining us on our investigation, if you don't mind."

"Not at all." Her smile growing substantially, Annalise shook Haddock's hand. The motion was curt, but evocative. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Captain. I've heard so much about you from the papers." Her eyes shifted, landing on Tintin before returning to the captain. "Mr. Tintin's works go into great detail recounting your numerous escapades. You're obviously a great asset to him on his travels."

At this, Haddock beamed. "Why thank ya, lass." He hooked an arm around the smaller man's shoulder. "I do my best t' help him, no matter the mess he gets himself into."

"Oh, and who can forget Snowy?" Annalise bent down to say hello to the dog, which had been panting at her side since they'd arrived. She petted the spot behind his ears, faintly giggling when he woofed and leapt up to lick her chin. "Good dog."

With salutations and introductions coming to a close, Tintin sought it best to motion to a nearby picnic table.

"Why don't we continue our conversation over here? We have a great deal of discussing to do, and we should get started immediately."

The group migrated to the table at his suggestion. Snowy curled beside one of the benches, promptly falling asleep, while Haddock and Tintin took a seat across from Annalise.

"What to discuss first?" Annalise wanted to know, placing her purse on the bench beside her as the two men sat down. "We spoke about a great deal of things yesterday."

"I've already told the captain everything, so he's caught up." Tintin glanced at his friend.

"Aye," Haddock said. "I know all about it." He frowned. "I'm sorry 'you're your fiancé, lass. We'll get 'im back."

The woman curtly nodded. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

With a cough, hoping to urge her out of a saddened state, Tintin went on. "Perhaps we could consider a date for our departure to Alabama."

Annalise shuffled her feet. Her face was still drowned in a forlorn, distant atmosphere, with her gaze cold and her lips tightened. "I was going to suggest tomorrow morning. The sooner, the better, I think. It is not very far away."

"Well, if sooner is better," Tintin began, "how about tonight? I can check with the airport to see if there are any available flights. We can start our investigation tomorrow morning."

Eyebrows raised, Annalise nodded, gesturing with her hand. "A-And I can get hotel reservations," she added. "We stayed in a hotel near the military base last time I was there. I can check that hotel."

"I'll call fer a rental car," Haddock offered. "Somethin' nice. A car we can fit all our luggage in."

A smile slipped across Tintin's pale face. He ran a hand through his quiff and patted the table.

"I think we have a plan," he murmured.