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The clear night sky was looking particularly beautiful that evening.
Tintin let out a small breath of appreciation which puffed into the brisk night air as he watched the starry sky from his hidden perch on Marlinspike’s roof. He sat on the edge of the fascia with his legs dangling over the side, his loyal pup sitting beside him. His coat was draped over his shoulders like a cape, which his faithful pup had settled inside to soak up his master’s warmth.
The stars were twinkling, the Moon was glimmering, and Tintin momentarily found himself transported back into the past, to one of the many days he spent living on the bitter streets of Brussels; looking up at the sky like he was now, dreaming for a better future.
Things had never really gone his way.
Orphaned. Pitied. Beaten. Abandoned. Left to fend for himself.
The cycle continued up until the point reality slapped him in the face one frozen day.
He became sick of constantly being pushed aside, so decided to do something about it. He became a realist. He thought logically about his circumstances and how he could change them. For the first time in his life, he had hope. His mindset became positive and he sought to achieve the impossible. Then he’d shredded his old identity. Gotten himself a job. Adopted Snowy. Travelled the world. Met so many interesting people he now treasured as friends.
He’d come so far since then, and Tintin couldn’t help but feel a burning sense of pride.
He’d proven everyone wrong.
He HAD made something of himself, despite all the odds against him.
He wasn’t pitiful, he wasn’t weak, and he wasn’t worthless after all.
He’d WON.
He heard the roof hatch lift beside him which brought him out of his train of thoughts. He listened to the gruff movements of the Captain as he struggled to lift himself through the hole. He then clambered across the hatch over to where Tintin was sitting.
“Ah, there you are, landlubber. I was wondering where you’d gotten to.” he greeted, pulling himself up next to him. “What are you doing up here? It’s freezing.”
Tintin smiled at his friend’s words. “I’m just stargazing.”
“You can stargaze from inside you know. We have enough windows.”
“This is better.” Tintin replied, eyes focused on the sky above him.
Haddock raised an eyebrow and pulled himself through the open hole. He crouched next to his young friend and held a hand on his shoulder. He sensed something was off about him. “I don’t mean to pry, but are you okay?”
Tintin’s smile grew. It had taken him a long time to accept people cared about him now, but it still meant a lot. “I’m fine thank you, Captain. Just waiting for the New Year’s celebrations to start.”
“Ah yes, you can often see the fireworks from the village from here.” Haddock nodded.
Tintin casually leant back, hands pressed against the roof. “Do you have any New Year’s resolutions, Captain?”
“Me?” Haddock questioned. “I hadn’t really thought much about it. What about you?”
Tintin closed his eyes in thought. “To continue not letting my past define me.”
Haddock raised an eyebrow at the cryptic message. His young friend had never spoke about or mentioned his past in any capacity at all before, and the Captain had never wanted to pry too much as Tintin was always so guarded, so this was highly unusual.
“That sounds good to me, boy.” he placed a supportive hand on his shoulder.
There was a faint vocal countdown in the distance before the same people cried out New Year’s greetings to one another, laughing and cheering as music played and colourful fireworks shot into the sky.
“Happy New Year, Captain.”
“Happy New Year, Tintin. Here’s to another fantastic year of adventuring around the world with you.”
“Just the world and not space, then?” Tintin asked cheekily, knowing his companion wasn’t a fan of their airborne adventures.
“Well, we’ll have to see about that, won’t we?” he replied with a wink.
The two friends guffawed like childen.