《 Skip a Beat 》

Ready or not

"Sure." He shrugged, sweeping past her to take a plate. Before Tina could protest, Theseus slid her omelette onto the plate he was holding.

"Hey!"

"I know, it's yours," he handed the plate to her, the porcelain already heating up under the temperature of her omelette. "No need to get worked up."

"She's just embarrassed because you caught her dancing," chirruped a new voice from the corridor.

A moment later, Leta wandered into the kitchen, still wearing her cherry-coloured pyjamas.

"I- that is not true!" Tina defended, her cheeks growing warm, but Leta already seemed well past the topic, and she moved to help prepare food. Tina resigned to dropping into an empty chair at the table and digging into her breakfast.

Theseus, of course, was first to strike up conversation, despite being in a seperate area of the house to her. Tina found herself joining in, and asked him if he was coming to the hospital with her, to which Theo agreed, saying that they'd all come.

She had barely finished her omelette when her sister's voice added to the therapeutic cacophony of sizzling and clinking of cutlery.

"Morning!" Queenie chorused. She waltzed into the kitchen as well, clad in her pink-laced, undemure dressing gown.

"Hey Queenie," Leta shuffled over as the younger witch riffled around for some teabags.

"Tina's excited," she reported cheekily to Leta. Sighing inwardly, Tina hauled her occlumency shields back into place.

"I don't blame her," Leta replied excitedly. "She's visiting Newt again today."

"They have a thing, those two," Queenie mused, coincidentally loud enough for Tina to hear. She paid them no heed, too excited to argue.

Tina snatched up her plate, skirted round the table, and dumped it in the sink, vowing silently to do the washing up later. She had more important things to focus on, like Newt returning home.

"I'm getting dressed," Tina declared, sweeping past the trio in the kitchen. "And just for the record-" she turned back to face them. "- Newt and I do not have a thing."

She was greeted by stunned silence. Theseus, Leta and Queenie exchanged puzzled glances, before the latter spoke up.

"Who said that?"

"I never said anything about that," agreed Theseus.

As if on cue, everyone turned to Queenie, who looked guiltily back.

"Oh... oh, I guess it was just me," she murmured eventually.

Tina stared incredulously back at the three of them, then scoffed and disappeared down the corridor.

Queenie immediately faced her remaining two companions.

"Way to go, guys. Hanging me out to dry like that," she muttered irritably. The other two burst into chuckles.

"Sorry, Queenie!" Leta snickered.

Theseus just shook his head.

"They so have a thing going!"

Tina waited for around ten minutes for everyone to finish getting ready before he declared that they could leave (to which Leta muttered under her breath, "About time!").

They found a nice, secluded alley to disapparate in without being seen, and they arrived at the hospital within seconds, with Jacob apparating sidelong next to the Goldstein sisters.