Returning to the Manor, Liz and Hellboy greeted Leon and Integra at the door, as their vampiric team members were unable to operate during the day as Leon or Alucard could. Leon chuckled at Hellboy munching on some scones, as not much else remained in the building following the attack on London and Hellsing respectively. Leon had reversed time on the manor as well, restoring most of the building, however the items in the fridges and freezer were ruined and had to be disposed of. Dry goods like raisins, flour and sugar were surprisingly unchanged, which had allowed Walter to at least make the scones.
"Hey feathers, how'd it go?" Hellboy asked as he swallowed down a mouthful. Liz sleepily leaned against him on the sectional in the lobby, offering a light wave as Integra headed into the kitchen to make tea, another thing thankfully unharmed by the attack and time reversal spell.
"As expected. I'm feeling pretty out of it, Abe still upstairs?" Leon responded, dispelling his illusion and lightly shaking himself, deciding to go without his usual long coat and just remaining in his suit shirt and pants. Hellboy simply nodded, Leon moving to the stairs, pausing to look down into the basement to check on Walter and Seras, able to sense Walter to be completely asleep, and lightly snarling at the curious probing thought from Alucard. The older vampire recoiled, briefly apologising to Leon as he instead turned his attention to Integra in the kitchen nearby, moving to gently lean on the doorjamb.
"You do realize that there's no cream or even milk in the fridge until Sera gets back to me?" Leon smirked as Integra lightly jumped, frowning at him and then sighed, turning off the tap and setting aside the filled kettle.
"I've been trying to wean off using too much extra, besides, I was going for herbal. Or perhaps apricot? I remember you liked some of the fruitier teas." Integra smiled, blue-silver eyes meeting his eerie green as he moved to open the cupboard he remembered Walter kept the teas in. Though the memory was more recently updated thanks to his siring Walter, he expertly reached right into the back and withdrew two tea bags from a box hiding there, offering them to her.
"He saved these ones for me… Sentimental git." Leon mused.
"No more than you." Integra chided at his somewhat saddened mention of their family retainer, now vampiric 'offspring' of Leon. She brought the bags to her nose to smell them, brows raising at how strong they were.
"Apricot and Black rooibos tea, imported from where mom lived. One of my favorites." Leon explained, leaning gently on the counter as he watched her plug in the kettle and move to get two teacups and saucers for them. He chuckled, glad that she knew how to make them tea at least, knowing that Walter had been very adamant about keeping her from his kitchen.
"Walter has had his share of days off, though not nearly as much as I tried to push him to take. I suppose now I know why he's been so, close." Integra explained haltingly, almost able to read Leon's thoughts before he mentioned anything, as she knew he watched her closely, as though worried she needed extra direction or assistance. "I've had my share of days where I needed to take care of him while you were gone, flu seasons, one bout of pneumonia that had us both laid out, thankfully at different times. "
Leon nodded, smiling as she spoke, though inwardly was kicking himself for being gone so long. He had never wanted to be away, to keep her in the dark, but had been too afraid of what Alucard or she might say or do if they learned about his wings being stolen from him. He also thought on how to bring up his relationship with Abe, smirking that Integra would likely scream bloody murder at him.
"You're drifting, what's on your mind?" Integra smirked, gently punching his arm closest to her and receiving a mock squawk of protest from him. Leon met her gaze, almost searching for something, unsure how much he should share with her now, after so much had just been explained and in part shown to her.
"I'm sorry, I'm just trying to think how to word this…" Leon sheepishly scratched the back of his neck, as they waited for the kettle to boil.
"If it's about your relationship with Abraham, I have no qualms. Traditions be damned, we aren't a traditional family to begin with." Integra's blaise comment made Leon snicker, gently palming his face.
"I'm that transparent am I?" He peeked out between his fingers while attempting to hide his blush, the two laughing lightly as she jabbed at him again with her elbow, turning to focus on unplugging the kettle and pouring the scalding water into the two teacups carefully.
"I noticed how he looks at you, it's minute, but he's just as enamored with you as you are him, I can tell. Besides, he was sleeping in your tub." Integra chuckled, Leon sighing as he gently took his teacup and saucer from her when it was presented to him. He inhaled the scent and lightly dipped the teabag in more pointedly, watching the colour run from the bag into the water as it steeped.
"Point. It doesn't bother you, knowing he and I are… involved?"
"Why would it? I mean really, god might have issue but I certainly don't. Honestly, I've not given any thought to an Heir, nevermind looking for a husband for myself." Integra expertly responded, quickly attempting to change the subject. "You have been gone nearly as long as you've been alive, longer than I was prior to that fateful day we woke Alucard. I suppose I'm just being practical, but most of those who tried to 'woo' me were just interested in taking control of Hellsing, so I've turned away most potential suitors." Integra drawled, Leon mentally thinking if she had actually simply turned them away as not interested, scared them away with Alucard, or intimidated the potential suitors with her own icy stare.
"You are still rather young sister, please don't close yourself off completely to the idea? I mean really, I was still a virgin until I met Abe." Leon chided, grinning lightly as she almost choked while taking a sip of her tea before glaring at him and coughing to clear her windpipe.
"Prat, I didn't need to know that." Integra blushed, smirking.
"True, you didn't, but I got the smile I was looking for." Leon mused, grinning lightly before taking a sip of his tea himself, closing his eyes for a long moment as he relaxed, sighing almost blissfully as the warmth of the tea spread through him slowly. The slight sweetness of the Apricots in the slightly-clear Black tea was welcome as he had been used to the rather bland teas more readily available where he had been staying beforehand. Though he was thankful that Trevor had a stash of imported teas in the library at the BPRD, he was not going to teleport himself overseas just to get some good tea.
A light knock from the entryway to the kitchen made both jump lightly, as they had gladly let themselves relax into their cups of tea, Abe standing there in his full gear with his arms crossed lightly and a smirk on his face.
"I believe I'm seeing more of the family resemblance. I assume that everything went well without issue?" Abe asked, moving to stand closer to the two and leaning lightly against the kitchen island.
"Yes, something happened after I finished the spell, probably just my magick reacting to being used so much at once, instead of the slow trickle I've been using." Leon mentioned in passing, Integra narrowing her eyes at him, but otherwise refrained from speaking. Abe also narrowed his eyes, shaking his head and sighing.
"Sera popped in to say she's nearly got everything you asked for, but passed on from Kate that we've been called back with our team. They need Red and I for a conference, and they want one of us to speak publicly with the new POTUS."
"Of course, doesn't need me?" Leon rolled his eyes, sighed and watched Abe as he took another mouthful of tea.
"No, not yet. Plus, Kate wasn't certain how things went with her Majesty." Abe almost appeared to frown, Leon sighing again and shook his head.
"It went well, she made a show of England being indebted to me, in particular, because of the spell. Penwood, Irons and Walsh are taking care of the rest, yes, Shelby is back on his feet, somewhat, and making certain everyone knows who to thank." Leon grinned a bit toothily, finishing the last mouthful of tea before turning to refill the cup with hot water, Integra raising a brow. "What?"
"Walter would skin you for doing that." She chuckled as she watched him swirl the teabag in the cup lightly, getting a chuckle and shrug in response. Leon knew the tea would still have plenty of flavour in the bag, after only sitting in the hot water a few minutes while being drained by him swiftly.
"Are you going to be alright here for a while without us? I mean, you have your two mercenaries still, however I worry you don't have much of the supplies you might need?" Abe spoke after a moment of silence as Leon watched the tea in his cup darken slowly, wings appearing to droop as he nodded.
"I'll be alright. My familiars can get me anything I might need if I need to do a spell or something while away from my… rooms, at the Bureau. If the new POTUS wants a walkthrough of the facility, only muster areas, maybe the Library if you feel up to letting them see it. Last thing we want is someone getting wind of how many cats Red has and PETA gets it in their heads to be involved." Leon smirked as he made the last comment, Integra lightly snorting as she smirked around the edge of her cup while emptying it.
"They tried once before, but as we are under different legal jurisdictions they gave up. Regardless, if you need me, Sera mentioned getting us waystones for here and the Bureau, to make travel between the two more immediate." Abe chuckled, raising a brow as Leon set aside his cup and the saucer it sat on, moving to gently wrap the fishman up in his wings and kissed him rather passionately. Integra simply snickered at the two, shaking her head at their display before they withdrew from each other, Leon folding his wings back almost sadly.
"You don't want us to go." Abe almost frowned, gently grasping one of Leon's hands in his own.
"I don't want you to go, Red and Liz have their own thing… But we still have a long time, we did only just make our relationship official, but I… I suppose I've got a bit of a dependency problem. I'll be okay, just feels… strange."
"Like you're sending me away? I know you aren't, but it feels like it in my head. No matter what I tell myself." Abe finished for Leon, chuckling lightly.
"Exactly. Might be because you're my first?" Leon mused, gently squeezing the hand clasping his.
"You might want to ask Alucard, he probably went through similar himself at some point." Integra offered, squeezing the excess moisture from the old teabag in her cup before tossing it in a wastebin and going into the cupboard for another. Leon sighed, shuddering lightly as he did not like the idea of asking anything from his vampiric Sire, yet could find no fault in her suggestion.
"Perhaps later when I'm not ready to magick him into a pickle or something stupid for his attempts at you." Leon growled, Integra shaking her head and rolling her eyes.
"I can't blame you for being protective, but he has been an irreplacable asset to Hellsing for decades. While I still question some of his methods, I can't say he hasn't gotten the job done when tasked."
"When Ordered, you mean." Leon's lower octave raised Integra's brow and concern, her turning away from pouring herself another cup of tea and noticing shadow writhing on the feathers along his back. Abe gently squeezed Leon's hand still clasped with one of his own, quickly snapping Leon's attention back to the present. "Sorry, guess the magick drain is affecting me overmuch. Can we talk more later Integra, when I've had a chance to relax after sending the team back?" Integra only nodded, watching them go over the edge of her cup.
**He is quite angry with me still, I see.** Alucards' voice in her head chimed, Integra almost envisioning the vampire's eyes watching from the shadows under the counter as Leon and Abe left the kitchen. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly at his intrusion, having secretly hoped to be completely rid of the Vampire, while still remaining his Master. Integra sighed lightly, she would have to think long and hard on how to move forward with both now in her life, and home.
**Leon has every right to be. You went against your oath to me, servant. Leave me be, I'll call on you if I need you.** Integra dismissed, unaware that Alucard's usual grin had been replaced with a deeply concerned frown.