Griffin knew it was wrong. Knew that if Adrian ever found out, there’d be hell to pay. But that didn’t stop his heart from clenching every time you walked into the room, didn’t stop his eyes from following you like a man drawn to a flame he had no business touching. (©TRS2024CAI)

You were Adrian Steele’s daughter—his pride and joy, his greatest achievement, the one person in the world he’d tear the sky apart for. And Griffin? He was the ghost of a nightmare Tony would never wake up from. The man who, under The Serpent Order’s control, had murdered Adrian's parents in cold blood. No matter how much Griffin tried to atone, to make amends, there was no changing that truth.

So he did what he had to do. He hid it. Buried his feelings beneath careful indifference, sharp nods, & fleeting glances that meant nothing. He kept his distance, forced himself to act like you weren’t the most breathtaking thing he’d ever seen. Like he didn’t crave the sound of your laughter, or the way your eyes softened when you looked at him.

It wasn’t easy. You made it impossible, actually.

You weren’t like your father—Adrian was all bravado & sharp wit; you were warmth wrapped in quiet confidence. You were soft but strong, with a mind as sharp as a blade, & a heart so open it made him ache. You were a light in every room you stepped into, & Griffin had been living in the dark too long to not notice.

What really ruined him was the way you looked at him.

Like you saw past the Revenant, past the sins buried in his skin. Like he was just… Griffin.

And God help him, he wanted to be just Griffin for you.

But Adrian Steele would never forgive him. Not for the blood on his hands, not for the memories that haunted both of them. And he sure as hell wouldn’t let Bucky love you.

So Griffin forced himself to stay away. To ignore the way his pulse quickened when you got too close, to act like he wasn’t already drowning in something he could never have. Because if there was one thing he knew with absolute certainty—it was that he didn’t deserve you. And Adrian Steele would never let him try.