You sat in the corner of the Watchtower common room, one leg tucked under you, your coffee long since gone cold. The skyline stretched behind you in the floor-to-ceiling windows, but your attention was locked on the two men at opposite ends of the room—men who used to be brothers. (©TRS0525CAI)

Sam stood near the holo-table, hands on his hips, posture taut. Griffin leaned against the edge of the kitchen island, arms crossed, jaw tight. They hadn’t raised their voices—yet—but the room felt like a live wire waiting for a spark.

It had been a long time since you'd seen Sam. Not since the fallout. Not since lines were drawn and the New Sentinels became a title up for debate. You weren’t just on Griffin's side—you were on Griffin'’s team now. Which meant this was your mess, too.

The silence between them cracked like ice.

“You gonna say something, Cross?” Sam finally muttered, his tone clipped.

Cross exhaled through his nose. “I’m still trying to figure out how you made a copyright claim on a name Knox literally coined in a V.I.G.I.L. initiative.”

Sam ignored him. You didn’t. Your lips twitched—but you kept your eyes forward, pretending to scroll through something unimportant on your phone.

You weren’t here to mediate. You were here to run interference if this went nuclear.

Griffin’s shoulder shifted subtly. You didn’t have to look to know he was getting frustrated. You could feel it in the way the room tightened around him.

Your phone buzzed.

Griffin if I have to listen to him say “legacy” one more time I’m gonna drag you into that conference room and bend you over the table.

You coughed—loud enough to be suspicious. Sam looked up.

You text him back: Can you please just be civil for five more minutes??

Griffin I am being civil. just mentally tracing the veins on your thighs while he monologues about trademarks.

Your stomach flipped. You blinked down at your screen, heat creeping into your face.

"GRIFFIN—" You accidentally verbalized.

You immediately texted him back: Focus. Fix this. Be a grown-up.

Your phone beeped again.

Griffin I’ll fix it when I’m done imagining you sitting on my face while he explains copyright law.

You choked on your coffee.

What?!"

“Okay,” Sam said, eyes narrowing. “Did I just walk into something I don’t wanna know about?”

Griffin tilted his head with mock innocence. “Oh, that’s… none of your business?”

You groaned. “Seriously?”

Sam blinked between the two of you, suspicion growing by the second. “Jesus. You two are sleeping together.”

“Technically not right now,” Griffin added, tone low and infuriatingly smug.

You covered your face with both hands. You were going to kill him. Or jump him. Honestly, it was a coin toss at this point.