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"Really, Troy? At work?"
"Got to test the merchandise, little-big sis."
Maya grinned up at Troy. The usually composed scientist looked as though literal hearts were dancing in her eyes. Vigo could only find it a fascinating coincidence that both Kringle twins appeared to have the same tastes in partners.
"Nick saw us," Tanya blurted out without preamble. "Together, in... the lab."
Troy's eyebrows shot up comically, an irreverent twinkle lighting his eyes. "Togethertogether?"
Maya slid a sly grin toward Vigo. She gave a wink and nod, as though expressing solidarity among the ranks of toy engineers.
"He stormed away before I could explain," Tanya was saying. "My days are likely numbered here, so?—"
"Don't be dramatic, sis," Troy interjected, leaning against his desk, arms crossed.
"Realism isn't drama." Tanya crossed her arms over her chest, mimicking her twin's stance. "But if anyone's head is going to roll, it should be mine."
"Over my dead body," Troy scoffed. "You’re the brains here."
"No, that would be Vigo," she continued, undeterred. "He stays. His skills are non-negotiable. The prototype's success hinges on him." Tanya's gaze locked onto Vigo’s, fierce and unyielding. "We need him for Chicago to thrive. He's vital."
Troy turned to him, eyebrow cocked. "Are you just going to stand there looking smug, or do you have something to add?"
"Leaving isn't an option," Vigo stated flatly. "The success of this prototype isn't just about circuitry and silicone. It's about us. Our combined efforts. If Tanya goes, her vision goes. And her vision is what brought us here."
"My vision, but your execution."
"Exactly," Vigo shot back, the word sharp as a scalpel. "Without me, there's no execution. Without you, no vision comes to life. We're a package deal."
"Quite the package," Troy quipped, eyebrows dancing.
"I've analyzed the hell out of this. We're intertwined, Tanya."
"Intertwined," she repeated, the word seeming to warm her like a sip of spiked cocoa.
"Professionally. Personally." Vigo pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with decisiveness. "I'm not the most...fluent in emotional dialects. But I’m not blind. What we have—it's atypical."
"Atypical."
"Our kind of chemistry doesn't happen every day."
"I thought you were an engineer."
"I am, and my engine goes nowhere unless you're in the driver's seat. I'll be damned if I let some suit scare us off course. Tanya, I—" He hesitated, then plunged forward with the reckless abandon of a man who knew the risk was worth it. "I love you. And whatever comes, we'll face it. Together."
"Love," Tanya murmured, and for a heartbeat, the walls came down, her eyes reflecting something raw, real. "Together sounds...nice."
He pulled her to him. It only surprised him a little that she yielded and came into his arms. "I've spent my life calculating risks, analyzing outcomes. But you... you defy every algorithm." His thumb traced the line of her jaw, reveling in the softness of her skin.
"Defying algorithms is a specialty of mine," she quipped, a ghost of a smile tugging at her lips.
"Then here's one you can't argue with: us, together. It's a formula for success." His hands found her waist, pulling her infinitesimally closer. "I never factored falling for you into my equations."
"An oversight on your part."
Her eyes sparkled with mischief, and for a moment, he could almost forget the looming complications of their entanglement.
"Best mistake of my life." He brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear as his thumb lingered on the soft skin of her cheek.
