The sunlight that crept through the curtains had no mercy. Tatiana groaned, burrowing deeper into the sheets. Mikael was already awake, propped on one elbow with a comic book in hand, the faintest ghost of a smile tugging at his lips.
"You're reading that thing again?" she mumbled, her voice muffled against the pillow.
"It's a new volume," he replied without looking up. "Unlike you, it doesn't try to kill me at three in the morning."
Tatiana cracked one eye open, smirking despite herself. "Tsk. You sound like a husband who's had enough of his wife."
"I've had enough of your temper," he said evenly, flipping the page. "But apparently, it comes with the package."
She stretched lazily, ignoring the jab, then rolled off the bed. "Fine. If you're done judging me, we need groceries. Unless you want to live off instant noodles for another week."
•••••••••
The market was alive with color and noise, vendors calling out deals, baskets of produce stacked high. Tatiana's hand swung in Mikael's grip as they walked. He had one hand linked with hers, the other holding his comic, eyes glued to the page while his body moved on autopilot.
To anyone passing by, it looked like domestic bliss: a husband walking with his wife, content and calm.
The illusion cracked the moment Tatiana stopped at a vendor's stall.
"How much for the onions?" she asked.
The vendor gave a price. Tatiana's brows shot up instantly. "That's robbery. I could buy a whole field for that price."
"It's the market rate, señora."
"Market rate my ass!" she snapped, slapping a hand on the table. "Do I look like some rich idiot to you?"
People turned their heads, mutters spreading. Mikael didn't even flinch. He kept reading, thumb smoothing across the page.
Tatiana was in full swing now, voice rising as she jabbed a finger toward the vendor. "You think I won't notice you hiked it just because I dressed nice today? I'll burn your whole stall to the ground if-"
Mikael sighed. Without looking up, he reached out and placed his palm gently on top of her head.
To onlookers, it was nothing, just a soft, absentminded gesture, like a husband soothing his fiery wife. But Tatiana froze instantly, muscles locking like she'd been pinned under a mountain.
"M-Mikael!" she sputtered, flailing her arms. "Don't you dare-! Don't you dare do this to me in public!"
"You're loud," he said flatly, eyes still on his comic. "If you're going to fight, keep it verbal."
"I am keeping it verbal!" she snapped, trying to wriggle free. Her feet kicked uselessly against the ground. "Let me go, you oversized wall!"
Mikael turned a page, utterly unbothered. "You'll thank me later when you're not banned from the market."
Around them, people chuckled under their breath. A few whispered, "Young love," while others shook their heads knowingly.
Tatiana, however, looked ready to commit murder. She swatted at Mikael's chest, her voice climbing. "You think this is funny? Everyone's laughing! You're humiliating me!"
"You're humiliating yourself," Mikael countered calmly. "I'm just making sure you don't escalate."
Her glare could have cut through steel, but she couldn't move an inch under the weight of his hand. To her, it felt like Atlas had dropped the sky onto her skull.
"Fine!" she barked, still wriggling like a furious cat. "But next time, I swear, I'm burning his onions and his stall!"
"Noted," Mikael murmured, turning another page.
The grocery bags were heavier now, clinking faintly with glass bottles and packed produce.
Tatiana strutted ahead with her chin high, still muttering curses about the onion seller.
Mikael trailed beside her, comic still in hand, his eyes never leaving the page.
They stopped at a food stall lined with plastic stools, the aroma of grilled meat and broth cutting through the market's noise.
Tatiana sat down first, slamming the bags onto the table. Mikael sat opposite her, flipping a page lazily.
"Eat before you start another war," Mikael murmured.
"I don't start wars," Tatiana snapped, stabbing a piece of meat with her stick. "I end them."
Before Mikael could reply, a shoulder slammed into Tatiana hard enough to rattle the table.
"Hey!" she barked, springing to her feet. Her eyes blazed as she raised the sharp food stick like a weapon. "You son of a-"
Mikael's hand shot out, catching her wrist mid-swing. His grip was steady, calm. His voice didn't rise.
"Sit."
"But he-" Tatiana snarled, twisting against his hold.
"Sit, Tatiana."
The man who had bumped her stammered, "S-sorry, señora!" His tone was hurried, too rehearsed, his eyes flicking toward Mikael's wallet on the table.
Tatiana's lip curled. "That wasn't an accident."
"I know," Mikael said. His gaze never lifted from his comic, though one brow twitched. "Let it go."
Her eyes widened, fiery and dangerous. "Let. It. Go?"
"Yes." He shifted slightly, raising the comic until it covered half his face. His free hand let go of her wrist, calmly guiding her back to her seat.
Tatiana blinked, then smirked. A low giggle slipped from her lips, growing louder. She leaned across the table, whispering with amusement, "Oh no… you're pissed."
Mikael's page turned with surgical precision. "Eat your food."
She bit back laughter, shoving a piece of meat in her mouth, eyes sparkling. She knew it wasn't the attempted robbery that set him off. It was the simple fact someone had dared bump into his wife.
The man, oblivious, shuffled quickly away, vanishing into the crowd. Mikael's hand lowered, his comic still covering his mouth. He flicked his other hand almost lazily, thumb and forefinger snapping together with precision.
A toothpick shot across the bustling air like a dart. It struck the man's nape with surgical accuracy, sinking into a vital vein. He staggered once, twice...then collapsed.
Gasps rippled through the market. Someone screamed.
"Call an ambulance!"
"He just fainted!"
"No....no pulse!"
Panic exploded, voices rising, feet shuffling in every direction. Vendors shouted, people shoved, chaos tore through the crowd like wildfire.
At the stall, Mikael flipped another page. Tatiana covered her mouth to hide her giggles, shoulders shaking as she grabbed the grocery bags.
"You're evil," she whispered between laughs.
"Eat," Mikael replied, completely unbothered.
The sirens hadn't even started wailing yet when the two of them rose from their seats. Mikael slid the comic under one arm, took Tatiana's free hand, and together they walked through the chaos.
People were panicking, some crying, some shouting, some swearing vengeance for the stranger now lying dead.
But Mikael and Tatiana moved like shadows, their faces serene, like just another married couple heading home with groceries.
Another body on the street. Another day for the Grim Couple.