Author's Note - Breakfast gone wrong... I hope you enjoy...

Lexie's fingers curled tighter into the light blue bed sheets, desperately needing something to hold onto as Mark moved inside of her in a slow, steady pace. This had been happening for over a week now. It had been happening for over a week, and every night, every morning… he was at her place. The first time he actually stepped into her apartment, after their walk through the Central Park, he made some confused grimace. She wasn't really sure why, though. But she didn't have time to think about it properly either, because his hands were already framing her face and his body was already pushing hers towards the bedroom.

Her apartment wasn't exactly a big one, not the kind he was used to, she guessed, but it was perfect for her. She lived alone there and after some time had passed with her living in New York, it actually started to feel like home…

And for some very strange reason, Mark spending nights at her apartment, it made her mornings a lot less hectic, and a lot easier. That much she could notice over that one week. It was a lot easier... a lot more pleasant to wake up with his lips trailing over her skin, and it felt a lot better to wash away the last remains of sleep by pleading for him to bury his fingers deeper. Even though she always had to rush to the hospital the second he finally let her out of the bed. Part of her still barely believed that all this was happening between her and this man. And this man... She knew he was not the type to linger. And that really terrified her…

She was lying on her side, with her eyes closed and her body curled, the only bed sheet to remain being the fitted sheet beneath them, and Mark was on his side right behind her. The room was still half-dimmed, the morning sun blocked by the closed curtains as Mark held her leg underneath his knee, slowly but firmly thrusting into her. She could feel his teeth grazing over her shoulder, and his hand brushing along the underside of her breasts, and when she whimpered his name for the first time that morning, his lips curved into a smile against the back of her neck.

"Lift your leg a bit higher" he whispered softly in her ear and she shivered at his command but obeyed instantly, her fingers clutching the edge of the mattress.

And as if predicted, already, she was too attached. Too attached to him, to spending time with him, too attached to the things he does, to the things he says... And that was way too much, way too soon. Wasn't it? But that thought only boosted the brush on her cheeks and she faintly smiled, turning her head slightly, looking at him from over her shoulder.

Mark panted and groaned behind her, muffling his moans into her skin, his eyes clenched shut as he lost himself inside of her body. That easily become the only thing he's been looking forward to these days. To get lost in her. To spend time with her. To talk with her. It was strange actually, it was genuinely strange to him that she seemed to be interested in him. A few nights ago, she asked about his movies preferences. Just like that. She stood in front of the full length mirror just in her underwear, looking at her reflection, her fingers combing through her hair, when she just casually bubbled it out. She wasn't too happy when he said his favorite are horrors, though.

He learned things about her, too. It was kind of involuntary. But it was also pretty impossible to spend so much time with someone without learning a few things about that person. He learned she hates apples. He learned she was one of those people to whom water during showers is never hot enough, even if it was literally siphoned from the very deep pits of hell. Not that he minded spending those very hot showers with her. He also figured out she had problems falling asleep from time to time. He didn't ask her about it thought. But he noticed. There was also one particular thing her didn't like about her. When she's feeling frustrated, when she's feeling unsure, she always managed to find some way to make whatever her problem was a personal failing. Even though it was beyond her control. Even though whatever had happened was not her fault. He sometimes simply couldn't understand why she was so insecure about things she definitely shouldn't be.

"You like it like this?" he asked suddenly, his lips following the line of her ear lobe. The bright red color raised to her cheeks as she weakly nodded, not being able to answer him any other way. It took her a few shorts moments to figure out how to work with this position, considering the fact that she has never done it before, it took her a minute or two to figure out how to move her body back against his, how to meet his thrusts. And if anything was helping her, it was his hot breath on her skin. Either in the form of his soft but sensational words, either in the form of his breathless grunts, both worked more than just fine.

Mark kissed the back of her shoulder, his beard scratching her skin, what only heighted the sensations he was already giving her more and more. His hand slipped away from her breasts, slowly moving down across her abdomen to the sweet spot between her legs. At the same time, Lexie bent her arm back, her fingers finding the short hair on the back of his head. She tunneled her fingers through it, stroking it, encouraging him to thrust his hips harder. And as he did so, her breaths momentarily got quicker, echoing over his, reverberating in the bedroom.

A soft whisper of his name that fell off her lips again awoke something within him that made him open his eyes. It was seriously insane to him just how much he wanted her. All the freaking time. He pressed a kiss to the back of her neck, breathing heavily into her skin, as his eyes set to her hand and fingers that were tightly curved into the sheets. Along with every one of his thrust, her hand jerked and squeezed the sheets even tighter. It made him grin. He was so fascinated with all of those little, barely noticeable things, with all of those tiny reactions of her body that she probably wasn't even aware of. They made him think that things between them were actually real.

He didn't even know an exact definition of real. But whatever this was, this thing between them, it felt real. For as much as he knew. They hadn't actually had a real conversation yet about it. What they were, what they were doing. And why...

He wouldn't dare to ask her any of that. No way in hell.

He would just keep all those words and questions to himself. And instead of speaking up, he would increase his pace, knowing that was the most secure way to show her what was on his mind. And when she broke apart, her back bowing sharply and her body squeezing his so tightly, he hoped it was enough…

Later, Lexie was lying on her back, still breathing heavily, her chest expanding with every deep breath she took, as Mark's fingertips lightly ghosted over her skin. He propped himself up on an elbow, resting his head in one of his hands, as the other one followed the line of her collarbone, barely touching her skin. And from her collarbone, he trailed his fingers between her breasts and over her belly... "Woahh... stop that." she giggled, shivering, as his fingers brushed over the skin of her lower abdomen.

"You're ticklish?" Mark cocked an eyebrow at her, but not in question. More like in conformation. He moved his hand over her stomach again, following the line below her belly button, also making sure that only the tips of his fingers brush over her skin, and she shivered again. "Not right there, but that does give me goosebumps." she laughed, lightly pushing his hand away. She desperately tried not to look at the clock on her nightstand, knowing that they have only a few minutes left.

He smirked, his lips curved upwards, now against her cheek. "Who says goosebumps?" he whispered, his hand finding its way back to around her waist as her smile grew bigger. "I'm pretty sure you do..." she replied.

It would warm his chest when she smiles like that.

He almost furrowed to himself. What? When did he start thinking like this? He kept telling himself... He kept trying to tell himself to take things easy with her. To not let himself be so hang up on her... There was no need for that. It wasn't like she's going anywhere... It wasn't like she's rethinking things with him... He hoped, at least. He honestly had no idea, he had no clue what someone like her was doing, wasting her time on a guy like him, on something that they both didn't know what it was.

But no, she definitely didn't show any signs of rethinking things with him...

…

The genuine truth of that, Mark had discovered the following morning when, for the very first time, he wanted to do something nice for her. Something he never did before. Some unfamiliar string inside him kept telling him that he should. Maybe just for an insurance. An insurance that she won't end things with him, that she won't change her mind about him... But nice... He wasn't exactly sure was that the proper word. He didn't even know where that thought came from. Or why. But he just happened to wake up before her, what was a complete surprise as well, considering her almost every day 6 am rounds... and not wanting to wake her up, he quickly and quietly slipped out of the bed.

With a slight resentment, though. He really liked her bed. It was much smaller than the one he had in his penthouse, but he could swear that the mattress of hers was much softer, and much more comfortable than his. There was a bunch of pillows over it, like... a mountain of pillows. What he found ridiculous at first. But still, in every possible way, he loved her bed a lot more than he loved his own. It was warm and soft, and always so damn inviting. And it was hers.

He strode through the living room, glancing at the collection of framed photographs that were on the shelves of the bookcase, filled to the hilt with books as well, which was not a surprise either. And all the photos, all the pillows, all the different colors... all of that was just adding to the undeniable coziness of her apartment.

After what could be minutes and minutes of fidgeting around, Mark found himself in the small kitchen.

...

"Woahh... What is that?" Lexie asked with a yawn, about a half an hour later, as she entered the kitchen that now smelled of butter and... fried eggs. Why did it smell like eggs? She didn't even have eggs in her fridge...

Mark was silent for a few seconds, glancing almost nervously at her. His face was blank, but she could tell there was definitely going on beneath the surface. "French omelet..." he then gave her a very obvious answer, slightly bracing himself for her reaction. He didn't know what to expect. He didn't know where exactly were the lines of this thing that they've started, so he didn't know if those lines or labels got crossed and destroyed now either. What he did know, though, was that he was almost constantly amused by all the things she either said or did. And this could be some sort of payback. It was certainly enough to surprise her. Going to the nearby store, making breakfast, making coffee...

"You... you really didn't have to do this." she told him softly, with a tiny smile on her face. A warning bell suddenly started ringing in the back of her mind, reminding her that she absolutely had to find some way to tell him that she definitely should not eat that. But as the opposite to all the warnings in her head, a warm feeling began spreading through her chest... was this... actually him making a breakfast... for her?

"It wasn't a big deal." he shrugged, letting out a quiet, self-conscious laugh. But what was self-conscious about it, quickly disappeared as he cleared his throat, "I mean, I don't wanna brag, but trust me, it's definitely a lot better than whatever you would choose to eat at the cafeteria." With those words, he put a plate on a kitchen table in front of her, along with a cup of coffee.

"I... I trust you. Really." she swallowed, longingly looking down at the plate he put in front of her. It actually looked good. She would never take him as a good cook. Or a cook... at all. But she really shouldn't... "And I really, really appreciate this. Just... You really, really didn't have to do this..." she tried to find the right words again, catching his eyes. There was also a slight tremor in her voice, the one she kept suppressing, as she tried to find the right words to show him how much she admired the effort he put in this. The effort he put in...

"Never mind..." she gulped before she even got the chance to stop herself, forcing a wide smile. A nervous giggle at the end of it didn't help either. Was she really about to do this?

But luckily, Mark chose to ignore it. He picked up a fork and handed it to her, sitting down on a chair next to her. There was some sort of anticipation sparkling within his eyes as he watched her slowly taking it.

"Thanks..." she whispered, anxiously biting her lips.

"Good?" he raised an eyebrow at her a minute later, sipping from his cup of coffee.

This felt good. This whole thing, with her, it felt really good. Good and... almost natural.

"Amazing..." she nodded, forcing another smile, secretly using all of her inner strength trying not to focus on the taste of eggs and melted cheese in her mouth.

"Told you." Mark smirked at her answer, but instantly got a feeling that something was not right. He wasn't sure when he had actually reached the level of recognizing the truthfulness of her words or actions, but he somehow knew that something was definitely wrong. She hesitated. "You sure it's fine?" he then asked, a grimace on his face doubtful.

"Yeah, yeah, absolutely." she lied, nodding her head again.

He stared at her for a moment and then smiled softly. His smile turned into a grin full of mischief as he noticed a faint smudge near the corner of her mouth.

"You have a little..." he pointed with his finger to his own mouth.

"What?"

"Just... just hold still for a sec." he told her, as his thumb reached for her lips. It remained there for a long second before he leaned in and gently captured her lips with his, kissing her deeply, a hand lifting to cup her cheek.

"Uhmm... This... this really can't be happening right now..." she stuttered, her lips lingering lightly against his.

"We have time." Mark kept brushing their lips together as he spoke, "For both, breakfast, and..."

"No... no, we don't." she told him, and he laughed softly, as if what she just said was the craziest thing on the planet. In his very humble opinion, it really was.

"Yes, we do." he tried to convince her again.

His lips were then skimming down the side of her neck and though she was desperately trying to concentrate, to explain why she kept hesitating, her eyes slid completely shut and her head slowly tilted to the side, granting him easier access.

It gave her a surge of adrenaline and before she knew it, his hands snaked underneath the black tank top she had worn to sleep the night before, rubbing her skin. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, kissing and sucking on patches of her delicate skin he found there. But then, the sense of responsibility finally reached her brain again, and she slowly put her hands on his chest, reluctantly pulling away.

"We don't..." she muttered, chewing on her bottom lip as the glimmer in her eyes disappeared. Her smile faded. She took a deep breath, avoiding his confused look. Her thumbs began nervously rubbing back and forth along her knuckles, when she suddenly blurted out, "Cause... in less than a half hour, my skin will be probably covered in rash, and I'll start sneezing and coughing and wheezing, and I'm guessing that's not something you want to see."

After almost a minute of silence, he whispered blankly, "Come again?"

Her lips became a straight line as she looked up at him regretfully. "I'm allergic to eggs."

Mark's mouth fell open and his eyes widened as he stared at her, "What?"

He didn't mishear her, though. He heard what she said loud and clear. Slowly shifting his attention to her plate, with a half-eaten meal still in it, he stood up without words. She furrowed at him for a moment, words of apologies on her tongue, as she tried to figure out what was on his mind, but then he gave her an answer himself, "Come on, we'll be at the hospital in twenty..."

...

There was silence between them in the locked supply closet exactly twenty minutes later. Mark stood in front of her, still speechless, as she remained sitting on one of the med carts, her body slightly shaking. Out of embarrassment, out of fear, out of hate towards a very familiar needle she was about to see again... she wasn't sure. He hasn't said a word to her on their way to the hospital. She couldn't tell was he worried, or angry, or disappointed, or annoyed... She couldn't read anything off his face... But there must have been something on his mind. Because he was actually about to help her.

Lexie shifted on the cart, feeling her skin grow hotter and hotter at the sight of an emergency epipen in his hand, from which he slowly removed the blue safety cap.

"Ready?" he asked with a sigh, and she glanced at the little needle, narrowing her eyebrows. How did she end up here again? She almost winced because of her own stupidity.

"I'm not really a fan of needles."

"Well, maybe you should've thought of that, before you very willingly..." he replied, his tone almost accusing as he watched her closely, "...put yourself in this situation."

She breathed a sigh filled with hesitation, before shutting her eyes as tightly as she possibly could. Mark couldn't help but smirk at that. Her eyelashes fluttered, filled with childlike fear and anticipation. "I'll take that as yes, I'm ready."

Lexie gasped at the slight pinch, but thankfully it was over within three seconds.

"So... how embarrassing was this from one to... extremely embarrassing?" she asked shortly afterwards, her voice all shaky, which was ridiculous, because she was again perfectly fine. Thanks to him. And no thanks to her sense of rationality and self-care.

"It wasn't embarrassing, it was stupid." His answer was stern. "Extremely stupid."

"Mark..." she tried to say something, but he cut her off as if she hadn't spoken at all, tossing now a useless epinephrine injection into a trash can nearby. "Why don't you have one of these at home anyway?"

"Because I'm usually very careful when it comes to this..." she shrugged, knowing that excuse was definitely not good enough. Not after what just happened. "So yeah, you're right. It was stupid. Extremely stupid... and irresponsible. And careless. I know. And I honestly have no idea why did I even..."

Lexie opened her mouth to continue, but she must have decided against it, so she closed her mouth again. There really wasn't a reasonable excuse for how she acted. "I just..." she tried again, "I don't know. I just didn't wanna make you feel disappointed, I guess." she suddenly blurted out, even though she had no idea where that had come from. But it was the truth.

"To the point of this?" Mark's eyes widened in disbelief. "Come on, you know better than this."

"You did something nice... For me." she spoke tenderly, her fingers curling into the material of his shirt out of instinct. "Something you definitely didn't have to, cause it's not like we're..."

Mark blinked at her when she suddenly stopped talking, as if he waited with anticipation for her to finish the sentence. He needed her to finish that sentence. Because something had definitely changed between them. He didn't know when, but he was sure of it. Something had changed. For the better.

"It was stupid. I know that. So can we please now just forget about it?" she sighed quietly, looking up at him, hoping that awkwardness wasn't about to settle over them. But instead of answering, he just kept staring at her, obviously having no idea how to respond.

With another sigh, Lexie slowly slid down to her feet, her hand resting against his chest as a leverage.

The moment her palm came touched him, his entire body tensed.

His eyes slanted down to look at her lips, when she spoke before she could stop herself, "You know, your heart's beating really fast right now."

He leaned in a bit closer to her, feeling how her fingers tenderly caressed over the middle of his chest. "That's because you've pissed me off..." he grinned and she laughed, naturally tilting her chin up as his face came even closer, their noses now almost brushing against each other.

"Or because you got a little..." she licked her lips teasingly, "Worried maybe?"

Mark enthusiastically raised his eyebrows at her assumption, glancing at her lips before back into her eyes. He wanted to give her a stern face, but the glimmer in his eyes was saying totally otherwise.

"Oh come on, just admit it." Lexie demanded. He ignored her though, as if he was trying to drive her crazy on purpose. But despite that, he continued slowly inching forward, ready to catch her lips, when she suddenly pulled her head away. "Stop trying to distract me. Admit it." she said again, almost pouting.

What he did admit though, was not what she asked him to. That he got worried was supremely obvious, to the point he didn't even need to say it out loud.

"You keep surprising me." Mark told her softly, and all playfulness was gone. "That's all... I wasn't expecting this..." he pointed with his finger towards her and then back to him, "...to be like that."

"Like what?"

"Different." he announced almost shyly.

Not being able to help herself, she pushed herself up on her toes and brushed her lips along his in a tender kiss. It made her smile when she felt how Mark sighed with contentment. He pressed their mouths more firmly, and it drove her mad at how measured he was being.

She nearly had to cling to him, grabbing his shoulders as she felt her head begin to spin. When his lungs began to burn, Mark reluctantly pulled his lips, a grin spreading over his face, "Is there any other allergies, phobias, or things like that I should be aware of? You know, so I wouldn't accidentally try to kill you again..."

"No... I don't think so." she shook her head, smiling. "No, wait! Apples!"

"I know about apples."

"How do you know about apples?"

"Well, let's just say I noticed some stuff."

"Of course you did..." she rolled her eyes. And then she started wondering, did she yet made to the point of not being able to hide anything from him.