A/N: Hello? Um, I guess I've been missing from ffnet for a few years already... That's one long hiatus. I do hope my writing style haven't changed much, if it has, I hope it's for the better. Anyway, have a sweet fluffy OnS fanfic! (It's my first ever readerxcharacter fan fiction so I don't know if I did it right.. eheh go easy on me) I wrote this for fun cause exams are coming up and all the good ideas come during this time

Prompt: Cold

Pairing: It's really ambiguous but I'm gonna say fem!readerxGuren cause I used the word 'tresses'.

A long, sharp gasp…

…a pregnant pause…

…another sharp gasp. You finally threw your hands up in frustration, disturbing the arrangement of your blankets, much to the disdain of the person resting on the opposite end of the soft, cushion couch. "Ugh," you muttered, sniffling. "I need to sneeze. I could feel it coming, I get ready for it but it just doesn't come." You childishly push the tissue box off the couch, sending it tumbling to the carpeted floor. "I hate being sick."

Guren sighed and you could hear the dull thump as he closed the book he was reading, setting it aside to focus his attention on you. "And yet you're still as loud as ever, (y/n)" he commented dryly. You pouted in reply, making the edges of his mouth curl upwards in mirth.

After a moment of consideration, he pushed the blankets off him, quickly getting to his feet despite your noises of protest. Being sick, everything was cold to you but Guren was warm. And now he was leaving, throwing on a light, dull green jacket and proceeding to walk towards his front door.

"Where are you going?" you called after him, poking your head over the couch.

Guren gave you a sidelong glance. "Out," he replied simply. "Don't move around so much unless you really have to." He came back to the couch, ruffling your hair and bending down to give you a gentle peck on your extremely warm forehead. "Better yet, get some proper rest." You knew he was referring to the stack of papers you had brought back with you from your office in the JIDA headquarters. Currently they were still lying on the floor, together with your abandoned half empty tissue box.

"But the reports are due this week," you whined. "And besides, I'm pretty sure I'm on to something. Kureto has been surprisingly interested in the results of the lab's research lately." You sniffled again. "The head of the research team can't be out of commission for so long."

It was strange. Most of the time, it was Guren who was always watching you work over your shoulder. He didn't say anything, but you felt the drive to do better, to make him proud. If only your work could produce results that could be useful to him. So you pushed yourself to your limits -despite the excessive effort sometimes attracting the unwanted attention of some higher ups- and now when you're at the edge of something big, the dark haired man stared at you with his purple hues and said, "You work too much."

You scowled.

"I certainly don't-"

Guren didn't stay long enough to hear the rest of your sentence. He gave you a dismissive wave and disappeared down the entrance hallway. You could hear the front door open and close with a click, leaving you alone with the silence of his apartment.

At times like these, you wished Shinya were there to fill the silence with his cheerful attitude.

You didn't know how long Guren left but by the time you heard the front door open, you were deeply engrossed in the report that you were reading, occasionally muttering to yourself while scribbling down some notes at the sides. You were also beginning to feel lightheaded, perhaps due to the stuffy nose that had you gasping out for air once in a while.

You vaguely heard an irritated noise before the paper you were reading was snatched away and you looked up to a frowning Guren, eyebrows stitched together in a mix between exasperation and concern.

"Here." He replaced the paper with a glass of water and a bottle of small, white pills: medicine for your cold, exactly what you needed. "I don't keep medicine around in my apartment. Shigure and Sayuri are the ones who take care of these stuff whenever I'm sick," he explained, settling down in the spot beside you on the couch.

Without a word, you uncapped the bottle and swallowed down two whole pills, downing the glass of water in a few gulps. You cringed, "I hate pills. Thank-"

Your words died in you throat when you noticed the look of surprise on Guren's face, eyebrows raised, eyes wide, "What?"

"Sayuri told me to give you one pill per day since these could cause drowsiness," he said. "And you took two in one go, you idiot."

"Ah…" you chuckled nervously, "I'll go out like a light bulb once they hit."

Sighing, Guren reached towards you to pull you into the space between his legs, your side resting against his sturdy chest. You buried your face in the crook of his neck, enjoying the soft scent of lavender and ashes that was uniquely him.

The gentle rise and fall of his breathing gradually lulled you into a half-awake state, soaking up his warmth as he held you in his arms. You could feel his fingers gently stroking your hair, running through your (h/c) tresses, occasionally bringing them up to his lips in a fond gesture. He rarely showed this side of him. This man who felt so deeply, yet to guard his heart, to guard himself, fooled the world into letting them believe he was shallow and cynical.

"I am a selfish man," you heard him whisper. "There are so many things that I want. Power, respect, revenge. So many ambitions. And yet, my biggest ambition of all… is to love you properly."

You wanted to answer him, maybe tease him a bit, but a certain heaviness tugged at your conscience, coaxing you to give in to the demands of your sluggish body. To drift away into a peaceful slumber. Must be the pills, you thought groggily.

"I will exploit so many people in order to realize my ambitions. I will probably hurt them," Guren said, tightening his hold on you, "The only person that I do not want to use, is you."

"But for now, I am still powerless, still weak. So forgive me, if you find yourself straining for my sake. Just a little bit more (y/n), we are going to see the end of night."

And then you succumbed to the sweet embrace of sleep.

a/n: Can I just say that I absolutely adore Guren~ Hope he wasn't too OOC.. And leave a review on your way out!~