A/N: This is for glassesfreak at MM (.) org. Thanks for requesting!
Title: Worth
Author: Ohtori Akio
Pairing: NaruSasu
Rating: K
Sasuke reminds him of snow, usually.
Beautiful, pristine, perfect, and yet cold to the touch. Once in a while, when they're all sitting around the open fire, he'll look at him and wonder if he can feel any heat through the icy layers he wraps around himself. Ever so often, when he stands along in his silent requiem, he'll play little games in his head: which façade is it today, has his forehead crinkled in thought, how many times has he sighed, and is that smile real or fake? Sometimes he wonders why he wants to know, but mostly finds himself just musing about the snow and all the little intricacies he doesn't understand.
Occasionally, when he can see the tears he is unwilling to shed, he panics; he wants to peel away his skin and peer inside of his head, wants to make sure that a spider hasn't gobbled Sasuke's ice heart before he can melt it.
Frequently, repeatedly, he pries Sasuke's ice cage open with bare hands, just to see if he's still there. Always, he slaps him.
At those times, Sasuke reminds him of fire.
And in those moments, Naruto remembers why the pain is worth it.
END