Title: No Letter

Summary: For a dumb blond, Snow sure likes to carry on surprising her.

A/N: Slightly AU, but... meh. Details. I was going to post all of my fics as one story, but I felt that the world needed more non-Lightning/Hope or Lightning/Fang stories; no offence to those who ship them! Also I love Snow to bits.

Lightning is hunting down cactuars near a rest point when she hears Snow swear loudly, followed by a heavy kick, and she nearly drops Blazefire Saber in surprise. Twirling the weapon around and shoving it into its case, she strides over to him. When she reaches him, his fists are clenched, and he lets loose another curse before ducking his head into his large collar. He looks almost like a kicked puppy, and the comparison makes her smirk.

"What's wrong?" she asks lightly, tapping the keypad of the shop. It twirls around, as if it's excited to see her, and the screens immediately branch out. Everything seems to be in working condition. "The shop's working fine."

"It's not that," Snow mumbles into his trenchcoat.

"Isn't it your turn to do the shopping?" She eyes the poach of gil in his pocket. There's at least a hundred thousand in there, and she hopes that Snow hasn't splashed it all out on wax and antidotes. They have healers for a reason. "...Have you spent anything?"

He mumbles something again.

"What?"

Snow raises his head, still glaring at the ground. He gives it a childish kick, irritated. "No."

"Why not?"

"Because..." He ducks his head again, looking embarrassed.

"Because..?"

"The shops, they, uh, they won't, um, open up, y'know? Yeah, that's it. I keep trying and trying, but they refuse to open."

She has just the smallest feeling that he might just be lying a tiny bit, but says nothing, instead turning on the system and tapping on the shops. Going to the Unicorn Mart, she's not surprised at all to see it in working condition. Just to be on the safe side, she buys a few potions, yanking them into her poach as soon as they materialise on the pad nearby. Yep. The shops are definitely 'broken'.

"You are one of the worst people at lying that I have ever met."

The prideful look deflates like a balloon on his face. Snow ducks his head down again, messing about with the frayed sleeves of his trenchcoat. "Don't laugh, aight?"

"What's there to laugh at?" she asks.

"Lightning."

"Okay," she says, nodding her head. What could have gotten him so sheepish and upset? ...And using her full name. No Light, no Sis? "I won't laugh. Promise."

Snow takes a deep breath, and then says, "I can't read."

What?

Lightning has always prided herself on her composure, but it takes several seconds for her to speak. "You can't... you can't what? Read?" It's practically law in Bodhum – scratch that, in all of Cocoon – that all children five and above can read the alphabet. Snow may have been raised in an orphanage, but surely they let the children learn how to read..? "All children know how to read."

She immediately regrets her harsh tone as Snow bristles. "I know that," he says. "But the orphanage never bothered to teach us. They just... kinda assumed that we all already knew, since most kids weren't toddlers, like me. As long as we stayed out of trouble, they didn't care about our education, I suppose. They offered to teach me, but... I never liked the Sanctum much. So I said no. Thought I could teach myself."

Well that would explain things. "You don't... does anyone else know?"

"Serah," Snow mumbles, his cheeks brightening. "None of the gang know. She's the only one who does." Lightning sees his fingers clench around the crystal tear in his pocket. She says nothing.

"...Well then. I'll just have to teach you, won't I?"

Snow's head snaps up to meet her. "What?"

"You're not deaf as well, are you?"

"W-what? No, no, of course not, I'm just... why would you offer?"

"Because." Lightning takes out her gunblade, shifts it to its gun mode, and shoots a series of curves in the grass near them. Snow winces at the loud bangs.

"Whoa whoa, hey!"

She smirks. "That's an 'a'. And this-" She shoots another shape, all curves crossed with a straight line, beside it. "-Is a 'b'."

"That," Snow announces, back to his usual boisterous self. "Is confusing as hell."

"Confusing as Pulse?"

"Agh, you know what I mean!"

"Yeah. Can I show you a phrase? It's not one that you'll ever need, but it's still nice to know."

He looks hesitant, but nods. "...Okaaayyyy. Fire away."

Pointing her weapon to above the two letters, she easily frays the grass to form a message that she's never quite been able to get out with her own voice.

Snow peers closer, arms crossed. "What does that say?"

Lightning smiles.

"Thank you."