Unprompted.

@destinywoven  asked: ❝  What do you call a fish wearing a bowtie?  ❞ Cyno waits for a beat, before finishing proudly, ❝  Sofishticated. Do you get it? So-fish-ticated. Sophisticated. It's funny because the bowtie makes the fish appear sophisticated, but it's also a play on the word—  ❞

Cyno's jokes are by and large a blatant hit or miss for each who is (un)fortunate enough to hear them & Heizou has regrettably seen plenty of the former in their time together - people unceremoniously attempting to divert Cyno's attention to something else or even flee in whichever direction the wind blew to escape having to listen to yet another of the general's jokes, whereas he could count the ones proven appreciative of the effort & wit put into the deliveries on no more than a single hand. It's such a shame, he remembers musing time & time again, whenever faced with such disheartening scenarios, to snuff out someone as passionate as this' enthusiasm.

It's perhaps because of this factor that, in the beginning of their acquaintanceship, the detective had found himself amiably smiling at Cyno's joke despite the debatable dullness of it ( or was it the initial shock that had affected his view of it, who can say ), unable to allow himself to ruin the other's evident glee when the alternative was something as simple as smiling. Along the way however, and as their relationship steadily developed into a proper friendship, hazel eyes found themselves observing the other far more often than before - lingering at times and paying special mind to the glint in Cyno's eyes or the barely noticeable shift in his facial muscles every time he was preparing to crack a joke.

In fact, he has come to look forward to these subtle changes and the puns that followed, fully aware of how demanding a job like theirs could get & how essential the relief brought by such small joys could prove to be in maintaining a healthy psyche. Polite laughter soon became authentic with the previously unnoticed addition of Cyno's natural talent at delivering jokes ( said with a blank expression and no change from the usual monotone ) & Heizou can still remember both the first time it happened to him as well as the joke that had evoked his genuine laughter. The hilarity does vary with each pun, that much he has to admit, yet since then not once has Heizou been able to keep a straight face when met with one of Cyno's deliveries.

Nowadays there's a mixture of amusement and fondness whenever the other finds or comes up with a new joke to tell ( or a few dozen, if their previous conversations are anything to go by ) and the detective cannot help but think that Cyno looks nothing short of radiant whenever he graces his joke with a snort or shared explanation of sorts. The sight alone manages to put Heizou in a better mood too, and it's part of why he's recently even gotten into the habit of replying in kind to Cyno's jokes ( the experience is funnier than he thought it'd be, that's for certain, but pleasantly so ).

There's the familiar shine in Cyno's eyes, and even though he has yet to turn around to utter it, honed instincts know a joke is about to appear at any moment... and it does, not long afterwards. Heizou chuckles at both the pun and unnecessary but endearing explanation & at the way he's learned the general's patterns so well in such a short amount of time, the smile on his face brighter than many he's given others thorough the day.

He forces himself to put up a more collected facade after a few moments of visible joy, pairing such with a groan of false exasperation during the delivery of his own joke as if to grant it validity, though his amused tone betrays him still, and so does the tiny smile that seems to grow at the corners of his lips. ❛ And let me guess, that sofishticated fellow was headed to a wedding? Man alive, they're really letting anyone ofishiate ceremonies lately. ❜