Work Text:
nilou is the only one who laughs at his jokes.
cyno knows he isn’t the funniest person. his jokes are forced and his humor is childish. it doesn't stop him from telling them anyway. it does influence who he tells, however. it means he’ll never approach tighnari with a plant joke for the sake of his well-being, or candace with a pun that makes her eye twitch. it means dehya won’t be getting any more annoying cat jokes out of him, and al-haitham is safe from his unstoppable streak.
a part of him thinks telling bad jokes will make him more approachable to his peers at the akademiya, but he isn’t too sure about how true that is anymore. after all, he’s general mahamatra; untouchable, serious, ridiculously high on his pedestal and anyone who dares to approach him will be vanquished like a tree hit by lightning on a rainy day.
but then there’s nilou, sweet, sweet nilou who snorts when something is too funny or stares at him with wide eyes as she waits for his immature punchline.
it’s great, how eager she is to hear his jokes, so he always makes sure to have his funniest ones prepared when he goes to meet her.
“so what did the cactus say to the other cactus, cyno?” she asks, leaning forward with eyes that glitter like the ocean at sunset.
he clears his throat and adjusts his helm before sending her a wayward glance. his face remains impassive as he inclines towards her just a tad. “you’re looking sharp,” he replies flatly, gauging her expression.
there’s a two second interval before nilou is laughing, genuinely laughing as she tosses her head back and holds her stomach, giggling uncontrollably.
nilou is the only one who laughs at his jokes. it always makes him smile.
fin