Heiji blinked for a second in surprise, then laughed. It was a warm sound, the first time he'd laughed since this nonsense with the punishments had first started. And from it, Snake could probably tell that his voice was still usable, even if he wasn't allowed to talk.

He leaned over and tapped Snake's cheek just once. It turned into Heiji tracing the line of Snake's jaw in a clear gesture of affection.