By the time Max is ripping the shirt from his body, Skulduggery has managed to get control of himself. It helps that he doesn't have any face to school into neutrality and that his grin is multipurpose.

"Hah! Whoo, boy." Skulduggery pushes his hat back to rub at his skull like he has sweat to wipe away. "I... did not expect that. At all." Actually, okay. In the cold light of post-hysteria, that was a fairly unsportsmanlike reaction to have. It was hilarious, no doubt about it, and it absolutely warranted a polite round of laughing, maybe a finger point or two, but...

"Sorry about that," he says, "I think I might have just had a mental breakdown."

He probably shouldn't sound so grateful for it, but honestly? He really, really needed that.