It started small. A sharp breath that hitched halfway out of his chest.
"Ha…"
Then another.
"Ha…"
And then it spiraled completely out of control.
"HAHAHA!"
The sound burst out of him, loud and unrestrained, echoing off the walls as he bent forward, one hand braced on his knees while the other pressed against his face. His shoulders shook. His breath came in uneven gasps. He shook like a man who had finally snapped under the weight of something deeply, cosmically unfair.
How hard could it be?
That question replayed in his head over and over, each time sounding more ridiculous than the last.
How hard.
As hard as keeping your eyes open when you sneeze.
As hard as biting your own ear.
As hard as going through hell and back, only to be calmly informed that you would need to do it all over again because, apparently, it hadn't been hard enough.
He straightened just enough to drag a hand down his face, exasperated laughter still spilling out in broken bursts.
