Scene: “The Bounceback”

The locker room is mostly quiet, lit by pale morning light leaking through the high vents. Steam lingers from early showers. A few socks hang limp from hooks like surrender flags.

Sean’s standing near his locker in a hoodie and mesh shorts, cup of BRAWNDO in hand, staring into the middle distance like he’s listening for his own thoughts. But there’s… tension.

He adjusts. Subtly. Then again. Less subtly.

The soft fabric has betrayed him. The dream’s ghost hasn’t let go.

Enter Lupa—barefoot, carrying a crate of training gear, head tilted like a wolf sensing prey.

He pauses mid-step.

One ear flicks. One brow raises.

Sean avoids eye contact, sips his drink, clears his throat.

“Don’t say it.”

Lupa doesn’t.

He just sets down the crate, reaches in without looking, and—like a druid distributing relics—tosses a clean green jockstrap across the room in a perfect spiral.

Sean catches it reflexively, one-handed. The elastic sings a little.

“Thanks,” he mutters.

Lupa just grunts, already turning to leave.

But before he does, over his shoulder:

“Next time, wear armor to dream patrol.”

Want to add Brody or Hunter into the mix? Or let this one stand as an artifact of locker room grace?

Alright, let’s bring in Brody—because if anyone is going to walk in at the exact wrong (or right) moment, it’s him.

Sean’s halfway into adjusting the strap when Brody walks in, hair still wet, shirtless, balancing a half-eaten banana and a pair of cleats like he’s late for a field trip and also breakfast.