Luke woke suddenly, feeling cold and uncomfortable. His sheets were damp, and confusion flickered across his face as he realized what had happened. Sitting up, he stared at the ceiling, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. "Not again... why does this keep happening?"
Luke tried to focus on the activity, but his mind was elsewhere. During a practice rescue, he accidentally tugged too hard on Cody's pants, leaving them around his ankles and exposing his superhero-themed underwear to the entire group. Laughter erupted, and Cody's face turned crimson. "L-Luke! Why did you do that?" The echoes of giggles made Cody want to disappear.
Cody sat at his desk, avoiding eye contact with everyone. He wondered why he had started wetting the bed again—was it the hypnosis app his brother joked about? He felt isolated, unsure how to ask for help or if anyone would understand what he was going through. Meanwhile, Luke struggled with his own secret, feeling awkward about wearing diapers at night to stop the mess.
As the days passed, Luke and Cody began to talk more. They shared their worries, admitting their embarrassing secrets to each other. Instead of judgment, they found understanding, and a new kind of trust began to grow. "You know," Luke said one afternoon, "maybe we're not so different after all."
Luke bounced onto the couch, excitement in his eyes. "There's a new superhero show tonight. Want to watch it with me?" Cody grinned, his earlier embarrassment forgotten. "Sure! And maybe tomorrow, we can go to the park, then the comic shop?" The promise of a fun weekend made both boys feel lighter, their troubles fading for a while.
Luke[/@ch_1] and Cody race each other along the path. The comic book shop's neon sign glows invitingly in the distance.]
As they played and browsed superhero comics together, Luke realized how much he valued Cody's friendship. They no longer saw each other as just classmates, but as brothers—united by their love of heroes, and their willingness to share even the most embarrassing parts of themselves. In the pages of their favorite comics, and in each other, they found the courage to be real.
