The sun had almost set behind the caldera mountains by the time Demo and Irem reached the royal palace. Only a few golden rays could be seen peaking over the walls, illuminating the paved path and the well-worn red carpet covering it. The imperial insignia woven onto the fabric was now barely visible, having been smudged with dirt and torn in several places.

"Well, this certainly looks worse for wear", Demo muttered disparagingly under his breath.

"Buying new carpets isn't exactly the Fire Lord's main priority right now", Irem replied defensively.

The larger man cringed at his compatriot; they had very different feelings about their supposedly glorious Fire Lord. It was still baffling to Demo that an eighteen-year-old boy who had been a total disgrace to his family, not to mention a traitor, was now ruling the very nation he had betrayed. And the people were just supposed to stand aside and accept it because the Avatar had decreed so? Demo didn't support a revolution, but he could understand why so many people were turning to violence. This whole situation just wasn't right in his opinion.

Irem had an opposing view. In his mind, loyalty to the Fire Nation was the most important issue, regardless of who was sitting on the throne. Fire Lord Zuko was the eldest child of Fire Lord Ozai and by all accounts a capable firebender, and for Irem that was enough justification. He would serve the Fire Lord with honor, regardless of any personal feelings about the boy. Demo knew his companion was staunch as a Komodo-rhino when it came to his values, but that wasn't going to stop Demo from trying to make a point.

"It's not just the carpet Irem, it's everything in the Fire Nation. That kid has mucked up the whole system!"

"Here we go again", Irem let out an exasperated sigh. He had heard this particular rant on at least half a dozen other occasions, and he wasn't feeling in the mood for a refresher.

Demo shot an annoyed look in his friend's direction before continuing. "We were on the cusp of total victory in a war we'd been fighting for a century, and there were only a couple rebel cells to mop up!"

"If by 'rebel cells' I assume you mean vast swaths of the Earth Kingdom we barely controlled, and, uh… technically there was also the Northern Water Tribe, they were still free!"

"Don't interrupt me, Irem! And yes, I'm well aware of the Northern Water Tribe, but they were hardly a threat anyways!"

"Are you sure about that Demo? They seemed to hold up pretty well against the massive invasion force we sent to the North Pole."

"What did I just say about interrupting me? In case you've forgotten, that whole debacle was Admiral Zhao's vanity project, nothing more. And for your information, it was the Avatar that destroyed our fleet, not the waterbenders."

"Are you quite done yet?"

"As a matter of fact, I am not done yet!"

"Spirits, if you have any mercy left in your fiery heart, please end it now!"

"Ha-ha, very funny Irem, your sarcasm truly knows no bounds. But as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, our glorious nation has gone to the rats! A century of progress is being undone in front of our very eyes. We're running away from the Earth Kingdom with our tail between our legs, our once-mighty army is being dismantled, and the supposed 'Fire Lord' is letting the Avatar walk all over him!"

"And the carpets are dirty?"

"Yes!" Demo let out small puffs of flame as he finished his rant.

"Feel better now?"

The larger man paused to regain his composure. "Yeah, thanks for listening to my rambling."

Irem shook his head, "No problem, that's what good friends do."

The two men stood in companionable silence for a few moments before setting their minds back on track. As they did so, Irem noticed the final rays of light disappear behind the palace walls, leaving them nearly in darkness.

"So much for meeting the Fire Lord by sunset, I reckon the captain won't be all too pleased with us."

"Don't worry yourself Irem, what she doesn't know won't hurt her."

Irem almost admired his friend's thought process… almost. "Hey, despite your ramblings earlier, you're nervous to meet with the Fire Lord, aren't you?"

"Nervous? Of course I'm nervous! You think I actually want him yelling at me? I might not think highly of him but he's about as powerful as a person can be, apart from the Avatar of course."

Irem chuckled softly. "At least you're honest, but don't worry about it. If he does get angry at us being late, I'll take the blame."

Satisfied with their agreement, the two guards resumed their walk up to the palace gate. When they reached their destination, Demo took out his keys to open the lock. He fumbled with them for a bit but hesitantly stopped and turned to Irem.

"Not much light to work with, huh? You'd think the Fire Lord could afford to have someone go around and keep the braziers lit. Say, we used to have a guy that did those sorts of things, right?"

Irem took a second to ponder the question before replying. "You mean old man Ken?"

"Yeah, that's the one! Whatever happened to him?"

"He was forced to retire early. I think I heard the palace servants mentioned something about budget restraints."

"Huh, well then, could you give me some light to work with?"

"You could always try just knocking on the door; someone is bound to answer eventually."

"That would be too humiliating."

"Not for me."

"Maybe not for you, but it would be for me, so quit your yammering and give me some light!"

Irem took a deep breath and began heating the air around his palm, a tiny flame flickered to life, filling Demo with warmth and providing him a much-needed light.

"That's got to be the saddest looking flame I ever saw, put some more juice into it!"

Irem grumbled and the flame quickly grew to several times its initial size.

"There we go that's much better!" Demo continued fumbling with the keys, and after several failed attempts, he finally found the correct pin and inserted it inside the keyhole.

*Click*

"There we go, open sesame!"

"Great work Demo, it only took you two minutes to find the right key this time."

"Hey, don't be mean! That's a whole thirty seconds faster than last time!"

Irem sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He extinguished the fire he had made and proceeded to help Demo open the heavy palace doors, even though the larger man probably could have managed on his own. Once they were inside the scent of jasmine hit their nostrils and began to calm their nerves. The palace was dimly lit with an orange glow, and the few braziers still alight made the palace feel very warm and stuffy, even on a cooler day. They walked slowly toward the throne room, stopping to ask for directions on two separate occasions. They found the security to be shockingly light, and reasoned that the Fire Lord was either extremely confident in his own abilities or he really couldn't afford any more guards. Still, those they did stumble across were a blessing. The two men weren't regulars in the palace, so they needed all the help they could get to navigate its labyrinthine depths. Instead of in one fell swoop, the palace had been constructed over the course of several centuries, with different Fire Lords adding their own rooms and passages. It also had a long history of suffering damage and needing repairs. Avatar Kyoshi had caused significant damage to parts of the palace during her first trip to the Fire Nation, and her successor Avatar Roku had quite literally blown up the rear end of the building, during an altercation with a previous Fire Lord. Thankfully, Avatar Aang had not caused any harm to the palace… yet.

As they approached the main entrance to the throne room, they encountered a kind looking elderly man in minister robes, flanked by two Imperial Firebenders. The guards stood in silent attention at the door, their gilded helmets obscuring any emotion from onlookers. The old man stepped forward and greeted the new arrivals.

"Hello gentlemen, I am Minister Maji, how may I be of service?"

Demo moved to speak first, but Irem beat him to the punch. More tact was needed when dealing with government officials. No matter how nice this old man seemed, his powerful firebending companions could char broil both of them at a moment's notice.

"Thank you, Minister, I apologize that we have arrived so late at night. We are here to speak with the Fire Lord."

"That much is obvious!" Maji gave the two men a cheeky grin before continuing. "Do you have an appointment?"

"No, we have a package of missives that we were instructed to bring him; we were just assigned this task a few hours ago."

"If it is just missives then there is no need for a meeting with his highness, you may leave the package here and it will be processed with the rest when time permits."

Irem shot Demo a hesitant glance before responding. "Actually Minister, we have orders from Captain Lyra to deliver this package in person. And while we could leave it with you, I think the captain would much prefer things be done by the books."

Maji began to lightly stroke his beard, clearly deep in thought. "I've never met Captain Lyra, but the Fire Lord has worked closely with her before, he's even been considering offering her a position as general, if my sources are correct. I suppose he won't mind seeing the two of you."

Maji nodded towards one of the guards who positioned himself to open the door. "Try not to linger; the Fire Lord has been very busy as of late."

Irem nudged Demo in the ribs before he could make a snide remark. Thankfully, neither the Minister nor his guards seemed to notice the gesture. The last thing Irem needed was to make a fool of himself by association in front of such an important individual.

"We will Minister, thank you for your hasty cooperation. I will be sure to inform Captain Lyra of your fine qualities."

Maji seemed more amused than flattered by Irem's attempt at adulation, but regardless he decided to let it slide. "I'm sure you will; now move swiftly, the Fire Lord is waiting!"

The guard opened the door, and let the two men inside. With a soft clang the door shut, and the nervousness that had previously been quelled now returned in all its furry. The sweet scent of jasmine was replaced by smoke and scented resin, which made the two men far more alert. Irem looked around and noticed two more Imperial Firebenders, just barely visible in the shadowy corners of the room. Demo either didn't notice or didn't care; his attention was directed solely at the far end of the throne room. There, behind a wall of orange flame, sat a shadowy figure. The leader of their nation, and the most powerful man in the world, save for the Avatar. There sat Fire Lord Zuko.

The two men slowly approached the Fire Lord's throne. And despite their best efforts, they couldn't hide their hesitation. Irem looked to his side and thought for a moment that he saw movement in the shadows. He quickly dismissed it as his mind playing tricks on him and turned back to Demo, who was still solely focused on the man wreathed in flame. They passed by several sets of large columns, and eventually made their way to the foot of the throne. The red and gold inlaid carpet ended several feet from its base, which to Irem indicated they were to stop there. He quietly kneeled in front of his lord, and Demo moved to follow his lead. Irem's head remained low in a bow, but Demo's head remained aloft, his eyes intently studying the features of his ruler.

The fire obscuring his form had somewhat dissipated, although the braziers situated on the edge of the throne remained very much alight. They blazed a pale orange color, almost yellow, and Demo thought he saw strands of green and purple flicker and disappear back into their fiery hearths. The flames would rise and fall with each breath and even beat like a heart, as if they were tied to the life of their master. Speaking of which, Demo now had a clear look at the traitorous Fire Lord. Having only seen him before in illustrations, the man before him seemed very different. That's right, he was a man, a very young man, but certainly not a boy, as so many detractors dismissed him as. The way he carried himself, the weariness written all over his body; it distinguished him as someone who had seen much in his short life. He had very pale skin, which seemed to glow in the fire light. And he let his dark brown hair take on a more ruffled appearance, instead of the cleaner look usually worn by the Fire Lord. Despite this unprofessional motif, it made him appear older and more menacing. And that wasn't even taking into account his most noticeable feature. A hideous scar surrounded his left eye and expanded outwards to cover much of that side of his face. Nobody truly knew how he acquired it, but the rumor was that it was "given" to him by his father, the former Fire Lord Ozai.

After Demo had finished staring at the Fire Lord's face he turned towards Irem, who was still deeply bowing. That was when Demo realized they weren't alone. Besides the Fire Lord himself, there were at least half a dozen Imperial Firebenders lurking in the shadows, watching their every move. Demo turned back towards the Fire Lord, who seemed to be sleeping, no… meditating. Just as Demo was wondering whether or not to disturb him, the Fire Lord's eyes opened.

They were a golden color, like many people in the Fire Nation, but they seemed incredibly deep; as if they had seen much suffering. The right eye was fully open, while the left eye only opened halfway, as if it were drowsy. Demo secretly wondered whether he could see out of it at all. The Fire Lord briefly locked eyes with him, before turning his attention towards Irem. His expression was neutral, and then he spoke.

"You do realize you're supposed to talk to me, and not the other way around, right?"

Irem was quick to reply. "Yes, my Lord, forgive my poor judgment, you seemed preoccupied."

"No, not really… I'm just tired; it's been a long day."

"Of course, then… shall we get onto business?"

"You tell me, I'm assuming that's the reason you're here?"

"Yes, of course my Lord, we have brought a package of missives that Captain Lyra ordered us to bring to you in person."

Irem untied a fairly large package from his belt and presented it to the Fire Lord. The package was covered in a cloth wrapping and held together with thick pieces of rope, clearly to protect its contents from any potential mishaps along the route to its delivery. It also curiously lacked the imperial insignia that marked most important mail, perhaps this was done to disinterest any would-be package thieves. Regardless, it was still nothing out of the ordinary.

"Oh… I see." The Fire Lord appeared visibly disappointed. "Guards, take this package to my study. Put it… just put it on the pile."

Two more Imperial Firebenders emerged, seemingly out of thin air, took the package from Irem, and carried it out of the room.

The Fire Lord looked back at his two-man audience and noticed they were still kneeling. "Gentlemen, rise."

Demo stood up first; his knees clearly hurting, Irem joined him a moment later.

"So… is there a reason Captain Lyra asked you two to bring me these missives in person?"

Irem paused, briefly glancing towards Demo, before proceeding to answer. "She wasn't very clear my Lord, but I was under the impression that she had received many missives relating to the same general subject. And they were important enough that she considered them worthy of your immediate attention."

"I see… tell Captain Lyra that I will prioritize these documents. In fact, I'll probably read them tonight."

"Very good my Lord, I will inform the captain of what you have said. I believe that is all we have to say, is there anything you require before we depart?"

The Fire Lord relaxed his posture and began to speak, the slightest twinge of a smile on the corners of his lips. "That will be all gentlemen, although I must say, I'm impressed by Captain Lyra's dedication. Sending two guards to deliver a package to me in person? She must really like me."

The Fire Lord's attempt at humor caused Irem to become flustered, although he quickly recovered his composure. "Um… yes… I suppose she does my Lord."

"Unfortunately… I'm already spoken for." The Fire Lord held up his hand, which was adorned with a golden ring. It was clearly a simple ring worn by government officials, not an engagement ring. It probably wasn't even made out of real gold, but his joke was clear.

Irem noticed a snickering sound coming from his left, Demo was… laughing? At the Fire Lord's joke, no less.

Demo noticed he was being watched and abruptly ended his laughter. "What? It was a good joke."

In response, the Fire Lord let out a faint chuckle of his own. "At least someone appreciates my sense of humor around here."

The three men sat in silence for a few moments, nobody quite sure what to do next.

The Fire Lord was the first to speak. "Well, you two should best be on your way. I'm sure the Minister is quite nervous by now."

The two men bowed and began to leave the room. They had gotten half way before being interrupted.

"By the way gentlemen, what are your names?"

The tall muscular man was the first to reply. "My name is Demo, my Lord."

His shorter compatriot quickly followed up. "And my name is Irem, my Lord."

"Demo and Irem, it's nice to meet you. I hope we can work together once again in the future."

This time Demo beat Irem to the punch. "As do I, my Lord." He gave a deep bow, and then proceeded to exit the room.

As the Fire Lord had predicted, Minister Maji was franticly pacing back and forth while biting his nails. He was so absorbed that he didn't seem to register that the doors had opened until one of the Imperial Firebenders poked his shoulder.

"Ah, gentlemen, I assume your meeting with his majesty went swimmingly?"

"It did, the Fire Lord was very pleased to have received the captain's package in a timely fashion." Irem didn't want to alarm the old man, at that age people tended to be easily excitable.

"Good, very good, excellent in fact. Well, it's gotten quite late; the two of you should best be on your way."

"Of course, Minister, your hospitality has been most appreciated."

"Um… excuse me." Demo interrupted, "Could we get an escort out of the palace? The hallways are quite… loopy."

Maji shot his guards a quizzical look before returning his focus. "Of course; Jai will escort you outside, he knows the palace like the back of his hand!"

Irem and Demo gave the minister a courtesy bow, and proceeded to follow their escort. Along the way they admired the palace architecture and filled their lungs with the sweet scent of jasmine. Once the two men were near enough to the entrance to find their way out the escort let them be, and it wasn't long until Demo spoke up.

"He really is something."

"Who is? Are you referring to the Fire Lord?"

"Yeah, he's not like what I expected. I'm still not pleased with his policies, but perhaps things aren't quite as bad as I made them out to be."

That brought a smile to Irem's face. "What have I always told you? A strong leader can go a long way!"

"I hope you're right."

The two men exited the palace and took in the fresh night air. For the first time in a while, they were excited about what the future might hold.

"You know this isn't the right path Fire Lord Zuko. You need to be strong. Only strength can ensure your rule."

Zuko scowled as he exited the throne room and walked through the royal gallery. The faces of his predecessors seemed to stare down at him, as if they could see right through his soul. He lingered around the picture of his father, Fire Lord Ozai, or "Phoenix King Ozai" as he preferred to be called. Even with the man rotting in prison, his specter continued to haunt Zuko's reign. Millions still refused to recognize him as the legitimate ruler of the Fire Nation, and some had even resorted to rebellion, in some kind of last-ditch effort to end his rule. But it wasn't solely about politics; Zuko also had more personal grievances with his father. In the months following the revelation that his mother was possibly still alive, Zuko had made several attempts to find her, but all his inquires had resulted in dead ends. Without any real leads, Zuko had turned to his father, although he too ultimately proved unhelpful. Zuko was still unsure whether the man was withholding information, or really had no idea and was simply stringing him along. Either way, Zuko doubted there was a way to extract any information from him. Ozai would only speak when he wanted to, manipulation and torture didn't work.

"Thanks a lot dad…"

"Don't be so bitter Fire Lord Zuko; you will get your way eventually."

The feminine voice had been clawing at the back of his mind in recent days. He had first experienced it during a fever dream about a year ago, when he became ill in Ba Sing Se. But now the voice had returned, no doubt embodying some aspect of his exhausted mind. It seemed to encourage him, but the tone was insincere.

"You have the power to make him talk…"

"Shut up!" Zuko yelled, much louder than he had intended. Hopefully none of the servants had heard that, the last thing he needed were rumors about a mad Fire Lord.

"I'm just delirious from a lack of sleep, that's all this is…" as he mumbled to himself, Zuko knew his words were only half true. There was something else, or rather, someone else on his mind. But she could wait; right now, he had important documents to look over.

As Zuko walked towards his study, his mind sifted through all the horrible things that could possibly be written on those documents. Contrary to what he told Demo and Irem, Captain Lyra didn't really like him. She respected him… or at least, he hoped she did, but the two were not particularly fond of one another. When he first took office, Zuko began the tiresome process of purging government officials, especially those in charge of the military. Looking back, this was probably a huge mistake, since Zuko now suspected many of the puppet masters behind the rebellions were ex-military officials. He needed to install men loyal to his cause, and he had asked his uncle Iroh to assist in that task. Iroh had managed to fill about a third of the government with people not loyal to Ozai, and for that Zuko was grateful. But while his uncle meant well, and was usually a good judge of character, he was clearly lacking when it came to politicians.

Iroh had recommended Lyra as captain of the Capital Guards, and it was honestly one of his better choices. She was efficient, but also a bit of a loner. If she needed Zuko to read these documents so urgently, something really bad had probably happened. Zuko could already tell it was going to be a long night.

After a long walk, Zuko finally reached the door to his study. He had never paid much attention to this room during his childhood growing up in the palace, but now that he was filling out paperwork and reading historical documents on a near-daily basis, it came surprisingly in handy. He opened the door and was greeted by an embarrassingly large pile of documents, most of them unread. At the top was the cloth package, no doubt containing the warnings for some catastrophe yet to occur. He grabbed the package and sat down at his desk. He had only just begun opening it when a voice jolted him to attention.

"You aren't even going to say hi?"

Zuko's heart leapt into his throat, and he nearly fell out of his chair.

"Mai…? I didn't realize you were there."

"Clearly", she retorted in her usual deadpan voice.

"Ah… um… so…" Zuko tried to speak, but he was still too frazzled to construct a coherent sentence. Mai occasionally surprised him like this, she was almost like a ghost, and it was really quite frightening.

"What's in the package?"

"Oh, you mean this thing? Just a bunch of missives, probably not anything good, knowing my luck."

He picked up a knife and continued opening the package. Sure enough, dozens of scrolls fell out, like guts spilling from a dead animal. He picked up the scroll with the most hastily formed seal. Quality took time, and that was not a luxury important news enjoyed. As he unrolled the document and began reading, his sense of dread was only reinforced. An assassin had been caught within the city walls, and she was believed to have accomplices. This wasn't a raid by disgruntled soldiers on a remote village; this was an attempted personal attack. The rebels were getting desperate. Zuko quickly combed over the other scrolls which cataloged various disturbances further away from the capital. One of the scrolls in particular documented a child that had been kidnapped and held for an exorbitant ransom, which the local leader agreed to pay.

"If only you had the willpower to stop them…"

Zuko cast the dark thoughts out of his mind, but Mai had clearly noticed his dour glare and pursed lips.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing, it's nothing, just the usual criminal antics."

"You're a terrible liar Zuko." Mai, clearly unconvinced, snatched the first scroll out of his hands before he could react. He tried to make a grab for it, but she outstretched her arm and dug her nails into his face.

"Ouch, ouch, what's your problem woman!?"

"My problem is you, Zuko. Why don't you talk to me if you're worried?"

Zuko grit his teeth, they had been down this road before. "Fine, let's talk about it. This is a big escalation; they haven't tried something like this against me before."

"So?"

Zuko could sense a fight coming on, but he was too tired to care at this point.

"So? Is that really all you have to say? People want to see me dead no matter the cost and all you can say is so?"

"Zuko, you know that's not what I meant."

"Really, then what did you mean? I've been trying to understand what you're saying for years now, and frankly it seems impossible!" Zuko accentuated his proclamation by waving his arms, knocking over several piles in the process.

Mai took a small breath, which for someone of her disposition was a massive show of emotion. She was clearly holding back harsher words. "What I mean is that you're more than capable of handling some would-be assassins. You shouldn't waste your energy on paranoia."

"Is not wanting to die suddenly paranoia? And just because I probably could take out anyone who comes after me, that doesn't mean I should delude myself into a false sense of security."

"Zuko, you're misinterpreting what I'm saying. You shouldn't ignore the problem, but you also shouldn't let it consume you. Honestly, you sound like Azula."

Mai saw Zuko's expression darken; and quickly realized she had just made a big mistake. Zuko hated being compared to others, least of all his sister.

When Zuko finally spoke, it was cold and precise, very unnatural for his personality. "Don't ever compare me to her again." He perfectly enunciated every word, to make sure she understood what he was saying.

Mai normally would've backed off to let Zuko calm down, but she was feeling particularly feisty tonight. "I'm not taking back what I said; you've become obsessed with your position. You spend hours in this room fretting over every little problem, you have guards watching everybody in the palace, and you perceive everything as a potential threat. Just like her."

Zuko's scowl deepened and the candles on the desk began to burn brighter, making the room feel uncomfortably warm. Most of the government officials would've been eager to leave by now, but not Mai, she knew how he worked. Zuko was like a saber-toothed moose-lion, he couldn't be outrun, so the only option was to stand one's ground.

"Don't deny it. You know just as well as I do that it's all true. Stop wasting my time and yours on this drivel. You have ministers to handle these things."

"I know that, but half of them would rather see my father on the throne now! How can I trust them?"

"Here we go again; you continue to prove my point."

"Mai, you do realize that the rest are only loyal because they were bought and paid for. Once they lose interest in me, they'll jump ship!" Zuko was practically shouting now, his anger was beginning to get the better of him.

Mai merely sighed in response. "I'm going home, goodnight Zuko."

Zuko's tune softened, but he knew the conversation was over.

"Mai, wait a minute, I'm sorry I overreacted again. We can stay and talk things out like you wanted…" But even as the words left his mouth, Zuko knew he had lost this battle.

"No Zuko, I can see we aren't making any progress tonight. Ultimately the decision is up to you, you're the Fire Lord after all. But I want you to think about what I said, and I mean really think about it this time."

With that she closed the study door and left Zuko alone with his thoughts. He was sure she was right, but it didn't feel like she was, not this time anyway. He believed his behavior was justified, despite what Mai might think. And imagine, comparing him to her… Zuko found the very notion vile. Perhaps Mai didn't understand him as well as she thought.

"Maybe it's you who doesn't understand, Fire Lord Zuko."

Zuko's scowl returned, but it was half-hearted at best. The voice in his head was right. Despite all the growth he had achieved in the past few years of his life, there was still much about himself he didn't understand. Zuko's thoughts in particular shifted to the comparison Mai had made, although he loathed to admit it, perhaps she had a point. Azula also carried the blood of the Avatar, the same blood that had caused him so much inner conflict. He had always assumed she didn't suffer from the same problem, although he had never bothered to ask. Even if he did, she was unlikely to admit it; any kind of weakness disgusted her. Her pride was enormous, just as his had once been, or still was according to Mai. They had grown up together, with the same terrible influences. Being fed lies about the Fire Nation's greatness and its destiny to unite humanity under one nation. Even his mother, kind as she was, had been a dedicated believer in their supposedly righteous cause.

But now he knew better, he knew the truth because for once in his life he was the lucky one. Although it was agony at the time, banishment had been the best thing to ever happen to him. For three years he was able to escape his father's iron grip, it was an opportunity Azula never had. He didn't want to have his views challenged, but it was what he needed, perhaps it's what she needs too.

Zuko's mind was made up. "Well, that settles it. It's time to pay Azula a little visit. Perhaps we can help each other."

But first, he needed to get to bed. If he went one more hour without rest, he was probably going to die of sleep deprivation. And that was a prospect far too embarrassing to stomach.

Author's Note

This is the first fanfiction I've ever written, so it's bound to be a little wonky. In regards to new chapters, while I have written a bit in advance feel free to leave suggestions and feedback. I can't guarantee it will affect the course of the story, but it might.