Author's Note: I wrote this while camping with my friends.

Disclaimer: I own no one mentioned.

Acknowledgements: Thanks to everyone for reading it on the trip, even though I can't really recall who read it. So, uh, thanks.

Summary: It's late, everyone's tired, and Nick can't sleep.

Blame the Birds

All Nick could hear was bird calls. The high, lilting notes of a chickadee, the screeching shriek of a hawk as it dove for prey, and the rasping calls of a crow as it did fuck all except annoy people. As he lay on the ground, a rock poking him in the small of his back and his ears full of pesky bird noises, he was irritated beyond belief.

"I can't sleep," he said loudly, rolling on to his side to face his companion.

"Go to sleep."

"I can't sleep. And sleeping in the dirt amongst pointy rocks is going to ruin my God damn suit."

No reply.

"And the birds – the FUCKING birds! They're everywhere. They never shut up and they're so ANNOYING. They're just watching us, up in the trees."

"At least if the shit on ya it's th' same color as your suit."

Nick rolled over on to his other side and groaned in frustration. "No, not really," he responded in a snarky manner, "my suit's an off shade of yellow now."

"Nick, go the fuck t' sleep."

He sighed and sat up, his arms wrapped around his knees. He threw a glance over at Ellis' prone form and, after waiting a few minutes, asked, "Did you know that Go the Fuck to Sleep is a book?"