A/N: This was something that I had started a while ago, and had never got around to finishing. It's more of zebra fic., I supposed, as it switches between past and present tenses throughout. I apologize if this seems rushed, but I completed it just recently, while still suffering from writer's block. With luck, it's satisfactory. I hope you like it.

Read & review; constructive criticism is much appreciated. ;)

How many hours had gone by already? How many minutes; seconds? The gentle tic…tock…tic…tock of the clock continued. I heaved a sigh, wary eyes searching my unfamiliar surroundings.

Music played in the background as laughter erupted from every angle. Voices yelling, doubling over each other in a jumbled mess.

My head throbbed as I fought to keep my eyes open. In my mouth was the stale taste of alcohol, tinged with vomit from the night before.

“It’s a little loud here, eh?” a male voice asked from behind me.
I laughed, wondering how my body could feel so light, and yet still remain on the ground. “Yeah, it is, isn’t it?” My voice slurred the words.
“Wanna go somewhere quieter?”

I twisted and turned restlessly, the mattress below me squeaking softly in protest. The clock’s hands ticked by loudly – almost as loud as my heart. The thudding and hammering continued as I searched frantically in the dark for my drunken memories.

Chaos; a fit of lust and passion. We stumbled impatiently into the room, driven by ardent desire. Nothing could stop us this time around. Not friends, family, nor strangers.
Not even the realization of our actions.

He had always been there for me, like a good friend should. Like a trampoline, he cushioned my falls, and pushed me back up. Like a blanket, he kept me warm even when the fire burned out.

Like a butterfly net, he had caught my fluttering heart.

The morning sun rose behind him, and the chirps and calls of little birds sounded. And, as I watched the gentle rise and fall of his chest, I realized that this was peace.