Title: Sad Days Are Long
By: emmonsail
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: G
Summary: Written for the smoke challenge at ngchallenge.

***

Nick sat bent forward on the bench, elbows resting on his knees and arms hanging loose. His head was dropped forward, staring at nothing. There was no expression in his eyes, just a vacant loss of hope. In the fingers of one hand, held between thumb and forefinger, was a cigarette, trailing a twining, white ribbon of smoke into the air.

Nick let out a slow sigh and closed his eyes. The fine lines around them seemed etched a little deeper and exhaustion was writ clear across his face. He raised the cigarette up to his mouth and took a long drag, held it, exhaled it slowly, as if he could breathe out all his troubles along with it.

The smoke billowed from his mouth, turning viscous as the breath trailed off. He opened his eyes and watched the fumes float sinuously before him, then slowly dissipating.

Greg reached out a hand and placed it on Nick's shoulder. He startled, sitting up straight and turned, guiltily trying to hide the cigarette.

"I didn't know you smoked."

"Only when I'm stressed" he replied, eyes turning back to the pavement.

"Oh."

Nick slumped back against the bench, arm crossed over his stomach and took another long drag.

Greg sat down close, one knee pulled up to his chest and reached over, plucking the smoke from Nick's fingers and took a long drag, eyes sliding almost closed. He exhaled leisurely, smiling resignedly to himself. He held it back out to Nick, their fingers brushing gently as he took it.

"It's been a long day."

"Yeah."

***