Work Text:
It wasn’t uncommon for Schmidt to work late at the office. He had to stay ahead, afterall. His coworkers were ruthless. Cutthroat. At any rate, when he got back to the loft all of the lights were off. No one else would be awake right now, with maybe the exception of Nick. Though he usually holed up in his room. Schmidt closed the door behind him and headed towards the kitchen. He could use a drink right now. His muscles were far too tense to be able to fall asleep easily. He quickly dropped his bag and jacket in his room and then turned back around to find a beer.
Immediately his heart flew out of his chest. Someone was standing in the kitchen…it was just Nick. Of course it was Nick. Schmidt huffed and turned the light on. Nick raised an eyebrow and took a sip of his beer.
“Why the hell are you drinking in the dark?” Schmidt demanded.
Nick shrugged. “The dark is comfortable.”
“You’re insane,” Schmidt said.
Nick just shrugged again. Shaking his head, Schmidt came over and leaned against the counter.
“I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m home so late,” Schmidt said.
“Not really,” Nick said. “Either you were out on a date or at work late.”
Schmidt just narrowed his eyes. “Alright, fine. It was work, for the record. And I could really use a drink.”
Maybe, just maybe, Schmidt could convince Nick to mix him something nicer than a beer. One of the perks of your best friends being a bartender.
Nick smirked. He leaned against the counter, mirroring Schmidt’s posture. “So, you come here often?” He raised an eyebrow, completing the overexaggerated look.
Schmidt rolled his eyes. “Well, considering I live here, yes.”
“Is that so?” Nick asked. He took a sip of his beer. “I’ve never seen you around before.”
Schmidt snorted. He smiled. Nick could be so silly sometimes. It was something that Schmidt loved about him, though he’d never admit it outloud. He should really have higher standards than liking someone for being silly . And besides, there were plenty of other qualities he could compliment Nick on without looking like a manchild.
Though, what the hell. It was just the two of them right now.
“I usually hide in a dark corner,” Schmidt said. “Since you know, darkness is comfortable.”
Nick snorted. “Is that so? Man after my own heart. Can I get you a drink?”
“Yes, you can,” Schmidt said. He raised his chin a little. “A mojito.”
“Coming right up.” Nick smiled and then stood. He turned and grabbed a cup, rum and some stuff from the fridge. While he worked Schmidt gave himself a neck rub, hoping to get some of the knots out. Soon enough, Nick slid a drink towards him.
“One mojito, as ordered,” Nick said.
Schmidt raised an eyebrow. “Nick, this is orange.”
Nick shrugged. “I had to improvise a bit.”
“Fair enough.” Schmidt picked it up and took a sip. Immediately he was assaulted by a bitter, tangy flavor. He gagged. “Nick! This is awful!”
“Really?” Nick grabbed the drink from his hand and took a sip. He made a face. “Oh, yeah, that’s bad.”
“What’s in that?”
“You know, in retrospect I probably should have realized that mixing mint and orange juice was a bad idea. I couldn’t find any lemon juice though.”
“Oh my god Nick.” Schmidt laughed. “That’s awful.”
Nick chuckled. “Yeah.”
“You know, the worst part is I know we have lemon juice,” Schmidt said. He headed over to the fridge and started to dig through it. He finally found the bottle in the back. He pulled it out and handed it to Nick.
“This is humiliating,” Nick said. “I was bested by citrus juice .”
Schmidt snorted. “Yeah, that’s pretty bad. Luckily for you, I’m a magnanimous guy. I won’t tell the others.”
Nick smiled. “How chivalrous of you.”
Schmidt nodded. “Oh, of course. One one condition, though.”
Nick raised an eyebrow. “I’m not getting a pedicure with you, Schmidty.”
“You could use one,” Schmidt said.”Though no, my condition is much simpler. Make me an actual mojito this time.”
Nick smiled. “That I can do.”
Schmidt smiled, and leaned against the counter again. He watched as Nick made him a normal drink this time. It was nice when it was just the two of them. They didn’t often get that anymore. Maybe Schmidt should try to drag Nick on some outing sometime so they could get some quality time together. Nick handed Schmidt a normal colored mojito, and Schmidt raised it in a toast. Nick raised his beer in return. They both drank.
This time, the mojito tasted excellent.