Don't Criticize me!

⇠Aftermath⇢

When Oscar woke up the next morning, his head was pounding, the light above him stung his eyes, and his mouth tasted like cheap booze. The male's eyes slowly shifted toward the spot next to him, and relief washed over him. He closed his eyes a few minutes later and draped an arm over his face. In the silence of the room, Oscar's mind wandered back to last night, his eyes widening. The male shot up, his fingers gently tracing his lips. The male's heart was beating against his as questions swirled in his head, swallowing thickly as his hands shook slightly. "Okay, okay, calm down." He muttered, quickly pushing himself out of bed and rushing toward the bathroom. As the critic waited for the water to heat up, his mind couldn't help but wander back toward Nigel.

Last night he got drunk on their date; if Oscar even wanted to call it that, they were laughing and joking, and then all of a sudden Nigel kissed him. The older male would be lying to himself if that didn't spark something inside him. Half of him found the baker annoying and too loud. But deep down, Oscar found himself admiring him as well, between his businesses, and no matter how much the critic argued with him, the smaller male always held a smile. The older male wanted to see Nigel smile more, hear him laugh, and watch his eyes sparkle with amusement. Pulling his sticky clothing off, the male walked into the shower, shaking the thoughts to the back of his mind.

After his shower, Oscar found himself wandering around the house. He glanced down at his phone for the millionth time before snapping it closed and tossing it onto the desk. "Fucking Nigel. Making me act like a fucking school girl..." He cursed, forming a fist at his side. Running a hand down his face, the older male sat down at his desk, pushing his phone from his view and staring at the blank screen in front of him. He should catch up on his other work that was pushed aside due to this surprise trip, but Oscar couldn't focus. His mind was too clouded by questions and images of last night's date. He chewed the inside of his cheek before scooping up his phone and staring at Nigel's contact. Don't do it; he'll distract you. A small voice in the back of his head whispered. Shaking the small voice away, Oscar clicked the male's number.

Hey, I had a good time last night (8:58).

A few seconds passed before his phone buzzed in his hand. Glancing down at the device, Oscar couldn't help but smile. I'm glad; maybe we can do it again sometime! - 8:59

I'd love to. Do you have any other romantic spots to show a tourist like me? -9:00

I have many places to show you, Oscar.

"He didn't mention anything about the kiss; does he not remember?" He thought, chewing on the edge of his thumb. If he doesn't remember, don't bring it up; you'll fuck up whatever this is between you two. The small voice scolded him. The male swallowed the lump in his throat, setting his phone down on the desk, and then turned his attention toward his computer once again. Oscar managed to get a few hours of work done before his stomach growled lowly. Pushing himself out of his chair, the older male walked into the kitchen. Grimacing slightly when he noticed that he was low on food and biting down on his lower lip, the male sighed, thinking to himself for a long moment. If he went to Nigel's bakery, there were pros and cons to the situation. The cons were that he'd have to tiptoe around the fact that they kissed. As well as pretend the feelings festering in his chest were just first-kiss jitters. Another big con was pretending that seeing the other male smile made the older male want to melt to the floor and keep up his grumpy personality.

The pros of going to Nigel's bakery were that he'd at least get food he knew he liked as well as get his fill. Which, in hindsight, seemed like a con, but at his point, why not throw his diet into the fire as well? Another pro is that he could tease the younger male more, as much as the critic wanted to ignore the feelings he loved messing with the other male. Closing the fridge, Oscar glanced down at his clothing and then winced slightly, quickly rushing back toward his room to change. Then he quickly scooped up his phone and wallet from his desk before swiftly rushing out the door. Ignoring the glares he earned as he gently pushed past people, as well as the cars blaring their horns at him, The older male barged through the door, his cheeks heating up slightly as the bell above the door swung aggressively. Nigel's eyes widened and then returned to size a few minutes later, as a wide smile formed on his face. "I didn't expect you back so quickly." He said.

Oscar cleared his throat, walking closer to the counter. "I don't have any food in my fridge, and you're the best place in town." He said.

Nigel threw back his head and laughed, walking toward the glass display case. "Well then, what can I get my favorite customer?" He quizzed, setting a pink box in front of him.

The older male blushed, following the other male. "Whatever you recommend." He muttered. The critic watched Nigel pack the box for a few minutes, picking at his nails nervously. Chewing his lower lip aggressively, "J-J- Just wondering, do you remember anything from last night?" He asked.

The younger male paused, staring at him for a long moment. The air around both of them seemed to heat up, causing Oscar to wipe his forehead nervously. Swallowing thickly, they were silent for a few more minutes before Nigel shook his head. "No, but I feel like I did something I wasn't supposed to do. Did I force you to do something, Oscar?" He asked, closing the pink lid.

Oscar fought the urge to wince: "You could never force me to do something, Nig; we didn't do anything too crazy anyway." He lay with a shrug of the shoulder.

The baker was visibly relaxed, smiling softly. "Good. I value our friendship too much to ruin it.

over something I can't remember." He stated this, holding out the box.

Oscar tried to ignore the sting in his chest, his eyes flicking down to his feet quickly. "We're friends?" He asked lowly.

The smaller male furrowed his brows in confusion. Cocking his head to the side, he let out a soft chuckle. "Yeah, why do you want to be something else?" He teased, wiggling his eyebrow, and leaned against the display case.

The critic rolled his eyes, making a noise in the back of his throat. "Ugh, like I could handle you being anything else." He replied.

It was the baker's turn to roll his eyes, the smile on his face not faltering. "Don't lie, we'd make a perfect couple." He stated.

Oscar snorted, taking the box quickly. "In your dreams, baker." He muttered.

Nigel observed him for a moment as he placed his arms behind his back. "Then that's where I'll dream of you." He taunted, following the other male toward the door.

The older male's cheeks heated up once more as a warm feeling bubbled in Oscar's lower stomach. "Gag me with a spoon; could you be any more cheesy?" He grunted.

The smaller male laughed again. "I could, but then I wouldn't be able to see that awarding smile of yours." He replied, gently brushing up against the other.

The critic watched the younger male hold the door open. "You're crazy." The older male said it in between clenched teeth.

"For you!" Nigel called as the older male swiftly walked out the door.

"You're disgusting," Oscar called back, hiding his grin.