I have an important mission for you. There’s a lack of Ollie imagines in the community. It’s up to you to replenish the population of this endangered species, and restore harmony in mankind. It’s reader’s birthday, a party is thrown for her. Rammstein, all of her friends, some of Ollie’s friends are there, a large group of people. Reader gets overwhelmed easily. She runs off somewhere in the house and breaks down under pressure. Ollie finds her and comforts her. Romantic. Can I trust you, cadet?
*stands at attention* Yes, Sergeant. You can count on me. I will not let you down. *salutes you before marching off*
You sat on the loveseat in the living room, looking down at the glass of wine in your hand. The sound of chattering was so loud you could barely hear yourself think.
It was your birthday, and Oliver had decided to throw you a party. You were very grateful for having a caring boyfriend like himself, and appreciated the thought, but he really outdid himself. He invited Rammstein, some guys you were thrilled to chill with on your birthday. Then, he invited your two best friends, something you could easily tolerate. Then, many old friends from college, old jobs, mutual friendships, etc. that you hadn’t talked to in a very long time, which made things a little overwhelming. Then finally, some of his own friends that you had maybe exchanged three words with at most; that is when it was out of control.
You looked over to your left at Oliver, who was on the other side of the loveseat. He was leaned over the armrest talking to Paul who was sitting on the armrest of the couch.
“Um…Ollie,” you lightly said as you tapped your boyfriend’s shoulder. He glanced over, humming in response. “Can you ask Paul to sit on the couch?” You hated being that strict host, but you couldn’t help it. Your parents had enforced the, ‘don’t sit on the armrest,’ rule your entire life.
Oliver glanced back at Paul before looking back to you. “He is fine, liebling.”
“Oh, it is no problem. I’m sorry, (Y/N),” Paul said politely as he lowered himself onto the couch.
“It’s okay. Thank you.” You smiled. Oliver patted your shoulder.
“Wouldn’t you like to socialize? This is your party, after all.” You shook your head as you sipped your wine.
“I’m fine right here.” Oliver sighed, but turned back to Paul.
You sighed and closed your eyes, trying to tune out the overwhelming amount of people in your small home. Your calming state of mind was interrupted by a tap on you shoulder. You opened you’re eyes and looked back at a few girls that you hadn’t seen in person since college.
“This party is a little boring, dontcha think? How about we line up some shots in the kitchen?” One of them asked with a mischievous grin. You recalled her name being Michelle. You smiled politely and shook your head. “Come on, girl, it’s your birthday! Loosen up, have some fun!”
“Thank you, but I’m fine, really,” you said, beginning to lose your patience. She walked around the loveseat and grabbed your arm, trying to yank you up from your seat.
“I promise, it’ll be fine. It’ll relax you,” she began to say. You were halfway out of your seat, trying to sit back down, when Oliver hurriedly stood up. He towered over both you and Michelle.
“Hey now, she’s alright where she’s at. It’s her special day, she can do whatever she pleases. You go on ahead, though. Have some fun.” He said in a civil manner with a smile on his face.
Michelle shook her head with a smile. “Alright, but I better see you having some fun later on tonight, (Y/N)!” She pointed a finger at you before walking off to the kitchen with a few more girls.
Oliver turned to you, you were now standing up straight. “Are you okay? Knowing you, I’d imagine you’d like to go take some shots with those girls.” His expression was worried, along with his voice.
“I am fine, really. I think I just need some fresh air. I’ll be out back on the porch if you need me.” You said as you set you wine glass down on a nearby table. You couldn’t stand one more second in your own home. You felt like you were going to explode if one more person you weren’t familiar with tried to interact with you like they were your best friend.
“Would you like me to join you?” He asked with concern. He held your arm lightly. Your heart melted a little bit, and a smile fell upon your face.
“I will be alright. You talk to your friends. I need to get outside. Away from the crowd.” He smiled and nodded, letting his hand fall back to his side. You turned around and made your way to the back door. As you passed through people, they called your name, but you just kept walking as if you never heard them in the first place.
You made it outside, and shut the back door behind you with a huff. You closed your eyes with your back leaning against the door. Your heart was racing, your breathing was unsteady, your palms were sweating. You were about ready for a breakdown.
“Crowd got to ya?” You heard someone say. You opened your eyes, afraid that you just walked into another unwanted encounter. Thankfully, though, it was just Richard and Flake.
“What’re you two doing out here? You should be inside enjoying the party,” you said as you stepped closer to them.
“I could ask you the same thing,” Richard said through the cigarette in his mouth.
“Well,” you began with a chuckle, “you already answered your question.” You referred to his comment about the crowd.
“I see,” he took a drag of his cigarette, “Well, I’m out here in attempt to obey your, ‘no smoking in the house,’ rule.” He sighed, looking at the cigarette between his fingers.
“Sorry about that,” you muttered with embarrassment.
“Hey, don’t worry about it. Everyone’s got their boundaries,” he said with a shrug. After a moment, he pulled a carton of cigarettes from his jacket pocket and offered it to you. You hesitated for a moment before pulling one out. You held it to your mouth and let Richard light it.
“How about you?” You asked Flake as you blew the smoke out of your mouth.
He scoffed before saying, “Are you kidding me? I couldn’t stand another second in there. I don’t know anyone but you and the rest of the fellas in the band.”
“I hear ya, I really do,” you said before taking another drag.
“I’m sorry you couldn’t enjoy your own birthday. Ollie really was trying his best to make it perfect for you.” Richard’s voice was sympathetic.
“Yeah, I know. I feel bad for not enjoying it. I just can’t do the whole crowds thing, especially with people I barely even know. I know I should just suck it up and enjoy it for his sake, but it’s hard,” you trailed off. You began to feel guilty, thinking about how much work Ollie had put into your party.
Richard put a hand on your shoulder. “Hey, don’t be so down on yourself about it. Yeah, of course Ollie worked hard on your party, but only because he loves ya and wants to do everything he can for you. You can’t help the way you feel, and I’m sure if you told him, he’d understand.”
“He’s right,” Flake spoke up. You nodded your head.
“Yeah, I guess it would be a good idea to tell him. I’m just going to stay out here for a little longer, though. Try and cool down some.”
“You stay out here as long as you need,” Richard said as he dropped the cigarette butt to the ground and stomped it out.
You heard the door open behind you. You turned around to see two of Oliver’s friends, they were obviously drunk. They came up on each side of you and put their arms around you. Your eyes widened, and your body immediately stiffened like a plank of wood. The half-finished cigarette dropped from your fingers and onto the concrete porch.
“There’s the birthday girl!” One of them exclaimed. His breath reeked of booze.
They both began to sway you around and sing ‘Happy Birthday.’ You started to feel sick.
“Happy Birthday dear…what’s your name, again?”
“Hey, leave her alone, wouldya?” Richard stepped in. He grabbed the arm of the guy on your right, and nodded to Flake. Flake grabbed the man on your left, and they stripped the two drunken men from your side. As the men began to argue with your friends, tears formed in your eyes, and your knees went weak.
You bolted into the house, and ran through it, trying to get to your room. It was the fastest you had ran in years. Every single person you ran by stopped what they were doing to look at you. Once you passed through the living room, Oliver immediately stood up from his spot.
“(Y/N)?” You heard him say. You kept running until you got into the room that you and Oliver shared. You slammed the door shut, and locked it with shaky hands.
You rushed to the corner of the room and stuck your head in the crook of the walls meeting. You let out a loud sob, not able to hold them back any more. Letting all of the emotions out felt good.
“(Y/N)? (Y/N), are you okay?” There we’re several knocks at the door, and you heard a few different voices. You took a deep breath, trying to compose yourself. You grabbed a tissue and wiped your eyes and cheeks of tears.
On your way to the door, you checked yourself in the mirror. Your face was red, along with your eyes, and your eyelashes were wet and clumped together, but there was nothing you could do about it at the moment.
You unlocked the door and opened it just a crack so you could see who was out there. Oliver was right in front of the door, with Till and Christoph behind him.
“Mein Gott,” Oliver whispered to himself. He wrapped his hand around the door and gently pushed it open more. You allowed him by stepping back. “What happened?”
You looked up at Till and Christoph. They both had worried looks on their faces. You poked your head out of the room before seeing everyone looking towards the bedroom.
The amount of unwanted attention made your lip quiver, and you ran back to your bed and flopped on it before crying again. You heard the door close, and the bed sink beside you.
“(Y/N), love, look at me,” Oliver said. You turned your head to the side and looked up at him. His eyebrows were furrowed with worry. “Talk to me. What is wrong?”
“I tried to enjoy myself, I really did. I just can’t handle all of these people that I barely know. The only people here that I’ve talked to regularly in the last year is the guys and the few girlfriends of mine. I’m sorry,” you said between sobs with a wobbly voice. You sucked in uneven breaths, and your head began to hurt from the excessive amount of crying.
“Oh, (Y/N),” Oliver began as he put a comforting hand on your back, “why didn’t you tell me this? I feel horrible now. I am sorry for ruining your birthday.”
You suddenly felt bad for making Oliver feel guilty. “Don’t apologize. Richard told me you were trying your best. That’s what counts. I just don’t want to go back out there. Especially after everyone saw my pre-meltdown run to the bedroom.”
“You don’t have to go back out. The guys and I will go clear everyone out,” he said before standing up. You quickly sat up, missing the feeling of his touch.
“Can you stay?” You asked desperately. Oliver looked at you and nodded with a warm smile. He walked to the door and poked his head out of the bedroom.
“Till. Till!” He called out. You couldn’t see Till, but you heard his footsteps near the bedroom. “Can you and the guys clear everyone out?”
“Sure thing,” Till said without question. Oliver shut the door and looked your way.
“I need to go clean myself up,” you said as you stood up.
“Nein,” Oliver walked to you and flopped onto the bed, pulling you down with him. “You will lay here with me so I can make you feel better.”
Without protest, you curled up against him, nuzzling your face in the crook of his neck. You felt his lanky arms wrap around you. “I am truly sorry. I never meant for this to be a disaster. I wanted you to have fun, but instead, you ended up in here crying all by yourself.”
“It’s okay, Ollie. Now you know. At least I’m with you now.” You smiled against his neck.
“Look here,” Oliver said. You looked up at him, and he was looking right into your eyes. “I will make it up to you. I promise.” He pressed a gentle kiss to your lips.
“Ollie?” A muffled voice came from the door, along with a knock. With a huff, Oliver untangled himself from you before standing up and opening the door. All of the guys were huddled around outside of your room.
“Everyone’s gone,” Till said. “We’re going to head out, but we need to give (Y/N) her presents first.”
You sat up at the mention of your name, and wiped your eyes quickly. Oliver moved out of the way, letting the guys into the room.
“Happy Birthday,” Till said. He handed you a box that was neatly wrapped. “Don’t get too worked up about tonight. Shit happens.”
“Thanks, Till,” you said with a smile. Till returned the smile before walking out of the room.
Richard stepped at the side of your bed and handed you a small wrapped present. You smiled at him, and he nodded before walking to the door. “Oh!” He said before leaving. He tossed you a pack of cigarettes. You opened it, revealing a third of the cigarettes left in the box. You looked at him with a questioning look. “I figured they’d come in handy,” he said with a smirk before walking out.
Paul walked up and handed you a gift that was sloppily wrapped with comics from the newspaper. You tried to suppress a laugh. “Sorry, my wrapping skills aren’t as advanced as Till’s.”
“Don’t apologize, I look forward to reading these,” you said with a laugh. Paul bent down and gave you a quick hug before walking out of the room.
Christoph walked up and shoved a card in your hands. It had some joke about getting old on the front, and when you opened it, $70 fell out.
“Thanks, grandma,” you said with a laugh.
Christoph shrugged, “Hey, if you don’t want it, I’ll happily take it back from you.”
“I’m just kidding,” you chuckled. “Thanks, Chris. I appreciate it.” He grinned and patted your shoulder before walking out.
Flake awkwardly handed you the present. You took it with a thankful smile and set it on the bed. You expected him to leave right away, but he stood there a few seconds before putting a hand on your shoulder. “I know tonight was overwhelming for you. It was for me, too. Don’t be embarrassed. You’re not alone. Happy Birthday.” Before you could respond, he walked out of the room to join the others.
Oliver stepped outside and exchanged a few words with the guys. When he entered the room again, you heard the front door open and close. Oliver walked up to you and extended his hand. “Come on.”
You slowly took it before standing up. “What’re you doing?”
“Making it up to you, like I promised, now come on.”
“Out,” He said as he grabbed his car keys. You checked the clock on the bedside table and saw that the time was 10:00.
“We’ll find something fun,” he said mischievously.
“But I want to open my presents!” You whined. Oliver laughed.
“They’ll be there when we get back. Now come on, it’s still your birthday.”