𝐒𝐀𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐗𝐔𝐀𝐋 ━ 𝙩 . 𝙙 . 𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙩𝙨

𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐢-𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥

WINTER SEMI-FORMAL ❙ three
tim drake x reader

prompt :
"not sure if you could tell, but i'm not exactly a people person."

this might have been the worst night ever.

as you stood surrounded by a large crowd, all clad in their best dresses and tuxedos, the music blasting and the bright, colorful lights flashing all around you, you felt completely alone and out of place. either your date had ditched you or he was running a little late, even so you couldn't help but feel anxious by the atmosphere. you were asked to attend the winter semi-formal at gotham academy, and you being you couldn't take down the offer. saying no was not something you grew used to but then again the one who asked you was someone you didn't mind to be with. you actually liked him.

it was none other than tim drake himself.

thinking of him brought a small smile on your lips, the first memory you had of him coming into view. you were a new student and the teacher had assigned him to help you settle in and get used to the new class and environment, during that time you noticed things about him; the way he wore that anxious smile whenever he was around or when he would look at the ground as if contemplating what words to use when speaking with you. he was very sweet and polite, sometimes a bit awkward, but that added a kind of charm to him. you thought he was cute.

you remembered the day he asked you, the look on his face and the way he would excessively rub the nape of his neck as he did. it was just outside school, right after the bell had rung and all the students including yourself had rushed out the doors to finally go back home after a long day. you almost walked past him if he hadn't spoken your name loud enough to hear from the chatter of the other students around you.

"y/n!" he called out to you with one hand extended upward and the other holding onto his backpack strap.

you looked over your shoulder, an automatic grin forming on your lips, you walk over to him, "hey, what's up?"

"i wanted to ask you something, you know how the winter semi-formal is coming up soon?" tim speaks in a low voice. He kept his head bent low with his hand on the back of his neck, his gaze flickering from your eyes to the ground constantly. "i was wondering if you wanted to come with me."

at that moment it was if all the other students and their voices came to a rest. this was the first time something like this happened, someone asked you to a dance. usually you did the best you could to avoid going to such places, feeling overwhelmed by it's wild, extroverted atmosphere. it always left you feeling trapped and suffocated. it felt like a cage that you desperately wanted to escape from. but maybe, just maybe, with tim it wouldn't be so bad. right?

you release a nervous chuckle, giving a small nod, "um, yeah. sure."

your nerves got to you and you stood there frozen, especially embarrassed at your answer. damn, i'm awkward as hell. if only you could take it back and answer it differently, preferably a lot more natural and with confidence.

and yet, despite the fear that your answer was lacking, tim gave a wide, unfiltered smile. "really? that's great! see you then."

you nod your head with a smile mirrored on your lips, "can't wait!"

that was the last word you said before you both parted ways, you walked to school on your own while tim had a driver waiting in a sleek, black rolls-royce to drive him home. he was the son of bruce wayne, the billionaire and owner of wayne enterprises, needless to say walking home with him was never much of an option. though it would have been nice, allowing you more of an insight of him as you both talked on your way home. it wasn't possible but one can dream, can't they?

you and tim started to interact a lot more than you did before, sitting together at lunch, exchanging glances in the classes you shared, nodding to each other as you passed by in the school halls. you grew closer. but even though the two of you grew familiar with one another, there was this certain feeling that lingered between the both of you.

it was the kind that made you insecure about yourself, wondering if you looked nice or if your perfume was strong enough to mask the scent of sweat to bringing awareness to your habits like constantly cracking your knuckles or biting from the inside of your cheeks. whenever he was around you wanted to be the ideal version of yourself you could possibly be.

that's when it hit you, when all those things made so much more sense that you couldn't deny the truth any longer.

i have a crush on tim drake.

this realization came to you at last as you laid on your bed with your hands clasped on your stomach, looking up at your ceiling in the complete darkness. it was way past the time you should have been asleep, especially with the winter semi-formal that would happen the next day, but for some reason you didn't feel tired at all. your stomach felt like a dozen butterflies were trapped inside, a smile that did not feel forced but genuine and didn't seem to fade.

i'm going to the dance with him tomorrow.

you put your hands on your face and let out a relieved sigh, flustered and excited all at once. you weren't sure what to expect and it added a new emotion, anxiousness. but you tried your best to reassure yourself, tim was a nice guy and he was just as awkward as you, it would be a fun night.

it didn't take long for you to get ready and head on your way to school the next day, sitting on the passenger's seat beside your mom. you wore a spaghetti strapped maxi dress in your favorite color. your face was coated with makeup and the eyeshadow you applied matched the color of your dress. your hair was done in a braided crown, a few strands seeping through from the corners of your face. your mother wouldn't stop commenting on how lovely you looked as she drove and for some reason her words weren't reassuring at all.

"you're only saying that cause i'm your daughter." you deny with a shake of your head.

"no, i'm being honest." your mom responds, giving you a smile "you look absolutely stunning, dear. whoever asked you to go to the dance with them tonight is very lucky."

"you really think so?" you ask, leaning your head against the window, watching houses and trees in your neighborhood pass by.

"i know so, dear. now do tell me who asked you to the dance, your mom is so curious." she chuckles.

"he's a guy from my class. y'know the one i told you about?"

"oh, the one who helped you settle in at your new school when we just moved in?"

"yeah, him." the thought of him makes your cheeks flush.

"you never really told me his name, or how he looks like or anything else about him. i'd love to know."

the school's gymnasium comes into view through your side of the window, the entrance was filled with balloons and a black banner with 'winter semi-formal' written in cursive with white ink. the doors were wide open and you could see figures of students dancing to the faint music that reached your ears despite the distance. this was definitely not your crowd. you take a deep breath, trying to calm yourself

"i'll tell you some other time," you turn your face towards your mother.

she nods, "alright, love. be safe and have fun."

you get out the car, the door still remains open as you say, "thanks, mom."

you close the door and wave as she drives away before slowly turning around and heading for the entrance. you take in a deep breath, trying to give yourself some time to prepare for the chaos that remained right in front of you. you walk towards the entrance, the heels you wore making you worried that you'd trip on the threshold make a fool of yourself. you walk carefully, looking at the ground to watch your step.

you enter, the music blasting into your eardrums and you could feel bass vibrate through your whole body. for some reason, it feels like everyones eyes are on you, making it feel as though the temperature was rising, making you feel suffocated. however, when you bring yourself to look around everyone is busy in their own groups, talking and laughing with one another. you walked over to the tables that catered snacks, trying to act like you were choosing which one to take. you felt overwhelmed, this was definitely not your crowd.

why does it feel like someone turned up the a/c? you ask yourself, trying to cool off. you ignore the snacks as your stomach churns and try to search for your date. he shouldn't have been so hard to pick out, except there was a lot more people here than you expected and the colorful lights weren't helping.

you take out your phone, and start typing.

y/n: hey, i just arrived. where are you?

you send the message to tim, keeping your phone in your hand as you look around. maybe this was a bad idea, maybe you shouldn't have come. the doubts come rushing in your mind, you feel trapped here. you felt like it was getting hard to breathe, feeling as though your lungs were becoming tighter and tighter—

"hey, y/n is that you?" a voice comes from your side, bringing you back from your panicking and making you fully aware of your atmosphere once more.

"y-yes," you turn around and nod, trying to calm yourself as you begin studying the person before you. it was a girl in a sparkling silver dress, her golden hair in loose curls at the bottom. however, she wasn't alone. there was a boy that stood beside her, in a suit with his black hair gelled back. "do i know you?"

"we're a friend of tim's." the girl continues. "i'm cassie, and this is conner."

the boy, conner, nods his head. "nice to meet you."

you smile shyly, "it's nice to meet you both too but um have you heard from tim? he asked me to the dance and told me he'd meet up with me at this time but i haven't seen him yet."

conner and cassie both share a look with each other, you didn't know what it meant but there was obviously some meaning behind their expression.

suddenly another girl joins in, standing beside cassie. she had short, sleek black hair and wore a purple satin dress that came to her knees. there was a crimson jewel in the middle of her forehead, and she looked at you with almost no expression.

"don't worry, tim didn't ditch you or anything. trust me he's the last person to ever do that. he texted us a while ago that he was running late and his phone was about to die. so we thought we'd keep you some company until then." she speaks in her monotone voice, though a reassuring smile appears on her features.

cassie places a hand on the girl's shoulder, "it's just as rachel said, he's running late. that's all."

"i see," you say, your grip slightly tightening around your phone. "i just thought he'd tell me that too. it's fine, at least he thought about keeping me some company." you chuckle. "i'm not really used to public activities like this, they make me nervous."

cassie walks over to wrap her arm around you, "well don't worry, you're not alone."

"and i can relate with you on that," raven slightly smiles. "socializing isn't really my thing."

you smile back, "glad to know i'm not the only one. though, i've never seen you guys before, do you come to this school too?"

all four of them have odd looks on their faces, looking like they were thinking hard on that question.

cassie taps her finger on her chin, "uh, not really. we're just friends with tim because we're kinda like colleagues at the place we work at."

"you guys work?" you asked, surprised. by the looks of it they had to be around your age, perhaps around sixteen or seventeen.

cassie looks like she regretted mentioning what she had, "yeah, kinda. we work part-time jobs--"

"whatcha guys chit chatting about?" a boy with green hair suddenly cuts her off as he joins the group, wrapping his arm around rachel's shoulder,

raven wears an annoyed expression, "this is garfield, y/n." then she turns and sends him a certain look that makes him draw back and look a bit frightened.

garfield turns his attention to you and smiles, his canines looking sharper than normal. "i go by gar. nice to meet ya, y/n."

you nod, not knowing what to say. you were confused about the situation and you didn't know how much longer you could last in it. they all seemed nice, you didn't dislike them or anything, it was just really awkward for you to stand with a group of people that knew tim without him being there with you.

some time flew by as you began to grow comfortable with the group, gar was very funny and friendly, ready to say anything that would make you laugh instantly. cassie was very sweet and was easy to make conversations with, she was fun to be around. raven was relatable with her introvertness and lack of social skills, so you both bonded with that. conner was also a little rusty with those skills, but he still managed nonetheless. you found them to be an enjoyable bunch to be around.

"you should have seen the look on tim's face when we asked how he felt about you, y/n. the boy is down bad." cassie says. "i've never seen him that flustered ever in my life than when i asked about you."

you suddenly felt your cheeks heat up, "what did he say? i mean-- how did he answer your questions?"

"he couldn't even speak properly, he kept telling me to go away and focus on something important other than his love life."

garfield laughs, "he was redder than a tomato--"

abruptly, garfield and the others stop talking and focus their gaze on something behind you. before you can ask what was wrong and why they were reacting that way you felt something rest on you shoulder. a hand. a familiar hand at that.

"sorry, i'm late y/n." a voice says apologetically from behind you, you knew that voice instantly.

you turn around and find your eyes meet a pair of blue ones looking back at you. you smile at the sight of him, his long hair was styled nicely and he looked classy in the suit he was wearing, one you knew was probably a little too fancy for this place but it didn't matter. just the fact that he did all this to look good for you tonight made you feel those butterflies in your stomach again.

you shake your head lightly, "no, don't be. i'm glad you came, i was worried when you didn't reply to my text. i thought . . ." you ditched me. you didn't want to voice out the rest of the sentence, not wanting him to know that you almost doubted him.

"i wouldn't make a low move like that and leave you here all on your own," he says lightly, making your doubts of him disappear instantly. "i'm sorry i didn't text you sooner, i got caught up on something."

"work?" you ask.

tim furrows his brows, "what?'

"oh, cassie told me that you guys work together somewhere. a part-time job she said, i just assumed that might have been the reason. if it is, then i understand why you were late."

tim clears his throat, "oh, did she?" he turns his gaze to look at cassie and she smiles nervously back at him. "but yeah, i guess you could say that."

"we're gonna give you both some space," cassie says, her hand on her shoulder. "see you later, y/n."

you wave at her and the rest of the group, "see you."

the group disappears into the crowd, and you watch as they make their way to the food stands. you then turned to look at tim once more, "you've got some good friends, tim."

he smiles softly, looking where they stood in the crowd then back at you, "yeah, i do."

you look around the place once more, the atmosphere suddenly making your heart quicken. you let out a sigh, "i'm not sure if you could tell, but i'm not exactly a people person but your friends were really sweet and fun to be around. thanks for asking them to join me, i don't know how long i'd last being alone here."

tim wears a pleased smile, "of course, y/n. i had to make sure you had some company before i came, i know it wouldn't be cool to leave you by yourself without an explanation. i just wish i could've told you sooner about my delay but the moment i was about to send my response to your text my phone died."

"it's like the universe is sending a message," you chuckle.

"what do you think that message is?"

you shrug, "i don't know, maybe it was showing me that you're someone i can trust."

"i hope i am."

"you are."

tim suddenly looks you up and down, his eyes linger on your features. "i think i got distracted by how bad i felt that i forgot to mention that you look absolutely amazing, y/n."

you felt your blood rush to your cheeks and you smile at his comment, "you don't look too bad yourself, tim. i mean you don't look bad at all-- you look very handsome actually."

he smiles in response, then the upbeat music that had been playing for a while started to transition into a slow love song. tim gives you an amused look as he brings his hand out, "shall we?"

"i don't know how to dance." you say with your hand on your shoulder.

"it's alright, just follow my lead."

you take in a deep breath before taking his hand and letting him bring you closer to him. you could feel his body against your own, feeling your blood become hotter and hotter. both of his hands rested lightly on your waist while yours snaked around his shoulders. you both swayed to the music and you felt like you were burning in your own skin by the way he looked at you. there was something in his eyes, something deep and warm inside them that you could see.

"y/n, there's something i want to tell you," he breaks off the silence, speaking as the song plays in the background.

you tilt your head slightly, "what is it?"

"i-um," he looks away for a second as though to gather himself for what he was going to say. "i guess i have a confession to make."

your heart felt like it was going to escape from your chest, was he going to say what you thought he was going to say?

"i like you, and not just regular  like, i mean like like you. a lot actually. and i thought . . . maybe . . ." he trails off.

"i like you too," you smile softly, hoping that would end his hesitation to continue speaking. "and in the like like way."

he smiles in a way that lets you know how grateful he is to hear those words, "i don't think you know how happy i am to hear that from you."

"i think i do," you chuckle.

tim brings himself closer to you, his forehead lightly brushing against your own. your eyes widen slightly at how close both your faces are and you notice the way his eyes slowly trail down your face and find itself on your lips. you find yourself doing the same, looking at his lips and leaning in close. you closed your eyes as you felt the press of his lips against yours, savoring the sweet moment you both were experiencing.

it was once you both parted from the kiss and saw the look on his face, as though you were the only person that existed to him, you knew that this was the best night ever.