A/N: I apologize for the crappy content beforehand. I don't want to start writing the sequel until later, so this is just so you don't think I drop off the face of the earth. I'm writing it all on my phone.
Warning: Major Spoilers. Seriously, don't read if you haven't at least read 95% of Codes and Barriers.
Dick wouldn't say that he hated the thing right by him, but the suppressed feelings of dislike that gathered over the past two months were growing harder and harder to ignore. Of course, the best course of action would be to walk away to prevent from any arguments and hatred, but that was a bit of a problem seeing that he was in an entirely different dimension.
And he had no idea what the heck he was supposed to do to pass the time.
He was hungry, thirsty, and tired. But here, you couldn't find anything to eat or drink, nor could you even sleep, so Robin had literally nothing to do. It wasn't like he was going to starve to death or die of dehydration. Otherwise, he'd be dead a long time ago.
He would give a specific amount of time, but there was nothing to tell him how much time had passed, so he was left in the dark. And anyway, even if he tried to give you a direct measurement, his view would be warped because he didn't ever sleep.
Oh, how good a nap sounded right about now.
He could've trained, seeing as he probably should stay fit when Batman found him - or if he found him - but that was a bit of a problem as well, for he was more or less missing a leg. Kind of hard to train with only one lower limb, if you asked him.
So here he was, staring off into space, the thing behind him as he tried to occupy himself for just a moment longer so he wouldn't go insane. His leg, or the stump of what was left of it, sent phantom chills up his body, reminding him what he lost because of the thing that sat so close to him. The thing that dragged him into this hellhole, this thing that hurt his best friend, this thing that had no moral compass whatsoever...
And he was getting carried away in his thoughts and feelings again. Batman's words and training whispered softly into his ears.
Don't let your feelings cloud what is reality, no matter how true they are.
Robin breathed in deeply, trying to calm down the biting feelings that struggled against his weak restraint. He wasn't angry, only upset. A little hopeless, too. He looked at his surroundings, a scowl present on his face. The simmering emotions cooled as he gazed at all the different shades of grays and dark blues and violets, and other colors that he was sure didn't exist before.
It was calming, in a way.
He felt a small pang of sadness go through him. He wanted to explore, to do something productive. Yet, here he was, sitting back-to-back with the thing that all but caused all of his most recent problems, including the loss of his leg. Without it, he couldn't really do anything - the small platform they sat on was the only reason they hadn't died. The area was dangerous, especially for a small boy with only one leg.
His brows furrowed when he realized that the Source could have easily left him a long time ago.
Biting his lower lip, he ignored the nagging thought as he looked out over the edge of the plarform. The sky was endless around him, with no ground beneath him to catch him if he fell. Still, he watched the world move around him with longing. What he wouldn't do to explore...
"YoUR lEg?"
Robin flinched as Source spoke. His shoulders grew tense as he realized that the thing that caused everything was talking to him in the first time in... how long had it been?
It took a moment for its words to sink in. When it did, a flash of annoyance passed through him. However, he forced his expression to remain simply confused. He blinked before turning to the form of the Source.
"What about it?" His voice cracked, and he cleared it before restating the words, his irritation more evident the second time.
Source, which had taken the form of a young woman with dyed green hair and coal eyes, tilted its head. "MaY I fIx yOUr LeG?"
His brows furrowed as he turned to the Source completely. All feelings of inner hatred disappeared as a sense of curiosity overwhelmed him. "What do you mean by fix?"
The Source paused, almost as if it was surprised. Its eyes wandered around his face, as if trying to fit a puzzle piece that didn't match its designated area. Suddenly, its eyes brightened.
"I cAN giVe YoU YoUR LEg bACK."
It was a simple sentence really, but it left Robin speechless as he stared at the Source. "What?" he said.
Source stared at him unblinkingly. "You have sadness. I want to help you."
Robin didn't even notice that it stopped speaking in its weird voice. He snorted. "Yeah, sure. Right after you nearly killed my best friend, me, and left me crippled." He wrapped his arms around his legs - leg - and turned away from the Source. "If you really cared, you wouldn't have done all this stuff in the first place."
The Source was quiet for a moment when it finally reached toward Robin. He lurched back, scrambling on his hands and foot away from the hand. "Don't touch me," he hissed, fully aware that the two had sat back-to-back for an eternity.
The Source stared at him for a long moment, something hidden behind its eyes. Finally, it stood up, towering over him. Robin had no time to react as the Source scooped him into its arms.
"Let go of me!"
It didn't listen, instead holding him closer to its chest. "Shhh," it whispered. It rocked him, something that Robin did not like. The only people who did that to him were his parents and, occasionally, Bruce.
"Don't shush me!" he hissed, struggling out of its grip. "Now let go of me!"
The Source looked deep into his eyes - or his mask, rather - before it finally reached a hand to Robin's forehead. The pad of his fingers pressed against his cold forehead, brushing a stray strand of hair from the skin.
The boy stared at it as a sudden wave of exhaustion hit him. He blinked rapidly, trying to stay awake as darkness invaded his vision. His head lolled back, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as he fell asleep for the first time since arriving in the Code dimension.
The same way Robin looked at the world around him, Source stared at him longingly.
- this is so crappy linebreak! -
When Robin woke up, the first thing he was aware of was the warm feeling beneath the stump of his missing leg. The second was the feeling of a hard surface beneath him.
He groaned as he cracked his eyes open, feeling too weak and vulnerable while asleep. Struggling to get his hands behind him as he brought himself up into a sitting position, he grunted as a flare of pain shot through him. It was short, but enough to get a wince out of him and to make him freeze to prevent further pain.
"Are you alright?"
Robin frowned at glanced at the form beside him. "What did you do to me?" he asked, ignoring its question.
The Source gestured to his leg. "Self-explanatory," it said.
Robin looked down. He blinked.
"What the fuck?"
The Source tilted its head. "Bad speaking for ten-year-old."
Robin pursed his lips. "Eleven," he corrected. "Or it should he eleven. I don't know how long I've been here for."
"Two months," the Source responded.
"Exactly. Eleven," Robin responded. "But that's beside the point."
"Point direction then," the Source said.
"South. Where my leg used to be and now suddenly is."
"I told you I could give it back," the Source said matter-of-factly.
"No kidding," Robin mumbled.
Silence fell over them until the Source spoke.
"I am sorry it is not perfect," it admitted.
Robin looked at the new limb, realizing what he said. The knee was lower than the other, and the skin tone was off. His foot was also flatter and more rounded on the heel.
Instead of acknowledging its response, he asked his own question. "Why?"
The Source was quiet for a moment. "I do not want to see you in hurt," it admitted. It suddenly cocked its head before helping the small boy to his feet.
"You wanted to see everything, right?" The Source took a couple steps away from Robin, giving him his space. The boy stumbled at the new adjustments, not quite used to the new leg. "I... can show you," it said quietly.
Robin pursed his lips before falling silent. He didn't trust it - not at all - but the sinking feeling in his gut that came with guilt arose when he saw the look on the Source's face.
"Fine," he said. "Fine."
The Source looked at him carefully before turning away. It pointed in the far distance.
"A small core," it said. "You can see everything from the top of it." It glanced to Robin, who was gazing in the direction it pointed in.
"I think you might like it..."
Ugh, I'm so disappointed. This is really, really bad.
Ah well. I never really expected it to be that good either, really. Anyway, welcome to the side story of awesomeness, where we get to have a bunch of Rob and Source fluff - and technically some with Wally and Batman, though those are all flashbacks.
Anyway, if you didn't get any of this, you haven't read Codes and Barriers. If you haven't - don't. Leave and never come back.
But, that's all I have to say for now. I guess until another day?
~ Owl