Mazes Of Red

chapter 40 : The Bomb That Caused The Truth

LAUREN'S POV

The diner had become more  haunting then what I remembered. 

The cracked vinyl seats, the faded "Specials" board behind the counter, and the faint smell of grease all transported me back to a time when life had been simpler. 

When Jason and I would sit in the far booth, sharing fries and laughing about everything and nothing. 

But those memories were tainted now, overshadowed by the sight of his broken body being dragged from the wreckage years ago. 

That sight had haunted me ever since—Jason's lifeless form, his face pale and unrecognisable beneath the soot and blood.

I turned to Red Hood, anger and desperation simmering beneath the surface. 

"Take your helmet off , and face me " I demanded, my voice trembling despite my effort to stay composed.

He hesitated, the air between us thick with tension. 

Finally, with a slow, deliberate motion, he reached up and removed his helmet.

 My breath hitched, and my heart plummeted to my stomach as the face beneath was revealed.

Black hair, neatly styled, framed his face, a stark white streak running through the front——a new feature that hadn't been there before. 

His sharp features were older now, hardened by time and pain, but there was no mistaking him. A prominent scar curved along his jawline, a brutal reminder of the life he had lived since we were kids.

And then there were his eyes—those same piercing emerald eyes that had always seen through me, now shadowed by something darker, something broken.

My knees threatened to give out beneath me as I stumbled back, gripping the edge of the counter for support. 

"Jason?" I whispered, barely able to force his name past the lump in my throat.

He didn't say anything, just stood there, his expression unreadable as he watched me struggle to process the impossible.

 My mind raced, flashes of the past flooding my vision. 

Jason teasing me about my terrible taste in music.

 Jason sneaking into my room late at night to talk about Gotham's chaos. 

Jason promising me we'd always have each other.

And then Jason, lifeless, being pulled from the flames.

The silence was deafening, save for the rapid pounding of my heart. My vision blurred with tears, and my voice cracked as I asked, "How? How are you alive?"

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JASON'S POV

Her voice broke me.

I'd been prepared for anger, for disbelief, maybe even hatred.

 But seeing the pain in her eyes—the raw wound I'd torn open by standing in front of her after all these years—it was more than I'd bargained for. 

now i see Lauren the Lauren i once knew.

the Lauren that recognised me for me.

The Lauren I remembered had always been fierce, unyielding, but there was a softness to her that had been worn away.