Lavashipping Oneshots

Her Over Me

so i know i just had that whole cole angst chapter but i couldn't control myself. i wrote another one. 

(High school AU)

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It was late.

He wondered if his dad would ever come home. He was supposed to be at work, but considering work ended at 7pm and it was 11pm right now, he was not at work. Lou had texted him saying he was running late, but not this late. He said one hour, max. At least it wasn't as scary as the first time this happened. He was almost...used to it by now. His dad had been coming home at midnight at least once a week for the past 3 months. He used to be worried about him, but now it was just like another event on the calendar. 

Not that he really cared though. Recently, he started to think that his dad was suspicious of his secret. When he first realized he was gay, he had wanted to tell Lou first. But then he found his dad in the kitchen, ranting to a neighbor about how gay people are so disgusting.  After he heard that, he wasn't sure he could even look at his dad the same way again. He planned to leave, and Kai had his house open, door unlocked, waiting for him.

But he couldn't do it. He kept replaying the last time he saw his mom, and her telling them that they had to stick together, no matter what, because then they could get through anything. He couldn't let her down, so he couldn't leave. He spent most of his time working out how to avoid his dad as much as possible. Kai had tried to convince him that he wasn't letting down his mom if he left, because if his dad really felt that way, then he wouldn't care. But he couldn't. It was hard at first, living with someone who really truly was just so against him. Gradually, though, it became easier because, well, because Lou didn't know. He was terrified of what would happen if he did find out. Kick him out? What would he even do if his dad kicked him out? Where would he go?

It was a routine. Every Saturday or Sunday or Friday, when Lou didn't come home on time, he would get lost in his thoughts. Bad thoughts usually, seldom good ones. He couldn't help it. All he could do was see his mom one last time over and over again. 

And then one Saturday everything changed. Lou was off work, which was weird, because he always worked Saturdays. In addition to that, he was up early, which was extra weird, because on his off days, he always slept in as much as possible. Also, he took a shower and came down in a suit. 

"Where are you going so early?" Cole asked him. 

"Oh, just a job interview." Lou said absentmindedly as he put his dress coat on. 

"I thought you loved your job." 

"Well, yeah, but sometimes, things have to change for the better. For the better, for us." Lou corrected. 

"Okay, well, I hope you get the job." 

"Yeah." he said with a chuckle. "Me too."

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At around 8pm, just when he was thinking that this was a really long job interview, the door opened. 

He jumped up from the couch, making sure to sign himself out of his Disney+ account, and walked over to the entryway, hoping, praying, to see his dad, smiling, taking off his jacket, telling Cole that he got the job, and now things would be different. 

But that was not the sight that met him. 

An early-30s lady stood in the open doorway. She had long, straight, black hair, and grayish green eyes. Pink lipstick and a cover-up jacket over a white dress just barely above the ground. 

And a glimmering ring on her finger. 

No. No. No. Maybe or maybe not he had been suspicious of something going on, but not this. This was the worst possible thing he could've imagined happening.