Sanders Sides One Shots

Lifetimes

I was going to make this a five-part oneshot but decided to just smash them all together into one. So, enjoy!

AU the Sides don't technically exist. You'll see what I mean.

...

Thomas had a fairly normal life. He was a happy child, an angsty teen, and enjoyed the journey of growing into adulthood where he could be proud of himself. It was a relatively normal life.

Well, mostly normal.

He wouldn't exactly qualify his job as being normal.

"Can you bow before me as if I was your queen?" The girl asked, bouncing slightly as she stood in front of him, her phone clutched tightly in her hand.

Now, he wasn't one to refuse.

"Of course," Thomas did as asked, adopting a falsetto to continue speaking. "My queen, as your humble servant, I implore you to pose for a portrait."

The fangirl giggled, standing up taller to act regal as Thomas bowed before her. The mom standing behind her snapped a couple quick pictures, and then the two of them were off.

Eventually, the line died down. Thomas took pictures, signed random items, and talked and smiled until his face was sore. Clearing the phlegm from his throat, Thomas uncapped his water bottle to take a quick sip as he listened to the last guy in line ramble nervously before asking for a simple selfie and scuttering off.

"Thomas." One of the girls working for the event peaked through the curtain behind him. "They're just clearing off the stage for you, so be ready in about ten minutes."

He nods pleasantly to her, trying not to let his smile faulter. She didn't seem to notice. Truthfully, he was exhausted. He'd been talking all morning, had stayed out late the night before with the other YouTubers, and had been in panels and meet-and-greets all yesterday. His eyes were sore and aching to close while his throat clenched tightly whenever he tried to swallow.

Maybe scheduling to perform a few songs at the end of Vidcon hadn't been the best idea. Especially considering that he seemed to be catching a cold.

He'd barely gotten the chance to plop down to sit in a chair to relax before a stagehand came and collected him. Thomas arrived behind the stage and was given a microphone. He cleared his throat a few times, mostly unsuccessfully, before he was introduced and walking onto the stage.

His fans cheered and screamed for him, expressing their affection for him, but it only seemed to grind his tired ears and brain. He smiled and waved nonetheless, greeting them politely, and they finally quieted down for him to begin to sing.

The song came naturally to him, and for the first verse through the chorus, he actually enjoyed hearing the audience singing along with him. By the time he made it around to singing the chorus the second time, his ears had tuned out and he was singing on instinct.

His mind was elsewhere. He saw the audience filming him and bobbing along to the music, but he heard a quiet shrill noise from above him. Thomas was sure that it was all in his head. Too much socialization, not enough sleep. It would get the best of anyone.

Suddenly, all the fans in the audience got rowdier, and when Thomas was able to focus on individual faces, he was able to recognize panic. Had he sung the wrong words?

He trailed off, and his hearing came back to him all at once, and the sound was growing louder. Screaming started fading into his awareness all at once, and the audience scattered, a few of them trying to get on the stage.

In a panic, Thomas took a few steps backwards away from them, just as the sound registered full force with him. A loud crack echoed above him, and then he heard nothing.