Chapter 1: The Pilot Episode
John Laurens drew a shaky breath, "... Alright. I can do this. Right?'
He straightened his tie for the third time that night. This was it. His debut on The Late Show. Tonight would either make or break his career. He ran a hand through his curly brown hair, tied into a tight ponytail, making sure not too many hairs were sticking out and looked over his suit again. It was a simple dark blue suit with a black waistcoat, dark green pocket square and striped blue and green tie. It was fairly plain but looked very well made and it fit the young freckled man perfectly.
He sighed and turned around, "How do I look?"
The man sitting on the couch in John's dressing room chuckled, "Fine. Again. Seriously man, calm down. I know what to do when it comes to suits. Besides, you'll do great out there."
John huffed and threw a small towel at Hercules Mulligan, "How can I calm down?! This show will either make or break my career!"
His tall friend caught the towel and stood, "Hey, just relax man. I felt the same way when I started my show. It's natural."
John knew Hercules was right. On his first night as host of Last Week Tonight, he had a near panic attack over a tear in a suit he bought. Luckily, for both Hercules and himself, Hercules was a master tailor and, in wanting to avoid a similar fiasco, he asked his longtime friend to make a suit for his opening night.
He sighed and turned back to the mirror, adjusting his tie again, "Yeah, but this is still going to be hard as hell."
Hercules shook his head and turned John around to face him. His fellow host and tailor towered a good five inches above himself, despite him being above average height. He straightened John's tie perfectly and playfully ruffled his smaller friend's hair, "Don't sweat it, Laurens. I'll be backstage watching with the rest of the crew. We all know you can do this."
John couldn't help the smile that snuck onto his face. His childhood friend always knew how to cheer him up. Before he could thank him, a knock came from the door, "Mr. Laurens? Five minutes till we're live."
John sighed and turned back to Hercules, who had his usual wide, reassuring smile on full display. He returned it with his own lopsided grin and raised a fist, "Wish me luck."
He nodded and bumped a much larger fist against John's, "Good luck John. You'll do great out there."
John nodded, drew another breath and opened the door. The two friends went their separate ways, Hercules to the tech support room and John headed for the stage. He stopped in front of the large sliding doors that would open when the show started, revealing the new host. He could hear the band warming up and the audience settling into their seats. He popped his neck and drew another breath. He was ready for this. He'd waited for this for so long and he didn't plan to back out now. On the other side of the door, he heard the crowd cheer as the band started up. The show was starting. He shook his head, causing a few curls to come loose and put on a wide smile. He was ready to join his friend in the spotlight.
"Ladies and gentleman, welcome to The Late Show! Introducing your newest host, John Laurens!"
The audience went wild as the doors slid open. John's smile grew as he stepped into the spotlight.