This was inspired by a launch I went to a few years ago. It's also the reason there was no update for SOTD last week, but I'm still working on it!
Hope this story doesn't fill you with anxiety like it did me. Introverts unite!
"Hello everyone, and thanks for coming today, I- no, that's not right. Okay. Good afternoon everyone, and thanks for attending- no, no, that sounds weird. Why are you making this so difficult? You can do this."
John paced up and down in his hotel room, reciting from the little notepad he had clutched in his trembling hands. He studied his messy scribbles with narrow eyes as he tried to make out what he had written.
"Okay, let's try this again." he paused and caught his reflection in the mirror. He straightened his posture and forced a smile onto his face. "Hello there, and welcome to the launch of my book. My book launch. About my book. ...What?" he facepalmed, rubbing his hands through his hair. He let out a shaky breath. "Okay, turns out I can't do this."
John tossed his notepad aside and strode over to his en suite bathroom. He turned on the cold tap and splashed his pale face with water. The blonde clutched the sink and stared at his pallid visage in the mirror.
He was a mess.
All this over a book?
John had been ecstatic when he'd found out his manuscript was going to be published - his family had been so proud of him. Months later had been the first time he saw his book in person, and he thought that was that - until his publisher suggested he do a book launch to help promote commercial sales, but there was just one problem with that.
John was terrifed of speaking in public.
He knew it was a childish fear to have and it made no sense because in general, John's staccato voice was enough to draw attention and make anyone listen to him. He just wasn't very keen on speaking to others outside his family circle, and everybody knew it.
John groaned and splashed his face with water again. Although his family were super excited about the book launch, none of them were actually able to attend in person, due to their work commitments. Scott and Gordon were still on base, Virgil was stuck at work and Alan at school. Their father was away on business but promised to give John a video call once he'd finished up for the day.
At least it meant none of them would see him embarrass himself.
As he dried his face, there was a loud and sudden knock at the door. Wiping his face with the towel, John forced himself into a state of calmness, trying to ignore the erratic pounding in his chest. He'd been expecting his literary agent to call by before the launch but didn't intend on her dropping by so soon. He didn't want her to see how vulnerable he was feeling.
John's eye twitched as the door knocking became more and more obnoxious. Instead of knocking like a normal person, whoever was calling for him was apparently doing a varied rendition of the Star Wars theme in knocks.
Forcing a wide smile onto his face, John opened the door. He was momentarily stunned by what greeted him - or rather, who.
"Boo."
Taken aback by the beret-wearing, black-cladded Che Guevara, John almost missed the tropically-clad Club Tropicana standing behind him.
"Hey Johnny!" Gordon beamed, pushing past a darkly dressed Virgil to pull John into a hug. "Surprise!"
"What are you guys doing here?" John gasped, patting Gordon's back as he fist pumped Virgil's hand over Gordon's shoulder.
"We were in the neighbourhood." Virgil grinned, adjusted his black sunglasses. "And a little birdy told me that big brother Johnny was launching his very first book today and needed a little moral support."
John stepped aside so they could enter his hotel room. "This is a nice surprise! Dad told me you guys were swamped down with work!"
"Well Scott couldn't get time off, granted, and Alan's stuck at school, but we managed to squiggle our way around it. Couldn't miss this, could we, Virg?
"Squiggle?"
"Squiggle."
"Wiggle."
"That's what I said!"
John held back a laugh. "So you managed to get some time off base, Gords?"
Gordon nodded, "Yeah, I'm on shore leave. The big boss man granted it." he gave him a thumbs up. "After this I'm heading to Spain."
"That's great! And you, Virg?"
Virgil looked a little sheepish. "I'm... actually not supposed to be here."
John knew that look. "What happened?"
"I... sort of... quit my job?" Virgil smiled uneasily.
John's eyes widened. "You mean, Civil-Tech Engineering?"
Virgil couldn't help but spill the beans. "Look, I know it's super conceited of me to just throw in the towel after how hard dad worked to get me in that place, but the truth is..." he sat down on the bed forlornly. "I despised it. Everyone hated me and I hated everyone." he exhaled. "Working there sucked the life and soul out of me."
John had had his doubts about the place itself, knowing how creative his brother was, and felt Virgil had been hiding this for a while judging my his reaction. "I'm sorry to hear that Virg. I didn't know."
Virgil folded his legs. "I didn't tell anyone. Not even Scott. I just stuck it out because I knew dad was counting on me to excel in this occupation." he sighed. "The truth is, I'm just not interested in engineering. At all. I tried to convince myself that I could do it, but it turns out, I can't."
"Does dad know how you feel?" John asked.
Virgil's eyes widened. "No, and you can't tell him either!"
Gordon sighed, "I've already told him, John. He thinks that dad will be disappointed if Virgil tells him he quit that job and decided to go freelance."
"Freelance?" John looked at Virgil.
Virgil's cheeks went a little red. "Artist. Under a pseudonym, of course."
John shook his head, trying to process everything. "Wait a minute, you're saying that you're already working as a freelance artist?"
"Yeah! I was doing it on the side as well as my engineering job. Then I sort of had an epiphany at work and figured I could go freelance full time."
John smiled. "That's great, Virgil!"
Virgil bit his lip. "It isn't though. Dad will flip when he realizes what I've done."
"Then talk to him about it!" John advised with a smile.
Virgil shook it off. "Anyways, enough about me. How are you feeling?"
"Oh I'm just dandy."
"He's nervous." Gordon observed his older brother. "His lips are twitching."
"I am not nervous!" John admonished, discreetly holding his hand up to his lips.
"Come on John, we all know you hate speaking to people. You're just like Virgil."
Virgil frowned, "Hey, I speak to enough people of my own volition, thank you very much. If they choose not to speak to me then I won't make the effort either."
Gordon chuckled.
John shook his head. "Anyway, what's with this bold, new look coming from you guys? Trying to make a fashion statement or something?" he laughed at their garish outfits.
Virgil folded his arms. "Well, I told Gordon we should be discrete, just in case the press got wind of us being here. Incognito, I said. So he comes dressed as a tourist on vacation."
Gordon smirked and stretched his arms behind his back. "I am discrete! This is discrete for me."
"You're dressed for Spain, aren't you, Gordon?"
Gordon grinned, "See, John gets it!"
"Incognito, Gordon! Everyone can see it's still you!"
"Oh, like the black's disguising your ugly mug, Virg. You look like a bank robber."
John laughed. He'd missed his brothers.
Gordon glanced at the clock on the wall. "What time's the launch?"
"Eleven. I'm considering taking a shot of something."
Virgil shook his head. "You don't need it. You're eloquent enough to get through this. We know you can." he encouraged.
"Thanks Virg... I just-" he wringed his hands together, "-you know. I'm not very good at stuff like this. I get so anxious. It's really dumb."
"It's not dumb, Johnny. Everyone feels this way sometimes. Even me! I just zone out and hope things turn out the way they should. I know mom's watching, and she'll send me good vibes, so that kinda keeps me going." Gordon shrugged. Virgil placed a supportive hand on the auburn's shoulder.
"We'll be here every step of the way, so just look at us and you'll be fine." Virgil smiled.
"Thanks guys."
"Plus, I've already read your book and I for one can tell you it's fantastic." Gordon jumped to his feet. "The World and Astronomy, by John Tracy. I like it."
"What do you mean you've read it?" John blinked.
"I've already bought twenty books."
"But it's not even out yet!" John gasped.
"I have my ways." Gordon replied deviously. "I have them in my rucksack. And I may or may not have promised the boys back at base I was gonna get them signed copies, so if you don't mind..." he pulled a biro out of his shirt pocket and twizzled it around with his fingers.
John was astounded. "B-But... you bought twenty of my books?"
"Of course I did!" Gordon replied cheerily, "You're one of my favourite brothers and a great writer! Of course I'm going to buy twenty of your books! I wanted to buy more but Amazon wouldn't let me."
"But I was going to gift you one!" John exclaimed. "And you!" he pointed at Virgil.
Virgil smiled, sliding off the bed. "No need, I've already got four on order. Scott wanted me to get him one and so did Alan. I got one for dad but it turns out he already pre-ordered one hundred or so for his staff."
"WHAT?" John's heart quickened in his chest, "O-One hundred?"
"Or so. You know what dad's like."
"But you didn't ha-"
"We know." Virgil smiled.
"And we don't care. You deserve every success in the world, Johnny-boy." Gordon beamed.
John was speechless. "I... don't know what to say..."
"Just say thank you!"
"And that we're the best brothers ever."
John pulled them into a hug, surprising the pair. John usually wasn't one for hugs. "You guys- you're just... something else. Thank you."
Gordon laughed. "You're welcome!"
Virgil glanced at the clock on the wall behind them. "Hey, we best get a move on. Time is money and your launch is in ten minutes if I remember correctly."
"Oh crikey, we best get going then."
"Where's the venue?"
"It's just down the road."
"Good, I bought my car."
"Ever heard of walking?"
"With twenty books in my bag? No thanks."
"You're such a lightweight." John rolled his eyes.
Gordon locked his car and patted the roof for good measure. He and his brothers started walking down the parking lot towards the venue and entered through the back entrance, away from the growing crowd.
Seeing that John had gone pale by how many people were there, Virgil held a supportive hand on his shoulder and led him into the office room where a pile of his books were standing on the table.
John looked around nervously, peering through the window that led into a large function room where he could see people beginning to sit down. He could feel his breath juddering and for a moment he actually stopped breathing.
"Johnny, calm down. You're going to have a panic attack." Virgil warned softly, pulling John out of his reverie.
"Thanks Virg." John nodded, gaining control back over his emotions.
"Remember, just look at us. Talk to us. Forget about everyone else. Okay?" Gordon patted John's back.
"Thanks Gords. I'll try. You two better get going."
"Kill 'em, John. Not literally, unless you're really feeling it." Gordon saluted.
"Good luck John." Virgil smiled, pushing Gordon through the curtains. "Just remember, you've got this."
"Thanks bro." John gave him a small smile.
When his brothers were gone, John let his smile drop and exhaled deeply. He shakily pulled out his phone to find his publisher had texted him. Turns out she was stuck in traffic and John would have to pull off the whole launch by himself.
"Great." John mumbled, sliding his phone into his back pocket. He peered through the little window to see his brothers were sitting in the front row, which was a godsend to John as he wouldn't have to look over any strangers to see them.
A few moments later, the room was completely full of people, all waiting for the launch to start. With a shaky breath, John walked into the room and onto the little stage that had been prepped for him. Around the room were piles of his books that had already been signed and he couldn't help but blush when Gordon and Virgil started applauding in support, setting off a chain of other applauses.
John bit his tongue and smiled modestly, standing on the stage in front of everyone. He cleared his throat and waited for the applause to die down. "Thank you for that kind greeting. I thought someone else had walked on."
A reverberation of laughter ripped around the room. Gordon beamed and shot John a thumbs up. John's sharp wit could cut through diamond.
"Thank you all for turning up today. I won't take up much of your time, but I thought I'd give you a little bit of insight to why I've written this book and a few little extras, if that's all good with you?"
"Yes please!" Gordon called out, causing a few people to laugh and for Virgil to duck his head in embarrassment.
"Well thanks! With that in mind, I'll begin..."
Virgil watched his brother with awe as the blonde lectured them about space and why he loved it so. He didn't understand why John was worried about talking to others in the first place as his brother was doing fine. He even had the challenge of digesting lots of complex information and breaking it down for easier understanding and he was still making it look easy. Virgil smiled and opened the book to find the acknowledgements.
One father. Four brothers. One grandmother. I don't know how I'd do it without you.
For Mom.
Virgil's heart felt warm. John could be really sentimental at times, but often showed this through the bluntness of his words. He really had a way with everything.
A little later on, as John was wrapping up his speech, his heart pounding in his chest and a feeling of elation running through him, he decided to let something slip that he'd been sleeping on for a while. Nobody knew about it. Not even his father.
John cleared his throat for dramatic effect. "To conclude this book launch, I thought I'd tell you about a new launch, but it's nothing to do with books. It's more to do with a... venture of mine." his eyes grazed over to Virgil and Gordon, who were both looking a little confused. John smiled. "It is here that I state my intention to follow in my father's footsteps and train to become an astronaut."
A round of applause and cheers quickly sounded off but John was lost to that. He hadn't taken his eyes off his brothers. Two pairs of wide eyes stared back at him, with Gordon doing the perfect impression of a goldfish as Virgil started beaming uncontrollably like the Sun next to him. John stepped down from the stage in front of his brothers and for a moment, Gordon was frozen in place as his eyes drifted up his brother's lean figure until they reached his face. At John's estatic expression, Gordon mouth morphed into a proud grin.
"Surprise." John murmured with a smile.
"Are you serious?" Gordon gasped.
"Very." John smiled.
"First man on Mars, eh, Johnny?" Virgil teased.
"Yeah, and I'll bring you with me!" John chuckled as he waved off his audience before stepping into the back with his brothers trailing him. On arriving in the room it seemed to be full and they were greeted by a camera crew. John turned his head away as a microphone was lunged under his chin.
"Eddie Kerr, World Television. Tell me, Mr Tracy, how do you feel about following your father's legacy?" the reporter hounded him. John covered his face and his brothers did the same. "What about your brothers, how do they feel?" he tried pushing the microphone towards Virgil but Gordon shoved past the reporter, making room for his brothers to follow.
The trio left the building and increased their walking speed when the press started following them.
"Mr Tracy, wait!"
"Run for the car!" Gordon commanded, and the three men did just that. Gordon quickly started it up and made sure to drive in the opposite direction to where the news crew were, and when they were in the clear they finally relaxed.
"Eddie bloody Kerr. He's usually lurking at Tracy Towers to get an interview with dad." Gordon scowled. "Leech."
"Dad will pull some strings and have that footage erased." Virgil reassured. "Anyways, let's not let that ruin John's special day. What do you want for lunch, John?"
"I fear that if we pull up at a restaurant somewhere the press will find us."
The three young men looked at one another.
"Takeaway?" Gordon offered.
Virgil and John beamed. "Takeaway."
Gordon let out an excited cheer and excitedly drove them back to John's hotel room, thinking about cancelling his trip to Spain to spend some time with his brothers instead.
After all, it was always an adventure when they were together!