Myles stared blankly at those few lines and reread them over and over again, the paper seemingly weighing tons between his trembling fingers. His bright blue eyes were like mirrors to his soul, reflecting the pain and disappointment that bubbled up inside him. He was not good enough. He would never be.

"Why did he have to join? Now we'll hear no more of Creed, my all-time favorite band", a listener put his anger on display in the magazine he was holding in his hands, immediately letting him feel failure once more. The singer knew he shouldn't get so hung up on one disapproving opinion on display but he couldn't help but feel like it was true. He destroyed Creed's career with his joining, even though Mark and the guys came to him and not the other way around. He just did what he was asked to do.

"Damnit!", he sighed, throwing the magazine out of his bunk and curling up on his side, sad blue eye searching the darkness outside of the bus window. The inky blackness peppered with a few sparkling bright dots seemed somewhat soothing but he knew it'd only work for so long. His thoughts rushing back once more proved that point, the overwhelming sadness and failure he felt closing in on the lanky curled-up singer once again. This time there seemed to be no proper distraction and that's why he finally shed a silent tear, squeezing his eyes shut to prevent another one from falling down. But no matter how hard he tried, the few tears finally turned to silent sniffles and hiccupping breaths that ultimately resolved into silent sobs that grew louder the longer he laid there on his own.

Loud cheerful talking suddenly filled the bus, indicating that his new bandmates had arrived, too. They had stayed in the venue for a bit longer, giving a few interviews while Myles had run off after he had heard a fan asking for Scott Stapp to fill back in sometime soon. He didn't even dare to listen to Mark's response to that statement, just running off like the scared little puppy he was. It was ridiculous and he knew it but he couldn't help it. It hurt him more than anything that some people didn't even give him a chance and directly were against him without checking out the talents that he'd worked so hard to improve.

Burying his face deeper in the small pillow beneath his head he let out a desperate whimper, hoping for it to be silent enough that no one else heard it.

"Myles?", he heard a muffled voice call out for him in the small aisle between the bunks, causing him to directly freeze up. He couldn't prevent his silent sobs though, listening with tense anticipation to the steps of whoever it was coming closer to his bunk, squeezing his eyes shut as soon as the small curtain was slowly pulled back to reveal his messed up miserable self.

"Myles? Hey, what happened to you?"

Now he could recognize that voice perfectly as Mark's, curling even further into a ball in a silent but useless attempt to hide away and not having to answer. Why did it have to be Mark who found him? Mark was the only one he didn't want to talk to at that moment, for fear of negative responses but also because of something else.

He had felt the sizzle in his gut the first time he had seen Mark and the longer they worked together, the worse it got. Especially since they grew close as friends, too, due to Mark being the one to take care of Myles and make him feel welcome in the band. The singer lived with the daily fear of it getting known to the guitarist in some way and he, therefore, tried to not be confronted with Mark in his vulnerable moments because he didn't know how well he would be able to control himself when the guitarist was close and he got consumed by a melancholy kind of longing. So logically, his initial reaction was to push him away.

"Leave me alone!"

The guitarist flinched back at that response, his heartstrings being tugged on painfully due to his lanky singer's image. He was curled up in a ball wearing an oversized gray sweater and a pair of black skinny jeans while his longish brown hair obscured his face, his shoulders trembling from the deep breaths he took and the sobs that continued to leave his normally smiling rosy lips.

Mark had never seen him like this and it scared him to no end, especially since it became clear to him at that moment how little he knew about the shy, humble human being laying there all curled up in front of him.

"Myles...", he tried again, but he got the same response. Still, he refused to give up that quickly.

"Myles, please... If you don't wanna talk that's alright but please don't make me leave. I wanna help you in any way I can... Just please give me a chance..."

He didn't know whether Myles would be okay with it or flinch away but he tried, either way, placing a gentle hand on the singer's shoulder and soothingly caressing the warm skin through the soft fabric of the well-worn sweater.

It took everything in Myles to not lean back into the gentle touch and melt into Mark's so invitingly warm arms. But soon he noticed that Mark didn't mean to leave again anytime soon, much rather taking the lack of reaction as an encouragement to get even closer. The singer held his breath when he felt the guitarist's warm body lay down in the bunk beside him, one of the warm strong arms making its way around Myles' slim hips to pull him closer into the warm embrace.

"What are you doing?", the singer asked in a hoarse voice that made the fact that he had been crying even more obvious, curling deeper into the embrace either way but anticipating some kind of answer all the same.

"I try to give you the comfort you so obviously need right now", the guitarist replied right next to his ear with a small chuckle, nuzzling gently into the soft strands of Myles' hair, inhaling the comforting scent of something flowery and a light bit of coconut. Mark knew the new singer tended to use female hair products due to the length of his hair and just knowing that little information about him made him smile happily. He just wished the singer would open up more to him so that he could learn more of those little things.

"Will you throw me out of the band?"

The whispered question coming from the curled-up form in his arms made Mark gasp in shock.

"What? No, of course not! What led you to believe that?", he asked right back, feeling Myles' shoulders lift in a small shrug. Just as he was about to give Mark a proper reply though, the latter took the words right out of his mouth.

"Is it because of those critics whining about Creed parting ways?"

The lack of answer gave Mark every answer he needed, causing him to tighten his embrace around the sad human being in his arms.

"You know that that wasn't your fault, right? We wanted you instead of Scott! And I'll tell you, it was the best decision in my life! And those dumb critics will eventually notice that, too!"

Myles just let loose another huge sniffle, turning around in Mark's arms to be able to look into his warm greenish-brown eyes. The guitarist gasped softly at the sight of the reddened, tear-streaked cheeks and the blue blue eyes still glistening with unshed ones, the longish brown strands of hair helping him hide his face a bit more. Myles looked absolutely miserable but so beautiful at the same time that Mark's breath caught in his throat.

"You really mean that?", the singer asked hesitantly, searching Mark's gaze for some kind of further approval. To his actual surprise, all he saw was pure honesty, adoration, and something that seemed close to... love? No, he had to be imagining that one. But either way, a smile tugged on his lips once more that finally reached the blue depths of his eyes again.

"I mean that Mylo, trust me. And I'm not just saying that because of how much I dig you but because it's true."

Mark's face was burning with a rosy blush after he let out those words, hoping that Myles didn't pay too much attention to what he let slip in his last sentence. But by the look of genuine surprise and excitement in his opponent's bright blue eyes, he seemed to be very aware of what he had said.

Myles was completely overwhelmed and starstruck at that confession that had just been made to his face, that confession of adoration and in some way... of love. So maybe he hadn't been imagining things a few moments earlier. Choosing to just take a chance the singer cuddled even closer, resting one palm on Mark's slightly stubbled cheek and shortly brushing his thumb across the full rosy lips before leaning in and placing his own on them, directly melting into the contact while his heart nearly burst out of his chest due to the anticipation of Mark's response and the overruling feeling of excitement flooding his body.

To the singer's great relief he felt Mark's arms fully snaking around his waist, pulling him closer while deepening the kiss with a content little sigh. The incredible amount of happiness that simple response sparked in Myles was so overwhelming that he couldn't help but smile widely into the kiss, causing him to have to break away from it at some point with that grin and a mighty blush still on his face.

"I... I didn't expect that to be honest with you", Mark whispered into the silence first, an equally as wide smile plastered onto his features while a rosy blush sneaked onto his cheeks as well, one of his hands coming up to Myles' face to wipe away the dried tears that had still remained on his reddened cheeks before tucking a stray strand of silky brown hair back behind his ear.

"I just thought that after what you said I might as well show you my feelings on that topic", the singer replied, closing his eyes when he felt Mark's warm lips on his own again for another soft kiss, letting out a surprised squeak when Mark pulled him on top of him and into a closer hug before breaking away and locking his greenish-brown eyes on the singer's again, looking closely at him with so much affection Myles wondered how he had never noticed it before.

And he also wondered how he hadn't noticed their audience.

"Well well guys, I guess I wasn't blind then! Brian, you owe me 20 bucks!", Flip's voice finally pulled them out of their gaze with another squeal from Myles' side, Mark just laying perfectly still with his blush increasing when the singer tried to hide away in his shirt, the guitarist tightening the protecting embrace around him by instinct.

"I knew it, Tremonti! There always was another reason besides his incredible talent for you to be so infatuated with him! Thanks for making me richer!", Flip continued, happily making his way back to the lounge to get his money from a grumbling Brian while the blush on both Mark's and Myles' faces increased even further, the singer finally rolling over again to allow Mark to spoon him on that little bed, the stupid smile on his face still refusing to fade in any way.

"You know you're better than Scott, right? And you know you're not a replacement but instead the singer in this very new band?", Mark whispered behind Myles' ear just to be sure, feeling one of the slender hands taking the one placed on his hip and entangling their fingers.

"I know. Sometimes I just need to be reminded I guess."