Outside, in the middle of an Arizona-Nevada desert, the temperature exceeded eighty degrees Fahrenheit before eight in the morning. Leon Harvard didn't mind the heat---it was what he thrived in, though his coal-black hair did well to absorb all the light and heat it possibly could. He found it easier to let it grow out then tie it back in a braid or ponytail, though this morning, as he rested his forehead against the cool table of an unnamed roadside diner and gas station, he had it loose, covering his back as if a veil to hide from the three other people sitting around his booth. The bell over the door rang as it opened, though, calling to everyone present that a newcomer had entered. His black leather clothes betrayed the fact that he was the owner of the black and silver bike and helmet parked beside a beat-up green Buick.

His eyes caught sight of the form with dark hair half lying on the table near a corner booth. Stepping forward he straightened his jacket before leaning on the table easily. "Hey there." He said rather confidently. "What's a girl like you doin' all alone out here?"

Leon twitched, bringing up his head and snapping forward, grabbing the younger man's band tee-shirt and twisting it in his fingers. "So you think I'm a girl, do you?" He asked evenly. The sudden movement made the nearest diner---an older woman---glance their way before returning to her breakfast.

The suddenness had the young biker wrenching backward, but he was stuck in Leon's grasp. "N-no! God, I... I'm s-sorry, I just---"

Leon pulled him a little closer. "What? What, you think you'll just go ahead and pick someone up randomly in a place like this? The middle of nowhere?"

The young man fidgeted. "No---I mean, yeah, but it's just like---"

Leon narrowed his eyes, leaning back a bit and releasing the young man, but quickly put an arm around his neck before he could stand up straight. "Y'know, if you go both ways, this could end well for both of us..."

The biker struggled backward, straightening his jacket and ducking quickly out of the diner again. Leon rolled his eyes, gathering up his hair and twisting it absently as his free hand fiddled with the empty mug on the table.

Mark had noticed the commotion, as he had been watching the long haired man since he came in. He worked at the family diner as a waiter, a job that made many people laugh at. Usually diners like this had waitresses, and he was always self concious of this fact. He waited for the man to sit back down and watched the biker run from the restaurant, a man that was frequently coming into the diner to chat up his sister. He felt like poking his tongue out, but decided against it, picking up his notepad and moving towards the long haired man.

He cleared his throat as he always did when he was nervous. "Hello, how can I help you?" he asked, his voice showing way too much nerves than usual. He clicked his pen and poised it, ready to take the handsome man's orders.

Leon glanced around toward the newcomer, leaning back against the booth. This one was dark in hair, light in eyes. Leon usually went for blondes, but this one had a rather nervous disposition he just couldn't pass up. He smiled automatically, feeling it wasn't of his control. The smile usually came out when someone especially grabbing of attention approached him first. Even if it was necessary for their job.

"I think you can." He said simply, and studied the silver nametag on the young man's shirt. "Mark, is it? Well, maybe we can start with why a good-looking guy like you is stuck in a place like this and not in a magazine or modeling agency." So maybe he was lying it on a little thick, but Mark, as his nametag read, gave off the obvious aura of difference. Uniqueness. Something Leon had been trying to find despite his flirtatious demeanor to any man that came within speaking distance of him.

Mark was caught off guard by the reply, blushing brightly and stammering for words. He laughed nervously and stared hard at his notepad, his pen frozen on the spot. No one had ever said something like that about him. Usually they asked why he was working in a diner and asked him if he was gay or something. He swallowed his nervousness and smiled back at the man, who he had been attracted to the minute he walked in.

"Gotta pay the bills some way," he replied sheepishly, wishing he could come up with a wittier reply.

Leon nodded slowly. "Sure, I can see where you're coming from." He said easily. "Still... People around here just don't really appreciate such great features, not in this dusty stretch of desert. Squanders your talent if you ask me. If you put yourself out there, I think you'd... ah... do pretty well." He nodded. Leon couldn't help but grin at the young man. It was so endearing, how he just seemed to get red in the face and react so adorably. Maybe he could get used to someone like that... Stilling his hand, which was still manipulating the cup on the table, he lifted it a bit. "How about a bit of coffee, if you're going back there?" He asked. It was still early, and Leon hadn't exactly rested last night. In fact, he was still somewhat sore after his late-night liaison with a handsome green-eyed man whose name was lost in his relatively scattered brain.

Mark nodded and turned to leave, before glancing the man's way again. "Do you like it white or black?" he questioned, noting the man's reply down and returning to the kitchen where the coffee machine stood. He breathed heavily, trying to calm his sweaty and shaking hands. He wasn't used to this sort of attention, and his body was reacting in a strange way.

Mark was 13 when he noticed his attraction for men. He never liked girls as much as the other boys his age. It took him a year to realise that he was gay, though he hadn't really thought about it much until now. Not many people knew of his orientation, just his older sister who he was very close to. He shuddered to think what his father would think if he came out openly. As he poured the coffee in the way the man preferred, his sister walked in holding empty and dirty dishes. She noticed her brother's composure at once and grinned.

Sue had long blonde hair and freckles, bright blue eyes and usually wore glasses. She looked a lot dumber than she actually was. "Hey there Markie," she spoke with a giggle. "What's wrong with you?" She placed the dishes down and poked him.

"Ah... N-nothing," he lied, easily flustered by the girl's advance. She grinned wider. "Oh!" she cried and glanced over the restaurant.

"That long haired guy? He asked you out or something?"

"N-No... Just... Be quiet," he groaned, trying not to blush again. As if someone as good-looking as that man would fancy him. The man was probably just joking around to make him embarrassed. He gathered the hot drink and brought it over, blushing instantly as he came closer. "Ah... Here's your drink, sir," he said, setting the coffee in front of the man and trying not to shiver as he got close. "Did you want any sugar?"

Leon made it a habit to tap on the table lightly while waiting, staring out the window as one hand kept a constant, rather quiet drumming session going and the other rubbed his shoulder free of the stiffness that made it uncomfortable to sit for a long time. The diner's windows were positioned away from the direction of the nearest town, so he wouldn't know if someone drove that way. He half-expected someone to, but by the time Mark returned no one had traveled through the dusty morning air beyond the biker, who had sped off a few minutes after leaving in a flustered manner. Looking around, Leon forced his hands still and crossed his arms on the table.

He smiled a bit. "I think a little sugar from you would be just what I need to wake myself up." He said simply, and stopped himself, shaking his head a bit. He could tell he'd probably already embarrassed the young man enough. "Sorry... I've been told I come on a little strong. My name's Leon, by the way." He was used to jumping the gun, so to say, going without knowing someone's name or telling someone his name since they'd go their separate ways the day after. Or he'd already have had a few too many drinks and forget it as soon as someone told him.

"Ah... Leon? What brings you here? I haven't seen you around these parts before..." Mark said suddenly, desperate to keep small talk going with this man. Leon... He was incredibly good looking and Mark shook his head to rid himself of the dirty images running through his imagination. Even though he was 23, he had never been with someone before, let alone another guy. It caused him to have a very "active" imagination at times and he hated it. Some days he was tempted to have a one-off, but he really wanted his first time to be special. A lot of others seemed to think that it was a stupid way of thinking.

"Are you with those people digging up the desert?" Mark glanced over towards the small window that opened up to the kitchen. His father, who was the cook and also the owner and boss, was busy frying up some eggs. Mark wouldn't be able to stand around for long before the man bellowed for him to do some work.

Leon nodded, putting both hands around the heated mug to chase the overly-cool chill of the diner's interior away from his fingers. "Yeah, I am, actually." He replied after a moment. "You might consider me an archaeologist of sorts. More from the east of the state, though, I was called out here some days ago to overlook the discovery of a temple found in the desert. You might have heard a bit of it on the news, if you catch it." Pausing to take a drink, Leon's gaze traveled to the parking lot again and caught sight of a huge green Jeep, and as soon as a sigh escaped his lips, the door rang as it was opened and he entered, making a beeline to Leon and flopping down in the booth across from him. "You're late."

Leon paused to take in Andrew's appearance. Khaki clothes, a straw hat from which sandy blonde hair spilled, a square-jawed, tanned face with dark stubble and darker eyes peering in a terribly friendly---if a little stern---manner. "Aw, Indy, I was just stopping for a pick-me-up, that's it." Leon rolled his eyes, shaking his half-empty coffee cup. "Besides, it's early!"

Andrew shuddered. "I told you not to call me Indy." He muttered, and glanced around at Mark. "Oh, who's your friend, eh?"

Leon smiled lightly. "That'd be Mark."

Andrew nodded, and leaned toward the young man. "Hope he ain't proddin' ya too much, mate. He's pretty well known to be really strong at first."

Leon huffed, rolling his eyes to the ceiling as if escaping the words as false.

Mark became a bit confuzzled when the new comer sat next to Leon, closing his mouth when he realised he had it hanging open. "Erm... Yes... ah... Do you need anything?" he addressed the new comer, the pit of his stomach dropping. Of course this man was Leon's partner. He could tell from the way they acted towards each other. He bit back sadness that suddenly rushed over him. "A coffee as well? Something to eat?" he suggested, shaking slightly.

Andrew put a hand to his chin, rubbing it slightly as he thought, and decidedly shook his head. "No thanks, best not to go overeating this morning."

Leon drained the rest of the coffee from his mug. "Could do with a bit more caffeine if you're headed that way again, Markie." He asked offhandedly. Andrew's presence just reminded him that he had some questions to ask off the cuff, and not exactly where too many other people could hear. His curiosity was killing him, and it'd be foolish to let it sit as if he were shy. Though running the young man off, even for a few moments as it were, just made him feel like a bad person.

Mark blushed as Leon called him by the pet name his sister and mother called him by. Taking the empty cup, he went back to the kitchen, dumping the dirty mug into the sink and pulling out a new one. Through the small window, he watched the two talk and felt insanely jealous. Filling the mug back up, he was on the way back to the table when his dad called to him.

"Mark, get these eggs to the old couple on table 3," he growled, plating the breakfast meals and sliding them along the stainless steel bench.

"Ah... I have this coffee to give to..." Mark started, but was cut short. "Just get Sue to do it," he dad growled. He never approved of strangers and gave his regulars a lot more attention than those that only came in once or twice. That, or his dad suspected his sexuality and was preventing him being tempted, though Mark doubted it.

Sighing, he picked up the plates and went to the opposite end of the restaurant, sadly watching as Sue took Leon his coffee.

"Here, ya go," she said, placing the cup in front of him. "Was that all?"

As he left, Leon turned to Andrew, but before he could speak, Andrew did first: "So why didn't you answer your phone this morning?"

Leon thought back. It wasn't that long ago, actually, but Andrew was referring to five this morning. "I was sleeping off the night before." He replied simply.

"The night...? Oh, so you got that one with black and white hair to loosen up a little?"

Leon tilted his head. Try as he might, he couldn't remember that one. "What? No... Not that I know of..."

"Well you had two with you when you told me good night." Andrew spoke of the bar from yesterday, a final stop before leaving the nearest town entirely for the site far, far away from civilization. "Who'd you choose?"

Now he remembered. The one with dyed hair, black with white spikes, and the one with green eyes and brown hair, all natural. He just forgot the former a little easier because of his location for the greater part of the evening. "Ah... Oh... Oh, both of them."

Andrew's eyes widened. "Both."

"Yep."

"At once?"

"Yeah."

The Aussie shook his head. "God, Leon, you... I don't know about you---living the life most straight men would envy."

Leon snickered as a young blond woman approached and set down a second mug. He bit his lip, glancing around behind him a little. "Well, if it wouldn't be much trouble..." He pulled a scrap of paper from his pocket and a pencil that Andrew tended to keep tied with a twine around the brim of his hat, quickly scrawling down a number. "Mind giving this to Mark? I, ah... wouldn't mind getting a call from him sometime." Sliding the paper to the side of the table, he focused again on the strong bitterness of the coffee.

"Oh? Sure! I'm sure he'd love to give you a ring on his break!" she replied with delight, taking the paper with her as she ran back to the kitchen and found her brother washing the dishes. She presented him with the paper with a giant grin. "That pretty guy wants you to have this," she said, laughing a little. "Oh! Isn't it wonderful! My baby brother falling in love with some tall, dark stranger in a diner... So romantic!" She danced about him, causing him to blush.

"Yeah right, it's probably fake..." he muttered, but took the paper and shoved it into his pocket anyway. They both went quiet when their father came back from the fridge. Sue went to each table to give them their bills and Mark waited near the door by the cash register. He tried not to stare at Leon too much, but his sight kept moving towards the long haired man.

Leon was silent for a minute, tapping his chin. "So Andy," he said, putting emphasis on the name a little more than necessary. "Who else you have at the site? Anyone I'd like?"

"Well, let's see..." Andrew tapped the brim of his hat, having tied the pencil back where it was. "I've got mostly guys, can't really find many ladies that'll take to the field."

"Good, good... What kind?" Leon pressed for information. "Looks, Andy!"

"I got a few blondes there." He said quickly. Leon tended to be inclined to mention his preferences for blondes, though he wouldn't really turn down anyone as long as they fit his preferred body type.

He put his tongue out, as if tasting the air. "Oh, that's a real hook..."

"Got a red-head. Well, more maroon, can't say it's his natural color... A couple with black hair... The rest's all brunettes, different tones..." He thought about it. "And two girls that're probably the only females at the college that don't mind actually getting dirt under their nails."

Leon nodded, accepting the bill when it was set on the table and staring at it for a moment. "Well, we ought to get going." Standing, he put his hand in his pocket to fish out a few dollars, which would include a bit of a tip for the dusty, lonely place.

Andrew stood and stretched. "I don't know why I brought you on!" He called, stepping toward the door. "You're already an hour late!"

"You brought me on because I'm the best in my field!" Leon called back before the door closed.

Mark watched the two leave and was pleased with the small tip. He didn't get paid much where he worked as it was a family business, so any tip given was very appreciated. He said good bye to Leon with a heavy heart, his hand slipping inside his pocket and fingering the piece of paper with the man's number written on it. No way Leon had given him a real number...

The day wasn't that busy, as usual. Just a few travellers and regulars that lived in the farms and worked on the roads around the diner. Mark couldn't stop thinking about Leon for hours on end, even drifting off as he imagined what he'd want to do with the long haired man. Many times he got orders wrong and soon he was told to leave the diner until he could feel better.

Feeling very disappointed in himself, he went to the trailer out back and crawled into bed. He was rarely this bad at his job and knew his father would give him a stern talking to when he finished at night. His sister had guessed what was wrong straight away, and urged him to give the man a call. Now he picked up his old mobile and stared long at the number before dialling the numbers. Heart beating hard in his throat, he swallowed the sick burning in his chest and waited for the phone to start ringing.

Leon jumped into his ruby-red convertible and took to the road right behind Andrew, who had sped off a few moments before. He didn't feel as if he were leaving whole, though, as the young man's very presence was seared into his mind. He easily admitted to himself how simply adorable the young man was, though his coloring was the exact opposite of what he was immediately enthralled with. Dark hair, like his own, was usually second in his list of desires, but this one was different. True, he was often considered a playboy, and indeed he couldn't deny that, especially after the previous night. Though perhaps he was actually getting a little lonely. Maybe it was time he actually tried to find something more sturdy, more constant. He'd feared a lack of surprise or uniqueness after a time with the same person, but perhaps he would be surprised...

He took his hair down, letting the wind blow it back in a way he loved so much. After a time he pulled off the road, onto a dirt path marked by a large red sign put out there by Andrew before he came to search for Leon. He made it to the site in record time, though, speeding his way there and finding the place resembling an archaeological dig centered around the remains of a dinosaur or prehistoric civilization. But this was different---a temple, and surrounding village. Green tents were set up already, some for analyzing pieces of stone, bone that might be found, and one for sudden heatstroke or dehydration or illness brought on by possible contamination. A circle of smaller canvas tents were circled around a metal fire pit that wasn't lit. The day passed quickly for Leon, meeting the workers there as they introduced themselves and letting his eyes linger on a couple of the blondes. One was a rather feminine type, with a delicate jawline and large, bright blue eyes, rather small and soft-spoken. The red-head indeed had dyed his hair, and it was brushed back in a rather crazy spike style. He stayed inside one of the tents, though.

Evening began to fall quickly as Leon focused on helping the only two girls begin uncovering the signs of a main entrance to the temple. No doubt it was far, far underground, but they called it quits as the air only slightly began to cool. As he went to his tent---which he set up a bit away from the others out of habit, his cell phone vibrated in his pocket.

It couldn't be Mark, could it? Leon hadn't thought the young man would have taken to calling him, and not so soon. Usually someone waited a couple days at least. He brought it up, accepting the call and putting it to his ear. "This is Leon Harvard---is this business or pleasure?" He had to ask. A lot of people had his number, a combination of business associates and guys he met over the course of the past few years.

Mark froze at the voice issuing from the phone. Leon had given him the right number after all. And what a strange way to answer your phone. "Erm... I... Don't know..." he replied lamely, blushing even though he couldn't see the man. He cleared his throat and tried to muster his courage. Perhaps this man was interested enough in him to ask him out somewhere... Though he did seem the type to enjoy having his way with anyone he could.

"This is Mark... You... Ah... Wanted me to call," he explained, knowing that his voice was shaky from both excitement and nervousness.

Mark had always been a shy and nervous boy. Mostly remaining mute until his 20s, he still had issues with talking to strangers or on the phone. Working as a waiter helped him practice and he appreciated his father for helping him get over his phobias. Others might think that Mark's father was too hard on him, but Mark knew that he meant well and wanted his children to be safe and happy. He blinked hard, realising he was spacing out from fear.

Leon sat at the front of his tent, laughing lightly at the young man's tremor-filled voice. Perhaps he hadn't called anyone before, or was just as nervous over the phone as he seemed otherwise. He couldn't help but smile at the thought, how he might be acting on the other side of the line. "Well, Mark, that was up to you." He said. "I take it you haven't done something like this before, eh? Usually someone might wait a few days to call, or they'd go out of their way to text first." Leon didn't like texting, though. It was so... indirect. And he did love the subtle tones to the voice of the caller, depending on the nature of the call.

But he didn't mind. Maybe Mark did feel something. Hopefully he wasn't the kind to attach immediately to someone, but Leon had to doubt that. He seemed so green in the concept of communication deeper than a simple conversation or business-based formalities. Leon didn't want to take anything too seriously yet, though, considering where they stood. He'd never taken anything seriously in the first place, and if Mark stuck around him too much he might start to lose interest. It was probably what Leon feared from a partner, as it were.

"O-Oh?" Mark felt stupid at the other man's words. Of course people would usually wait a day or two before calling. He probably sounded too desperate. "I... I'm not that good at speaking on the phone... I kinda have a phobia of it..." He went quiet, trying to understand why he was blabbing out so much information to a complete stranger. "I called because... I... um..."

He didn't want to say that he couldn't get Leon out of his head. That was just a weird thing to tell someone he just met. He also didn't want the man to get any bad ideas about him. "I... Just wanted to hear your voice again, I suppose... Did you have a good day?" He felt like dying at what he had said. What a silly thing to say...

Leon tilted his head slightly, working to undo the braid he had put his hair in after he made it to the site. What an odd thing to start with. But everyone was different, and Mark was probably the most unique one he'd ever encountered. Still, he sat back against the support pole that held up his tent as the young, rather feminine blonde approached and sat alongside him. All day Leon had had his eye on him, and Sven, as he called himself, seemed to have been fine with it as he proved now, sitting a bit closer than one normally would.

"Sure, I could say this day's been a good one." He said after only a moment's hesitation. "I can't give too many details or the director will fry my ass, but I can tell we've made progress in our digging." The director he spoke of was Andrew, who was sitting in front of the fire pit and staring at it while the sparks of a new flame was beginning to come into existence. "I figured a guy like you might be out and about on a Friday evening like this, though, no time to talk to someone like me." Someone like him, too strong at first, apologetically honest, and a tremendous flirt, easily pulling someone to him. Of course he wasn't James Bond, though sometimes he wished he was. His free hand absently played with Sven's hair, twisting it lightly around his finger.

"Ah... No... I... I don't really know anyone..." he trailed off, blushing even brighter than before. This man he was talking to seemed like the type to be able to attract others easily. He didn't want to sound too lonely or like a loser. "I mean, we live out here... And I don't really have a car." He tried to save himself from sounding too desperate, but he knew that the other man was trying to get rid of him. Maybe he had already found someone to be with. That blonde from before...?

"Ah... If you are busy, I'll..." He gulped back tears, feeling so lonely he wished he could run into Leon's arms and let him have his way with him. He slumped back into his bed, which was under Sue's bunk in their small trailer. He was glad she wasn't here to see him cry.

Leon's free hand had fallen to running his nails lightly through Sven's hair, lifting a pleasant humming noise from the younger man. But his mind was more on the phone than anything else. "Actually, we've stopped for the evening. Better to save work for daylight in case desert-based predators decide to pick you off if they're desperate enough." He thought about it. Civilians were allowed around, if they didn't touch anything they weren't supposed to or cross the tape where it was indicated. And Andrew couldn't really say much against Leon, since he was out here on his own free will and could easily call it quits. "If you, you know, want to come around here, maybe it'd save you some boredom." He did want Mark around. He was a sweet young man, caught somewhere between Sven and the red-head, who was a little shy, but easy to talk to.

Leon added, "that is, if you trust someone who's almost a stranger." Indeed it'd be a stretch, convincing someone he barely knew to follow him into the dark of a desert at sunset. What if he were a murderer!? But then again, Leon was also a published author, well known for a few pretty little discoveries in Greece. This American discovery would probably bump him up to a world-renowned archaeologist.

"N-Now? I... I don't have a car..." he replied, shocked that the man was so inviting. He knew that Leon wasn't joking or trying to trick him due to the news coverage. Just today Mark had seen Leon's interview on the delayed local news station and that was when he dropped a platter of oysters.

"I mean... I'd love to but..." He wished he had tried for his license and saved up for a car now. He had never had a reason to, as the local bus service was very good and his father would drive him from here to there.

Leon chuckled. "You told me, Mark. Of course I meant I'd come to you, if you wanted to come out here and take a look around..." It could be something similar to a date, even. Often Leon set them up for that day or the next day with those he might only see a few times a week after that, but it was a nice pastime he hoped would become more formal someday. Someday soon. Besides, this was an uncouth type of place, full of mystery, and darkness and oddity. Leon was often known as the protective type, and if Mark was as afraid as he seemed to be over the phone...

Shaking his head, Leon breathed in the cooling evening air. "So what do you say, Mark? Takes about an hour to get from here to there, if you live near the diner." That being, if he sped. He thought it ridiculous to pull someone over on a road with absolutely no life for speeding a little. But maybe that was his reckless side...