Tony grins behind the bandanna mask obscuring his face, his entire being tingling with excitement. Feeling freer than he has in years, if not his whole life. Any apprehension he had on the way here vanished when he joined the large sea of people at the logging site. He proudly holds up the sign he made himself in his MIT dorm room. It was a simple sign, white text on a black background, the letters reading 'Create a solution, not pollution!'
He couldn't exactly pinpoint where the rush was coming from but it was better than any of the drugs he dabbled in the past couple of years. Maybe it was that he was going against everything his father wanted and expected of him. Maybe it was feeling like he was making a change for once. Or maybe it was that no one here knew who he was and no one seemed to cared to either. Feeling like he fit in with a group for once instead of sticking out like he always did.
A police car sounds its siren to his right. The protested chanted "Let the trees stand. Let us breath free", Tony says, going in wholeheartedly, adding his voice to the chorus of others.
Two officers step out of the car, fulling decked out in riot armour. In any other situation, maybe Tony would have felt a twinge of fear at the site. But in the crowd of protesters, he felt untouchable.
"Disband and go home!" an officer shouts into a megaphone. Tony cringes at its loud volume. "Any refusal to do so will result in an arrest and a fine. Any continued protest, here or elsewhere, and you will be arrested and fined"
The protesters scream louder. A redheaded woman steps forward, a furious look on her face. "This is a peaceful protest. We aren't hurting anyone"
The officer glares at her and gestures to his partner. The second officer unclips a rather large can of what Tony assumes to be pepper spray and not some sort of smoke grenade from his belt.
But before the officer has a chance to do anything a man jumps up onto the front of the police car. The man's face was obscured by a mask that looked to be an American flag. His short, blond hair stuck out wildly from his head, giving the man a roguish untamed look that matched his torn jeans. The man was short and thin, if Tony was to guess, he would say the man was roughly five-foot, maybe a little taller, but he carried himself as if he were six and a half. In the man's hand was rusty, misshapen, circular sheet of metal, the edges duct-taped smooth, and in the centre was a star spray-painted in white.
"WE SPEAK FOR THE TREES!" the man cries, swinging his makeshift shield at the officer, knocking the weapon out of his hand. The protesters cheer louder for the man.
"You're under arrest" The first officer shouts, removing the handcuffs from his belt. The second officer reaches for the man, but the blond simply throws the shield at him, momentarily knocking the officer off balance. The man takes off in a run for the forest across the felled field, surprisingly fast for his small build, the two officers in close pursuit.
Tony watches as the cops chase the man, hoping that the man makes it into the forest and escapes. He can't take his eyes off the scene, his hands clenched anxiously around the post of his sign.
With a loud bang, the door to the police car slams shut. At the seat of the vehicle is the redheaded woman from before. "Cосать это, Легавые," The woman says, turning on the police sirens, a sharp grin on her face.
The two officers stop their pursuit of the blond man at the sound of the sirens, they are too far away to hear what they are shouting but Tony thinks everyone gets the gist anyway. The officers start rushing back frantically.
The police car takes off, the wheels sending up large could of silt-dust from the logging into the air. The woman runs circles around the officers before taking off into the distance.
Soon after, the protesters disburse, making their way home.
Sign in hand and feeling proud for being a part of this, Tony makes his way back to his car. He takes his time, walking through the field of tree stumps, reflecting on the day.
When he reaches his car Tony spots the man from earlier walking over to a motorcycle. Tony puts his mask and the sign in the back seat and grabs a bottle of water.
The man had removed the flag from his face, reviling his sharp features. Tony takes a moment to appreciate the man's pink lips and high cheekbones. The man was gorgeous.
Reaching into a pocket on the motorcycle the man pulls out an inhaler and takes a puff.
He waits until the man is done before speaking.
"Hey, I'm Tony," Tony says, passing the man the bottle of water.
"Steve," the man says with a slight wheeze, accepting the water "Thanks".
"You are very brave," Tony says.
Steve scoffs, "Why? Because I'm small?"
"Nah, because I am pretty sure they had guns," Tony says.
The man laughs beside him, his blue eyes shining like sunlight dancing over clear water.
"Hey, would you like to get some pizza?" Tony asks, hoping he wasn't being too forward.
"Sure," Steve says, straddling his bike.
"There's this nice place nearby, Jim's pizzeria. Heard of it?" Tony asks.
"I've heard of it," Steve starts the motorcycle, letting the idle. "I would say 'lead the way', but I'm pretty sure I'd beat you there."
"What? You think you could take on my Mazda RX-7" Tony says, scandalised.
"Oh, so that's what you call that little toy car of yours," Steve says with a sly smile.
"Oh, you want to race?" Tony says, smiling so hard it hurt.
Steve revs his engine. "Yeah, let's see what that little wined-up of yours can do"
"You're on" Tony shouts, sprinting for his car.
The End
Notes: For the POTS Server Small Steve Appreciation bingo prompt "Activism" [Y1]
Translation:
"сосать это, Легавые" - Suck it, Gundogs (Легавые/Legawye - Literally meaning "gundog", "pointer", is a slag term for police in Russia)