Stark Differences (g/t)

Issue #3

"It really is you huh? Didn't know your power went both ways," Vulcan snickered. "Seems kinda useless don't it?"

Vulcan watched as the small woman in his hand finally seemed to register her situation. She stopped her futile kicking, focusing her energy on glaring up at him. Vulcan found it funny, seeing such an expression on a now much smaller face.

"You have five seconds to put me down," Rhea growled.

Vulcan quirked a brow teasingly.

"And what if I don't?" he leered with a knowing smile.

"I'll grow to one hundred fucking feet and kick your pretty little teeth in," Rhea spoke with such confidence for a woman of her situation. And people said Vulcan was full of himself.

He weighed his options. A giant Rhea was never a good Rhea, obviously. Vulcan had received his fair share of bruises and injuries due to her unfathomable sizes. But he also knew if Rhea really wanted to follow through with her threat, she wouldn't be wasting any time. Sure there was still the chance she was just toying with him (which certainly wouldn't be new for her), however as he held the once giant hero in his hand, he felt a strange sense of cockiness wash over him. More so than usual.

"Then do it," Vulcan responded simply.

"W-What?" Rhea faltered, before catching herself and fixing her glare.

"Do it."

"I..."

"You can't, can you?" Vulcan continued with a smirk. "I'm calling your bluff."

"This isn't a game of poker dumbass! Now put me down, it would be a shame to have to kill you and get blood all over my boots!" Rhea snapped, regaining moment of confidence. Though Vulcan could now tell it was just a charade.

"Oh sweetheart," he tutted, patting Rheas head with his thumb. "How dumb do you think I am? It's clear that something's wrong with you. And that means that you..." he trailed off before tossing Rhea in the air. She let out a strangled scream, and Vulcan smiled at the rare glimpse of his nemesis in fear. "..are stuck like this, doll," he teased as he caught her.

"Vulcan I swear to God-"

"Hey V, what's taking you so long?"

He rolled his eyes at the sound of Trixie's, or as Vulcan knew him, Carson's voice. He quickly shoved Rhea in his jacket pocket, deciding to keep her condition his little (pun fully intended) secret for now. He stepped out of the alley way, nearly bumping into his ex. He backed up with a sneer, putting a more comfortable distance between them.

"Woah, things got pretty heated over here," Carson giggled as he peaked around the corner into the alleyway. "What was the point of..."

"I was trying to smoke her out. She wasn't there."

"You sure you didn't kill her?! That would make things a hell of a lot easier for us!"

"Nah, she's too smart for that. Trust me, she's gone."

Vulcan began walking away, going to find Jupiter in their car before other heroes arrived, when Carson grabbed his forearm.

"Cmon V, this counts as a win! Lemme take you out for a drink," he offered, that cheeky smile of his almost luring Vulcan back in.

Vulcan and Carson met through an under ground villain network, where Vulcan also met most of his 'friends' in recent years. He tried dismissing him as he did most other villains he met, trying to keep their interactions purely business related. But Carson was determined, if not a little annoying. Vulcan eventually conceded and humoured him with a date. Which turned into many more, surprisingly pleasant, dates. They stayed together for nearly six months, when Carson cheated on him with Spinner, or Liam, a few weeks ago. Vulcan's been giving the two the cold shoulder since.