I’m Not a Villain, I Just Absorb Women’s Powers

"So you did steal it," Eva said, her voice flat.

"No—" Jace leaned forward, palms open. "That's not the right word. I didn't mean to. I didn't even know I could do something like that."

She didn't respond, just stared at him.

He exhaled and tried again.

"Look… I think I found out after that night that I'm a metahuman. That's what this is. I don't know what kind or how it works exactly, but based on what happened between us… it's starting to make sense."

This version of the truth felt safer. Zin had warned him, no talk about alien ancestry. No mention of off-world physiology or siphoning energy signatures. Even if he had shared a bed with her, that didn't mean he trusted her.

And the reality was harsh, he had taken her power. Whether accidental or not, that could turn into something serious if the wrong people found out.

Eva didn't flinch. She just stared at him with the same fire in her eyes.

"Then bring it back."

Jace froze.

He opened his mouth, then closed it again. "About that… so, like I said, I just found out I'm a metahuman. I don't exactly know how this ability works. I didn't do it on purpose. And… I don't know how to reverse it."

Her expression didn't change, but her silence was louder than anything she could've said.

Jace noticed the look in her eyes and cleared his throat. "You can stay here for a while. We'll figure out a way to fix this, maybe get your powers back. Then we can go our separate ways."

Eva didn't respond right away. Then she narrowed her eyes.

"Tell me why I shouldn't report you to the Agency," she said, her voice calm but threatening.

Jace's expression didn't change, but his mind moved fast.

He had lived like a normal human all his life, but he wasn't ignorant. He knew about the Agency. Everyone with a TV or internet connection did.

It was the largest organization assigned to monitor, regulate, and control metahumans. They kept tabs on those who registered, and hunted the ones who didn't.

But they weren't exactly praised by everyone.

There were rumors. People said the Agency abducted metahumans with unstable or dangerous abilities. Some were locked away, others "disappeared."

If she told them what he could do, if she told them he could steal powers, they wouldn't ask questions. They'd show up fast. Probably with guns and restraints.

Jace wasn't stupid. He knew how that would go.

As he stood there, he realized something important.

The only way forward was to improve.

He couldn't stay weak or untrained. Not anymore.

Eva didn't look like someone he could fully trust, not with the anger she still held, but she was a metahuman. She had experience. She had lived that life.

And right now, she was the only person who knew what he really was.

He didn't need to trust her completely.

He just needed her to stay.

Jace finally spoke, his voice steady.

"Because if there's a way I can give you back your powers, I would. But if you report me, and they take me, you'll never get them back. They won't care about you. They'll just want to use me and whatever I can do."

He paused for a second, then added, "In fact, I might even benefit from it. They'd probably train me, study me, try to turn me into something useful. That's not what I want, but the point is, if you want your powers back, shouldn't we at least work together? Not against each other?"

Eva didn't answer right away.

She looked at him, silent.

Jace didn't push her. He let the words sit there.

Eventually, Eva's expression shifted. She wasn't angry anymore, just thoughtful.

He was right.

If she reported him, the Agency would take him. And if that happened, she'd never see him again. No one ever did once they were taken. And the Agency didn't return what they used. They didn't ask questions, they didn't explain themselves, they just acted.

She knew that better than most. She had lived her entire life avoiding their attention.

Jace watched her closely. She hadn't agreed. But she hadn't said no either.

And for now, that was enough.

Eva leaned back, still eyeing him like she was waiting for him to slip up. Her voice was quieter now, but sharp.

"You're lucky I don't call them anyway," she muttered. "Only reason I'm even listening is because you might be the only shot I have."

Jace didn't interrupt.

"If you're lying, or you're just buying time, I'll find another way. With or without you."

She stood up and looked around the apartment with subtle disgust. "And if I'm staying here, don't expect anything else from me. This isn't some team-up."

"I didn't ask for that," Jace said.

"Good," she said, walking into the kitchen. "Then we're clear."

Jace took a breath. That conversation was over, for now.

Then Zin's voice echoed inside his head again.

[Jace, the information transfer is complete. You can now say I'm fully operational.]

"Oh, nice, Zin—" Jace started, then stopped. He realized he'd said it out loud.

Eva turned. "Who are you talking to?"

Jace blinked. "I didn't say anything."

"You did," she stepped toward him. "Are you seriously expecting me to just trust you like this?"

He exhaled, keeping calm listening to Zin's instructions. "Look... it's nothing weird. I've been working on this AI project for a while now. I was using it to dig into information about powers, metas, and all that. After what happened between us, I figured I'd use it to understand more."

She didn't respond.

Without waiting, Jace reached for his phone. The screen lit up with a simple interface, just a clean smiley face with glowing eyes.

The speaker kicked in.

[Hello, Ms. Eva. I'm Zin, Jace's artificial intelligence assistant.]

Eva frowned, staring at the screen.

"What the hell is that?"

"I told you," Jace said. "It's an AI. It helps with... stuff. It's not finished. Just something I built off patched code and open-source files."

Zin added, [That is partially correct. I am a composite AI trained to assist Jace in analysis, tactical planning, and research. Also emotional guidance, though he rarely listens.]

Eva crossed her arms. "You expect me to believe you coded that? On your salary?"

"I got lucky," Jace replied. "Or maybe unlucky. Depends how you look at it."

She stared at him, eyes flicking between his face and the glowing screen.

Zin continued, [Ms. Evangeline Lin, based on your breathing and micro-expressions, there is a 63% probability you are still considering physical violence against Jace. That is unwise and unproductive.]

She raised an eyebrow. "It's going up."

Zin blinked on-screen. [Recalculating.]

Jace sighed. "Look, you don't trust me. I get it. I wouldn't either. But whatever happened between us, this ability thing, I'm trying to figure it out, not hide from it."

Eva didn't move. She just stood there for a long second, watching him.

Then she glanced down at the phone again.

"If this thing says my full name again, I'm smashing it."

Zin displayed a new emoji, this time, a worried face with sweat.

Jace tried to suppress a smile. "Noted."