Hanna let her thoughts flow through her mind silently as Ethan cuddled her on the large bed. Eventually, she gave into her curiosity and wiggled out of his grasp. She didn't miss the barely audible huff he made as she sat up and she resisted the urge to laugh.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5o4Gxfo86
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Hanna moved so she was lying partway on top of him, her breasts on his stomach, her head resting on her arms on top of his chest. Her brown eyes were alight with curiosity. Almost if she saw him as a puzzle that needed solving.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZhJeGYJ7g3
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Ethan twisted a lock of her hair in his fingers, trying to avoid meeting her piercing gaze. "What?"157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB7Th9ajZq2
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"Can I ask you some questions?" Hanna asked gently.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQcbPtdNSQX
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"What kind of questions?" Ethan asked back tentatively.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5o2T75UL1t
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Hanna bit her bottom lip, as if she anticipated refusal. "Questions about you, about being Charax, about the heat."157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAB1loIugLQ
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Ethan bit back a sigh. That was a list of most of the things he preferred not to talk about. On the other hand, there were probably things she ought to know. "Go ahead. I'll try my best."157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm4M4XdAe79
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Hanna smiled back at him eagerly. "What was in the pill bottle, the ones you took on the way here?"157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGEVtHdvrK9
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Ethan relaxed a bit. This was a more straightforward question than he had been expecting. "Sleeping pills," he answered honestly.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8GtjfYN7A5
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"Special Charax sleeping pills?" Hanna asked.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGRORj2wE8W
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Ethan smiled at that, slightly amused. "No, normal ones. Terran drugs work the same on us. I haven't been sleeping well this week."157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1AbNUBntlL
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"Ever since the heat started?" Hanna suggested.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxnl8i9Wi5R
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Ethan's smile vanished. "Yeah, it's one of the symptoms."157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb88N9raGkK
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"So does that mean there are other symptoms besides...?" Hanna gestured downwards vaguely.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbd7WgDh1yr
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"Besides the arousal?" Ethan sighed at the reminder. "Yes, and they get worse the longer it goes on."157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqhGCKzzB7
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Hanna glanced down over his still nude body, brief but critically. "But it seems like you're doing better now than you were a couple days ago?"157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaMeIkfu2sq
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"I was talking about longer without sex," Ethan clarified.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdYo3PtoiD2
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Hanna nodded back. "Right, what are the other symptoms then?"157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbwH4ZGlVVE
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The faint nagging sensation at the back of his mind returned. He'd known that the heat was supposed to push his sex drive to the maximum but that's all he'd been expecting. He didn't realize that it would make him sweat buckets or keep him from getting more than a couple hours of a sleep a night. The changes had caught him off guard and left him scrambling to get everything under control for the first few days.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4knALLHAiJ
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By now, he was well aware of the physical symptoms. The ones he'd experienced so far, that is. He didn't know if his body would keep changing, or it this was what he was going to have to deal with for the rest of his life. It was difficult to believe all the other Charax managed like this. Or maybe there was something wrong with him.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ91WdJqHpCL
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He still had no clue if this was normal, other than that the kidnappers seemed to think it was normal. Not that they were a good source of information. He couldn’t believe anything they said, just because they'd said he'd lose himself didn't mean it would happen. There was no point in even mentioning anything about that, no need to frighten her with what was likely just another lie.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0j8PMZgFEA
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"Insomnia, fever, mild tremors, restlessness." Ethan gave her the short list, the certain list.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCpbl6ZJ9Y
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"That doesn't sound fun," Hanna replied sympathetically.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsa1rtnYZmu
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"It isn't," Ethan mumbled in agreement, before realizing he'd spoken aloud. "But it's not that bad," he added quickly.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7E9YU32Ep
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Hanna nodded slowly. "So how do you usually deal with it?"157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbkpxoeMl64
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Ethan paused hesitantly. "I haven't had to before."157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHgsniFK8xO
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"It's your first heat?" Hanna asked, surprised.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrOqcgKqwOq
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"Yeah, it usually starts about my age," Ethan answered.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4LcvtKyRT7
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Hanna took a second to process that, she hadn't expected him to be so inexperienced but that fact also answered a lot of other questions. "Okay, then how do other Charax usually deal with it?"157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR3pAbIIm8C
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I'd love to know that too, Ethan thought wistfully. Except there's nobody I can ask. He only had one older brother, who'd never even had a heat before they all split up, and no way to contact him, or any of his family on Earth. Plus, it took months to get messages back from Manina so he hadn't bothered trying anyone over there.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj73K91wJPU
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He'd never seen his father during one of his heats either. His parents had always been away... and it was suddenly apparent to him why he had so many siblings.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl2hgBEFXqO
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"My parents always went on vacations together to isolated places," Ethan offered finally.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGgtUOSxenS
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Hanna glanced around the room, noticing how old the place looked. She suddenly had the disturbing idea that they might be lying in the room he was conceived in. "So, um, is this— Did they...?"157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOn3a3AyRTy
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"No, not here, I set this place up a few years for an emergency," Ethan explained quickly. "But places like this, yes."157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡamkhT4zJxs
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"We've got that part sorted at least," Hanna said optimistically. "So how long have you been in heat and how long does it usually last?"157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpdxWHcw94B
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Ethan's breath caught in his throat, he wasn't entirely sure how long it would take to end on it's own, or what would happen to him in the meantime. "About nine days and I don't know."157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCqJ6VhFWPs
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Hanna looked at him curiously, wondering if he wasn't being honest with her, this seemed like very basic information. He didn't seem to know much about Charax biology at all. On the other hand, it wasn't uncommon for Terrans to get a poor sexual education either. "What about an estimate then? Two weeks? Three weeks?"157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvEMOeDPxcc
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"I really don't know. My parents' vacations always varied." Ethan's mouth felt dry. "If you need to go... I'll understand." He gripped her arm tight in contrast to his words.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwEQPUC1XKM
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Hanna glanced at his hand. "Let's not jump to any conclusions just yet. How long did your parents' trips last?"157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSCmgPUpaNJ
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Ethan consciously released her arm, slightly embarrassed. "The memories aren't very clear. Maybe a week, maybe a month, but..."157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEnaGZjEy6M
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"But what?" Hanna prompted.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2NrCEZOkbw
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Ethan shifted uncomfortably. "Those trips they went on. My mom always came back pregnant."157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHdudbT2kXW
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"Always?" Hanna raised a skeptical eyebrow.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgfeMXTaflN
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"Always," Ethan confirmed.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYujSF6jTeM
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Hanna tilted her head slightly. "That seems odd."157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9VuVfVZow
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"Not for us. The more a Charax woman is... stimulated, the more likely it is, and the men are more virile in heat," Ethan explained.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPgaa6mm9G
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Hanna wondered what he meant by 'stimulated' exactly, but she wasn't sure she wanted to know. "The time varied but there was always... so do you think that triggers the end of the cycle?"157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrUk9ixllum
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Ethan looked at her skeptically. "What trigger?"157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtMMIu5N5Jk
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"Do you think pregnancy triggers the end to the heat?" Hanna clarified.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4cdyvraaOP
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The pregnancy pheromones causing the heat to end early... Ethan didn't know if that was true, he didn't want to think about it. He'd realized it was likely inevitable considering what they'd been doing with zero protection. Or had already started.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMSfHXB8M0
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He mentally kicked himself for not thinking about it sooner. It wasn't only that he didn't feel like himself, he was missing things that should have been obvious. Not considering pregnancy when he didn't want a child, that was a significant lapse. Part of him wanted it, a very primal part, but he knew he shouldn't, for so many reasons. Even though he wanted the heat to end, he didn't want it to end that way.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDFKtMyoRVW
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Which meant he needed to stop this, stop fucking her, but he wasn’t even sure that was possible. Even if he knew that was what he wanted now... in the moment he might completely change his mind. Her being here, so close to him, it was risky.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYlL0mV2vkP
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That meant he'd have to ask her to leave. His stomach twisted at the idea. He'd tried isolating himself here at the start and it had been torturous, worse than struggling to hide the symptoms all day. Just a bit of human contact had been worth all the risk of going back to the city at the time. Now he regretted the decision, but he still didn’t want to do that ever again.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYAo0gAgJzn
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He didn't know what staying here on his own for a prolonged period would do to him. Except that the dealers thought he'd go insane.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9GSHfkxd5o
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He couldn't help thinking of the possibility. Without a partner, would he start to lose his mind? Was waiting it out on his own not an option? That didn't seem right... yet it was starting to make a twisted kind of sense.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL2g9TBk1Ux
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He couldn't forget how the dealers had been completely right that he'd had sex with the first woman he could. She had appeared and... he'd done exactly what they said he would. All his earlier intentions had been utterly discarded, and he was still doing it.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoKIfAptoWN
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"So?" Hanna prompted abruptly. "Could it stop the heat?"157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPKds5m0kzU
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Ethan saw her, lying on his chest, waiting patiently for his answer. "...it could," he answered reluctantly. "Charax release and react to pheromones. It's possible."157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMNtxHqhtYi
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Hanna shrugged slightly. "I guess it doesn't matter, that isn't going to happen anyways."157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq5uHosfak7
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"What?" Ethan lifted his head up to get a better look at her.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfJbvrD4PH4
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"Let's just say it'll be a while before my birth control wears off," Hanna answered dismissively, distracted by her own thoughts.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1IGulXl6Bq
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"Oh," Ethan uttered in a small voice, her answer driving home how idiotic he'd been.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtnAoUnGNQp
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Ethan realized just then that he'd never actually asked her about birth control. Another thing he missed. He threw his head back against the pillow. He should have asked. He looked up at the blank ceiling. How had this not been on his list of priorities?157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqBT46xeerF
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Hanna noticed his troubled expression. "Ethan? Is that a problem?"157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxojiS2qVH4
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"No. No, it's not. Sorry." Ethan tried to focus on the present. That was one thing he didn't have to worry about, he should be happy about that. "I should have asked about that sooner. Sorry."157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqBeYHnxZ13
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Hanna shook her head, concern on her face. "No need to apologize. I know the heat is messing with your head." She saw he was about to protest. "Listen, I knew this would likely happen. It's taken care of." She tried to give him a reassuring smile. "Believe me, I know how it easy it can be to forget things in the moment."157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9HvTBButuS
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Ethan still looked troubled. "You're sure?"157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDiPbWUuBWn
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"I'm certain," Hanna reassured him confidently.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxcmMwvbHfG
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"Okay," Ethan said quietly, his frown not leaving entirely. "It'll got away on it's own. We can wait it out." He paused, watching her uncertainly. "Is that alright?"157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ96kwoKwCKg
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Hanna smiled suggestively. "I don't mind."157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWqA3A5I1tW
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At least one of us is enjoying this, Ethan thought tiredly, smiling inwardly. He was starting to feel the strain of everything their activity on his body, the soreness bleeding through his turbulent emotions. "Any more questions?"157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5NVsHcYJzV
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Hanna thought for a moment. "Wait, what happened when your father went into heat and your mother was pregnant? Because don't Charax pregnancies last a long time? Years or something?"157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZ9na5TS1v
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"Twenty to twenty three months usually," Ethan corrected her.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnXCRaByWaJ
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"And aren't the heat cycles a lot shorter?" Hanna asked.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7uJBpOinWZ
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"Four to six months," Ethan added. He frowned as he understood Hanna's point. "I don't know. The timing of it doesn't make sense." He yawned. "Got your next question yet?"157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgES8q1tckF
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Hanna wanted to ask him more but she was getting the feeling that she was pushing her luck. She needed to think about this for a while. "Just thinking. I'll let you know if I have any ideas."157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6I2qS1wyEO
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"Okay?" Ethan replied uncertainly.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEoXfcM6pO
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Hanna sat up and stretched out her arms. "I'm going to go clean up."157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiX8kygCFRl
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"Okay," Ethan mumbled, pulling to blanket over himself.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ913Rr2vJVV
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Hanna went to get her clothes from the bathroom. He'd given her a lot to think about, as even the basic information she had known about Charax heats was so wrong. That itself wasn't much of a revelation, he had been acting nothing like the sex monster she'd been prepared for.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRzTYGSmhg5
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The whole conversation had left her feeling more worried than before. She thought the heats usually didn't last more than a week, but Ethan's had already been nine days and didn't show any sign of letting up. He already seemed drained, another two weeks in heat sounded incredibly taxing.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgW9TWrhD8B
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He doesn't enjoy it, even now, she thought sadly. How's he going to be in a week?157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSDjkyAzGtn
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She'd never heard the heats could be dangerous, for the Charax at least. She hoped she wasn't wrong about that.157Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnPRQzVSyWj
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