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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrhNXdhBxJx
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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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD2dWRnci9E
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Ethan twisted a lock of her hair in his fingers, trying to avoid meeting her piercing gaze. "What?"180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0pSzuSyxP
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"Can I ask you some questions?" Hanna asked gently.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZyPuGdGSMc
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"What kind of questions?" Ethan asked back tentatively.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wZGe8OBD4
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Hanna bit her bottom lip, as if she anticipated refusal. "Questions about you, about being Charax, about the heat."180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI3xugTPiGq
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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."180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTzfaH5AYFt
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Hanna smiled back at him eagerly. "What was in the pill bottle, the ones you took on the way here?"180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjFECl5QQDC
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Ethan relaxed a bit. This was a more straightforward question than he had been expecting. "Sleeping pills," he answered honestly.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRr98aCsSVc
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"Special Charax sleeping pills?" Hanna asked.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnXBSbcWpfJ
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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."180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiuRNUDCQCm
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"Ever since the heat started?" Hanna suggested.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFelZXQ508O
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Ethan's smile vanished. "Yeah, it's one of the symptoms."180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVR5cTCUsn
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"So does that mean there are other symptoms besides...?" Hanna gestured downwards vaguely.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6A1ujqHpw
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"Besides the arousal?" Ethan sighed at the reminder. "Yes, and they get worse the longer it goes on."180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu1fZq606rp
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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?"180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWtOc7tiac
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"I was talking about longer without sex," Ethan clarified.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWnOjClFTpR
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Hanna nodded back. "Right, what are the other symptoms then?"180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKpvfSxft3G
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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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKBaCJnj4Sm
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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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTbZwOn33EF
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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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4uYiFv25F
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"Insomnia, fever, mild tremors, restlessness." Ethan gave her the short list, the certain list.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDiiU9zTp3J
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"That doesn't sound fun," Hanna replied sympathetically.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY4mwnzxYxd
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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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpnbWf4pFBo
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Hanna nodded slowly. "So how do you usually deal with it?"180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWfZNoiwCzn
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Ethan paused hesitantly. "I haven't had to before."180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuB008jruUZ
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"It's your first heat?" Hanna asked, surprised.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0RNQd2atFt
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"Yeah, it usually starts about my age," Ethan answered.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFEJCbtnw2
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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?"180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK7qzgPU8Y4
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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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbzZPMDDWl
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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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoB6LjYWJrq
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"My parents always went on vacations together to isolated places," Ethan offered finally.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7YaB7dCy96
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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...?"180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxElquGra17
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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."180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXOhaavbmW
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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?"180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYWD40urFiB
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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."180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNbuC73aahz
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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?"180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXI0FWkU37j
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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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzVyA0Cihw
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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?"180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡegXZg2SCIF
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Ethan consciously released her arm, slightly embarrassed. "The memories aren't very clear. Maybe a week, maybe a month, but..."180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp3qEiMu13c
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"But what?" Hanna prompted.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyBfIhImCZk
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Ethan shifted uncomfortably. "Those trips they went on. My mom always came back pregnant."180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0aCCMAvD4z
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"Always?" Hanna raised a skeptical eyebrow.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9b9GhWoWUr
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"Always," Ethan confirmed.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGVpclX11hL
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Hanna tilted her head slightly. "That seems odd."180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwLYhoryzbn
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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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS43Ip4GUJ6
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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?"180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzZApcHjnO
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Ethan looked at her skeptically. "What trigger?"180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡClydCvTT8O
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"Do you think pregnancy triggers the end to the heat?" Hanna clarified.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75kMyslldQ
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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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPf2aE1a0jL
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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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfVUVmmpzKf
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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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ44eD5LuWJK
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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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡleWMMjbI7h
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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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKcWU0e79xG
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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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmz2ym30BcJ
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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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNatJ7Mo4a5
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"So?" Hanna prompted abruptly. "Could it stop the heat?"180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDus5cGCpYD
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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."180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKtr6b09Lk
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Hanna shrugged slightly. "I guess it doesn't matter, that isn't going to happen anyways."180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5qRtL6R8AG
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"What?" Ethan lifted his head up to get a better look at her.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDd423OCXQ
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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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXClDWwl3ZO
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"Oh," Ethan uttered in a small voice, her answer driving home how idiotic he'd been.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVi9r9ZVPxR
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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?180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrAARCjEOaV
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Hanna noticed his troubled expression. "Ethan? Is that a problem?"180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxDN8OAuuqj
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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."180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8e0dxn9zKd
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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."180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1EiYbAmOHg
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Ethan still looked troubled. "You're sure?"180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs7ZFZRdCvT
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"I'm certain," Hanna reassured him confidently.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX8LYQjr5HL
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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?"180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSuGYf2YJdQ
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Hanna smiled suggestively. "I don't mind."180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0QR7pKNA9f
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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?"180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbko0ASFN50
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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?"180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaNF5w8bYMb
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"Twenty to twenty three months usually," Ethan corrected her.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRGKek9eSya
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"And aren't the heat cycles a lot shorter?" Hanna asked.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMRgDUgUbEE
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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?"180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqz0wxepqiV
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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."180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPAHTJXT9Ys
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"Okay?" Ethan replied uncertainly.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhA9UTlgOX0
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Hanna sat up and stretched out her arms. "I'm going to go clean up."180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ67OtOrXaMM
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"Okay," Ethan mumbled, pulling to blanket over himself.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmRn6xMPUfz
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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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh82fkt4X9G
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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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsXECqwX9qG
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He doesn't enjoy it, even now, she thought sadly. How's he going to be in a week?180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG8cor4DMdj
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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.180Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFL7q7JVozd
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