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.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJppomqbYLu
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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.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCckvqPNcKd
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Ethan twisted a lock of her hair in his fingers, trying to avoid meeting her piercing gaze. "What?"84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSNnUb0w0vN
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"Can I ask you some questions?" Hanna asked gently.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6NQmgrdzcV
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"What kind of questions?" Ethan asked back tentatively.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13eEEfQLYW
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Hanna bit her bottom lip, as if she anticipated refusal. "Questions about you, about being Charax, about the heat."84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHlJJWMuNMg
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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."84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0pkElWCYXy
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Hanna smiled back at him eagerly. "What was in the pill bottle, the ones you took on the way here?"84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5hbn18Mc4k
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Ethan relaxed a bit. This was a more straightforward question than he had been expecting. "Sleeping pills," he answered honestly.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡazEN0jTwBo
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"Special Charax sleeping pills?" Hanna asked.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ZhCxIMiCS
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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."84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlwBbdIvzmz
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"Ever since the heat started?" Hanna suggested.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6LpnVgYUBG
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Ethan's smile vanished. "Yeah, it's one of the symptoms."84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6qHIrf9kAo
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"So does that mean there are other symptoms besides...?" Hanna gestured downwards vaguely.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyos59xkSP2
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"Besides the arousal?" Ethan sighed at the reminder. "Yes, and they get worse the longer it goes on."84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnO3VKPafiZ
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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?"84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOGJ5VlN9YO
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"I was talking about longer without sex," Ethan clarified.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFWx8FBXGyn
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Hanna nodded back. "Right, what are the other symptoms then?"84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6se4Sabg2
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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.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5AISb9OdX2
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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.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5hSplzpyB
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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.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqqbDOtmcLN
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"Insomnia, fever, mild tremors, restlessness." Ethan gave her the short list, the certain list.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlPRPSczvbN
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"That doesn't sound fun," Hanna replied sympathetically.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9QGzyepBY
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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.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTECDwrGAph
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Hanna nodded slowly. "So how do you usually deal with it?"84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLyqYj1inaY
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Ethan paused hesitantly. "I haven't had to before."84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAb0z2kt6KV
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"It's your first heat?" Hanna asked, surprised.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnD5jmqdHV3
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"Yeah, it usually starts about my age," Ethan answered.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzsQZ62cOTb
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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?"84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fB0rw72Kv
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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.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKXEvKBlWpa
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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.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrt0TNfzt2V
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"My parents always went on vacations together to isolated places," Ethan offered finally.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR0L2iH1Nia
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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...?"84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2o78MPYfB3
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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."84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdng3hvhBXo
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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?"84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZmJFV2LFpr
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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."84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyI553n7b4E
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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?"84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA6UnO9Agvk
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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.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJBTOBRds4
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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?"84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXP5Zcdn0xQ
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Ethan consciously released her arm, slightly embarrassed. "The memories aren't very clear. Maybe a week, maybe a month, but..."84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSg0YbsWRd
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"But what?" Hanna prompted.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ40mRpfMOw
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Ethan shifted uncomfortably. "Those trips they went on. My mom always came back pregnant."84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2YmxESNZf
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"Always?" Hanna raised a skeptical eyebrow.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGmNF1CYVkF
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"Always," Ethan confirmed.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvJxioaSORc
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Hanna tilted her head slightly. "That seems odd."84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHAh2mzCou
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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.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6nciVilhN1
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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?"84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskRQ9OIBZb
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Ethan looked at her skeptically. "What trigger?"84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQ5PBgo47R
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"Do you think pregnancy triggers the end to the heat?" Hanna clarified.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcfjcGXVlm
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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.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6RsQUjRUZo
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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.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5VNTDXEm0
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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.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XQVwLaZTq
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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.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6HbpY9Cwv
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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.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwvGt8L2KbJ
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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.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA9J4Dh1s7M
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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.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjK8OgnWZGr
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"So?" Hanna prompted abruptly. "Could it stop the heat?"84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWFyBVR2ZvS
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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."84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV4NkZEj5i0
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Hanna shrugged slightly. "I guess it doesn't matter, that isn't going to happen anyways."84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm2mTWgtdzo
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"What?" Ethan lifted his head up to get a better look at her.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKoH1tDDAm0
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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.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡArIF76FmeT
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"Oh," Ethan uttered in a small voice, her answer driving home how idiotic he'd been.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRW9YYc9HUL
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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?84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡML4EdLK86g
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Hanna noticed his troubled expression. "Ethan? Is that a problem?"84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSAiMMIyBCx
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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."84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqaBHfU2VA
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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."84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Oz15BFBtJ
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Ethan still looked troubled. "You're sure?"84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVu3HipCH7I
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"I'm certain," Hanna reassured him confidently.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr9WALh1j1I
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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?"84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1paR2varjI
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Hanna smiled suggestively. "I don't mind."84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHqnPLaLV2
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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?"84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8wIhOSQh5s
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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?"84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxBGfPpG6F
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"Twenty to twenty three months usually," Ethan corrected her.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJBRELi6eds
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"And aren't the heat cycles a lot shorter?" Hanna asked.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZOx6sdkUjt
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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?"84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHrs0BfuDU3
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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."84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5gtCsdA714
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"Okay?" Ethan replied uncertainly.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX3qF5znr4i
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Hanna sat up and stretched out her arms. "I'm going to go clean up."84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6BqEHWW2ng
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"Okay," Ethan mumbled, pulling to blanket over himself.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTl3APmYqOv
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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.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzPA8C93g6X
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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.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOURmeDWHUA
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He doesn't enjoy it, even now, she thought sadly. How's he going to be in a week?84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8KVPAnEJDn
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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.84Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumy6ehdszt
Penana
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