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.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3kXN1Rrr5
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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.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6xo3Da5UFs
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Ethan twisted a lock of her hair in his fingers, trying to avoid meeting her piercing gaze. "What?"154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgiCdi2ZXh
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"Can I ask you some questions?" Hanna asked gently.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa1jQxQQjgv
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"What kind of questions?" Ethan asked back tentatively.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZHTWXGJBe
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Hanna bit her bottom lip, as if she anticipated refusal. "Questions about you, about being Charax, about the heat."154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wMbgZ7fex
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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."154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN1mzvLWwXw
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Hanna smiled back at him eagerly. "What was in the pill bottle, the ones you took on the way here?"154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32MfLGvRX1
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Ethan relaxed a bit. This was a more straightforward question than he had been expecting. "Sleeping pills," he answered honestly.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPsQ0wYiFs8
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"Special Charax sleeping pills?" Hanna asked.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCEVFSMcd2a
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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."154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKROaPriAuu
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"Ever since the heat started?" Hanna suggested.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEzsiBwCb29
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Ethan's smile vanished. "Yeah, it's one of the symptoms."154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq85qESkkYO
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"So does that mean there are other symptoms besides...?" Hanna gestured downwards vaguely.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw7RzTWfrg8
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"Besides the arousal?" Ethan sighed at the reminder. "Yes, and they get worse the longer it goes on."154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhm6nmnx7Vp
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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?"154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKxokVIb8b9
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"I was talking about longer without sex," Ethan clarified.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4B3BtqPuZi
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Hanna nodded back. "Right, what are the other symptoms then?"154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz9KBuZgBBk
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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.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡowrPBAqPTX
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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.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCvb2Y73mL0
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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.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRSP1wd4HBq
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"Insomnia, fever, mild tremors, restlessness." Ethan gave her the short list, the certain list.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2X4b87kO1o
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"That doesn't sound fun," Hanna replied sympathetically.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8m4PoIO1H6
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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.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXi3afy7m0Q
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Hanna nodded slowly. "So how do you usually deal with it?"154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt83lV6OpA2
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Ethan paused hesitantly. "I haven't had to before."154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ULoF3V3TD
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"It's your first heat?" Hanna asked, surprised.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ56BPEkMoQd
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"Yeah, it usually starts about my age," Ethan answered.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFSXBK6Tb8P
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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?"154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF9Omr9sLZJ
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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.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeDhCSlHA6u
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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.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQo3dTSxPjG
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"My parents always went on vacations together to isolated places," Ethan offered finally.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQbvvDBVvi
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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...?"154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh0IMgzkwXZ
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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."154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuOoEFXAKmZ
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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?"154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5rIJv9aXTv
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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."154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzPrQz2TGly
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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?"154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6RYQy4rPU
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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.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlDlEXRQKjS
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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?"154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxQZ0sOoki
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Ethan consciously released her arm, slightly embarrassed. "The memories aren't very clear. Maybe a week, maybe a month, but..."154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7Za71XtHe
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"But what?" Hanna prompted.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXxXBzUCMej
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Ethan shifted uncomfortably. "Those trips they went on. My mom always came back pregnant."154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBTAG5rgQcT
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"Always?" Hanna raised a skeptical eyebrow.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtnY26iQNoU
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"Always," Ethan confirmed.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡetLyaARJbo
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Hanna tilted her head slightly. "That seems odd."154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RrMMZtbCQ
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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.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfyekYlvEio
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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?"154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhymRPvaRO
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Ethan looked at her skeptically. "What trigger?"154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrTRCszNliV
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"Do you think pregnancy triggers the end to the heat?" Hanna clarified.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3UH6uXUhsh
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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.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlDjRLom9c
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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.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpy28Nyrrc0
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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.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5fK1lCYTua
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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.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVOqOT9hZUy
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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.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvC7U7qm6ku
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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.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXgRiEHIiDE
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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.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVqQVkE2oVK
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"So?" Hanna prompted abruptly. "Could it stop the heat?"154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqYycAHC4fa
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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."154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnrzAUUhuZv
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Hanna shrugged slightly. "I guess it doesn't matter, that isn't going to happen anyways."154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyu9SlaYUDc
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"What?" Ethan lifted his head up to get a better look at her.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVSlIiWyDvC
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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.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygZk6OUmWk
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"Oh," Ethan uttered in a small voice, her answer driving home how idiotic he'd been.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡba3wrzgpFu
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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?154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡibaG4YB9Ya
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Hanna noticed his troubled expression. "Ethan? Is that a problem?"154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtU8KPnQfcT
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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."154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKVzv7R3uP
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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."154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgzMeMaUgj
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Ethan still looked troubled. "You're sure?"154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6BKyTov4C
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"I'm certain," Hanna reassured him confidently.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIAlJGjfFUN
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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?"154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj1d3rPMZnV
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Hanna smiled suggestively. "I don't mind."154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY7LHkvAajS
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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?"154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW10tJJLDh0
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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?"154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡslUfBmhBSS
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"Twenty to twenty three months usually," Ethan corrected her.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyFkpI0hPMs
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"And aren't the heat cycles a lot shorter?" Hanna asked.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPadzPARxky
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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?"154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLSnPxhqxX0
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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."154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOKOuClxyBC
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"Okay?" Ethan replied uncertainly.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfnnKASuk6M
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Hanna sat up and stretched out her arms. "I'm going to go clean up."154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrHR1Oyw88M
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"Okay," Ethan mumbled, pulling to blanket over himself.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQr63vXZP8m
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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.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhsY7xFig8u
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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.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvvg52Qd9lj
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He doesn't enjoy it, even now, she thought sadly. How's he going to be in a week?154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB1FdvC8gVm
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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.154Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgSnyCigS6C
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