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.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmWtl4l7ZLh
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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.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcJdVBZuUf
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Ethan twisted a lock of her hair in his fingers, trying to avoid meeting her piercing gaze. "What?"145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxWsUGlMH9n
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"Can I ask you some questions?" Hanna asked gently.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbv1J5pcP4i
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"What kind of questions?" Ethan asked back tentatively.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6E7X8fgxBG
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Hanna bit her bottom lip, as if she anticipated refusal. "Questions about you, about being Charax, about the heat."145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn5OFsYG42G
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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."145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7qR88mx4u
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Hanna smiled back at him eagerly. "What was in the pill bottle, the ones you took on the way here?"145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSbhFfz8RUX
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Ethan relaxed a bit. This was a more straightforward question than he had been expecting. "Sleeping pills," he answered honestly.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8aA4de1KkY
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"Special Charax sleeping pills?" Hanna asked.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSW8pzBiH0V
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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."145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGK6sFq44n
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"Ever since the heat started?" Hanna suggested.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ92zVfIMt5P
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Ethan's smile vanished. "Yeah, it's one of the symptoms."145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4GDcE3rRw
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"So does that mean there are other symptoms besides...?" Hanna gestured downwards vaguely.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXmVFhKYV9
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"Besides the arousal?" Ethan sighed at the reminder. "Yes, and they get worse the longer it goes on."145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvchhaJFKrT
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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?"145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsrLWrTz3YR
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"I was talking about longer without sex," Ethan clarified.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46yFGlwc5N
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Hanna nodded back. "Right, what are the other symptoms then?"145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ggmKGPzuF
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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.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaMXCPwM1C9
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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.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEIfDgF5nCK
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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.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOfVAGYZPtQ
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"Insomnia, fever, mild tremors, restlessness." Ethan gave her the short list, the certain list.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBbv5zLEf3I
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"That doesn't sound fun," Hanna replied sympathetically.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgfRher6TOA
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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.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmahQNfduf
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Hanna nodded slowly. "So how do you usually deal with it?"145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpitoPnXWNS
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Ethan paused hesitantly. "I haven't had to before."145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3I12BNr941
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"It's your first heat?" Hanna asked, surprised.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnp7SsiY4HO
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"Yeah, it usually starts about my age," Ethan answered.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHO3SBqdhk
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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?"145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsb3357Dq8Z
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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.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhQP9Y38A3K
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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.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQ3BeWb7Ie
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"My parents always went on vacations together to isolated places," Ethan offered finally.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuyXNZohQZ1
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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...?"145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyO0Mj3OXdI
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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."145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZeEzQUevmW
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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?"145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEquP3XKCUx
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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."145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3njRNX8wPE
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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?"145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiAaLW5jXBC
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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.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnV6XXnASwH
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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?"145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpzG0KGmgPy
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Ethan consciously released her arm, slightly embarrassed. "The memories aren't very clear. Maybe a week, maybe a month, but..."145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYpNSv9m6bD
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"But what?" Hanna prompted.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ufSstu2pP
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Ethan shifted uncomfortably. "Those trips they went on. My mom always came back pregnant."145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBSnrrXU7R5
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"Always?" Hanna raised a skeptical eyebrow.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZmPFm2fIry
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"Always," Ethan confirmed.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWe4QFxVKNa
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Hanna tilted her head slightly. "That seems odd."145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw9NmLdjMg8
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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.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNwJK9cTDWo
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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?"145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9DNsVAq2Jz
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Ethan looked at her skeptically. "What trigger?"145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdH5N7LhL8s
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"Do you think pregnancy triggers the end to the heat?" Hanna clarified.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJIlRTCcz7
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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.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSTZ2AKxs82
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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.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdCEa2jwl5A
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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.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUsOe97Wpz
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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.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXGhFnZMx8b
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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.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡniLLzmGEhP
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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.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCrVkp5N2b7
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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.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡseYrkf2jhT
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"So?" Hanna prompted abruptly. "Could it stop the heat?"145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjMjHC0kPLa
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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."145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXkNyQGRqha
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Hanna shrugged slightly. "I guess it doesn't matter, that isn't going to happen anyways."145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlv9dTKjPPE
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"What?" Ethan lifted his head up to get a better look at her.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ805n3BqkHI
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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.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi92d4q3wtz
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"Oh," Ethan uttered in a small voice, her answer driving home how idiotic he'd been.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaZwaXVICtr
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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?145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0PDXKImFKT
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Hanna noticed his troubled expression. "Ethan? Is that a problem?"145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX2zmw2LYUL
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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."145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1OLIwNeOgH
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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."145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37pTH2jL6h
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Ethan still looked troubled. "You're sure?"145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1j2LrKzJoS
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"I'm certain," Hanna reassured him confidently.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3sOgDFQ6q
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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?"145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhlaHttlMXe
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Hanna smiled suggestively. "I don't mind."145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpwRWFIxPPf
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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?"145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zx6jyGlfj
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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?"145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUna7cPRtf0
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"Twenty to twenty three months usually," Ethan corrected her.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbIVQPSULx
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"And aren't the heat cycles a lot shorter?" Hanna asked.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2gqNunSHE6
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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?"145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOQzPdpImDq
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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."145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgkIM56bOuf
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"Okay?" Ethan replied uncertainly.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlf2lbXBiC
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Hanna sat up and stretched out her arms. "I'm going to go clean up."145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeNwo6iWyLu
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"Okay," Ethan mumbled, pulling to blanket over himself.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzaRFLeOnyX
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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.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9je2BoGnNa
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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.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqdJegnmYE
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He doesn't enjoy it, even now, she thought sadly. How's he going to be in a week?145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCEe4tnWGKn
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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.145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa986eLS3J3
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