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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZPS1bKebA
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXnYK50RvRp
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Ethan twisted a lock of her hair in his fingers, trying to avoid meeting her piercing gaze. "What?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGtcUZx59SU
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"Can I ask you some questions?" Hanna asked gently.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0u0jMIviNY
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"What kind of questions?" Ethan asked back tentatively.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUWZurgVQ2b
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Hanna bit her bottom lip, as if she anticipated refusal. "Questions about you, about being Charax, about the heat."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENstAe0FNa
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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."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4TUuAGBpL
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Hanna smiled back at him eagerly. "What was in the pill bottle, the ones you took on the way here?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSfdBalbIg6
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Ethan relaxed a bit. This was a more straightforward question than he had been expecting. "Sleeping pills," he answered honestly.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkx2KZ4UUJK
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"Special Charax sleeping pills?" Hanna asked.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2vR9eX8aOy
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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."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi3mWFBaISR
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"Ever since the heat started?" Hanna suggested.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzYRp3ce4uD
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Ethan's smile vanished. "Yeah, it's one of the symptoms."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrR3h3ayyEQ
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"So does that mean there are other symptoms besides...?" Hanna gestured downwards vaguely.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2OuAvM6up
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"Besides the arousal?" Ethan sighed at the reminder. "Yes, and they get worse the longer it goes on."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzYzDk8SKI
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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?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtOTg8gcRCd
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"I was talking about longer without sex," Ethan clarified.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDzuEI2fI9
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Hanna nodded back. "Right, what are the other symptoms then?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSp2uBHN39B
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZYageaSI1
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCp2sMzQa90
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbWEnst8UkJ
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"Insomnia, fever, mild tremors, restlessness." Ethan gave her the short list, the certain list.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwloiLUdlEF
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"That doesn't sound fun," Hanna replied sympathetically.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9wHwinAk9
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡulM2bUSN4l
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Hanna nodded slowly. "So how do you usually deal with it?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡafPNOlY02w
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Ethan paused hesitantly. "I haven't had to before."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMzNItozt5
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"It's your first heat?" Hanna asked, surprised.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC6pssZncxX
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"Yeah, it usually starts about my age," Ethan answered.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyeJo52qQKL
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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?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKE4dLQmFhh
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtol8zpFB3y
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsWP6s9Vps
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"My parents always went on vacations together to isolated places," Ethan offered finally.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAFRHN7dddq
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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...?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0dv2P3Ir4
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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."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9Ykye8Bzj
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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?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8HMnESkH1
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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."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOK5UMIkEH7
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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?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8komo7PB6v
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsI7tunSrDz
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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?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qAhnVKqud
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Ethan consciously released her arm, slightly embarrassed. "The memories aren't very clear. Maybe a week, maybe a month, but..."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX2RC2KBk8v
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"But what?" Hanna prompted.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjZbVfIDJuz
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Ethan shifted uncomfortably. "Those trips they went on. My mom always came back pregnant."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0pRjDOgLG
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"Always?" Hanna raised a skeptical eyebrow.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe45NFOQ0Fn
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"Always," Ethan confirmed.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWiLNS8Lbjt
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Hanna tilted her head slightly. "That seems odd."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlgmN4Ji58
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcYB54J1id
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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?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡELOJwYEJS4
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Ethan looked at her skeptically. "What trigger?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9bhJQttAG
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"Do you think pregnancy triggers the end to the heat?" Hanna clarified.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6SaEejxuTU
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyaWcl4Oh9p
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNOvESncQ26
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGg69iGwpyh
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrTjTwpRvHE
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYhLaEXFIR7
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt0KAYcmHya
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ66gEjqkwC2
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"So?" Hanna prompted abruptly. "Could it stop the heat?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1AF2PANa5z
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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."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLD1Gs4APy
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Hanna shrugged slightly. "I guess it doesn't matter, that isn't going to happen anyways."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡViaVmeCwkE
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"What?" Ethan lifted his head up to get a better look at her.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEcV0Q0ljTx
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1kBWVhQfKl
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"Oh," Ethan uttered in a small voice, her answer driving home how idiotic he'd been.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBhgqCLQ0j4
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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?111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrwQjsMDLSd
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Hanna noticed his troubled expression. "Ethan? Is that a problem?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJFbkEp1sp
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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."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡibTPePDnGt
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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."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYx48qu1SnU
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Ethan still looked troubled. "You're sure?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz35NbsP8k9
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"I'm certain," Hanna reassured him confidently.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYp7BKw90gK
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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?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9qIdzmgkHk
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Hanna smiled suggestively. "I don't mind."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡelvwNE99Wo
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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?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn9wylzvOQp
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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?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcyWwtAtrCP
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"Twenty to twenty three months usually," Ethan corrected her.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDxtkCdxddI
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"And aren't the heat cycles a lot shorter?" Hanna asked.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8mPNahmnmV
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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?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4lkZ8EGw3N
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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."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTynEq4Erf4
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"Okay?" Ethan replied uncertainly.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmYZDgbjTlj
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Hanna sat up and stretched out her arms. "I'm going to go clean up."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtMctXPvVKq
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"Okay," Ethan mumbled, pulling to blanket over himself.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡefS1ESWYY9
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb1pREDStpx
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfhXObX268y
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He doesn't enjoy it, even now, she thought sadly. How's he going to be in a week?111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqreyjAR1e7
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0XMUE43fv
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