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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLj1RLtLOVp
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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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuPpFcLrlwh
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Ethan twisted a lock of her hair in his fingers, trying to avoid meeting her piercing gaze. "What?"64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ5nuaoeOEo
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"Can I ask you some questions?" Hanna asked gently.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvweT60S9Gt
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"What kind of questions?" Ethan asked back tentatively.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtDTkbp4rmT
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Hanna bit her bottom lip, as if she anticipated refusal. "Questions about you, about being Charax, about the heat."64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOFfBF3NBpp
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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."64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9TL2vk0MG8
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Hanna smiled back at him eagerly. "What was in the pill bottle, the ones you took on the way here?"64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7yXCVbBDs6
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Ethan relaxed a bit. This was a more straightforward question than he had been expecting. "Sleeping pills," he answered honestly.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5KXpk0Vj5u
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"Special Charax sleeping pills?" Hanna asked.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQsbapQYHI
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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."64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3HoELKKo05
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"Ever since the heat started?" Hanna suggested.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnJ3tbsiNYQ
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Ethan's smile vanished. "Yeah, it's one of the symptoms."64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDoVu7lgKH
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"So does that mean there are other symptoms besides...?" Hanna gestured downwards vaguely.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ20FSgs8kp9
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"Besides the arousal?" Ethan sighed at the reminder. "Yes, and they get worse the longer it goes on."64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLkABYIZuuO
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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?"64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5l9bIOwUIm
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"I was talking about longer without sex," Ethan clarified.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡILCrnuP3fi
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Hanna nodded back. "Right, what are the other symptoms then?"64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeku8sLxmiG
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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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt6qxsLGsZd
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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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1D4iZSMwO
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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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡErpumoNRCS
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"Insomnia, fever, mild tremors, restlessness." Ethan gave her the short list, the certain list.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUjDRHFp94N
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"That doesn't sound fun," Hanna replied sympathetically.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2BrOFvFTC8
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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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ3ctDRLc3V
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Hanna nodded slowly. "So how do you usually deal with it?"64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEAY9eelLZ
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Ethan paused hesitantly. "I haven't had to before."64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡty6hGdcHDT
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"It's your first heat?" Hanna asked, surprised.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBdmJBaH0H
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"Yeah, it usually starts about my age," Ethan answered.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdF2hqzxEXu
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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?"64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnrCVXHGFwY
64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuUML3zJ1OG
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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ydwLayOwa
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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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡogMpbuKZay
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"My parents always went on vacations together to isolated places," Ethan offered finally.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJefY2XCEO3
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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...?"64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSarLZ8gwo7
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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."64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVvMwINZaSr
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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?"64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCDVwSpRWkl
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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."64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvKl6hpQlwF
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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?"64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3E5oF46ED7
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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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJVtqghJTI
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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?"64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwPeXoWnvg
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Ethan consciously released her arm, slightly embarrassed. "The memories aren't very clear. Maybe a week, maybe a month, but..."64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUnCLNrfZ4
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"But what?" Hanna prompted.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi3Tw6R6WGd
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Ethan shifted uncomfortably. "Those trips they went on. My mom always came back pregnant."64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP1q94u42it
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"Always?" Hanna raised a skeptical eyebrow.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5MOVgOYO8
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"Always," Ethan confirmed.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Cx6QfuJWD
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Hanna tilted her head slightly. "That seems odd."64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt1lJ0H9KQV
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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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrp6oBugeXf
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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?"64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaEs9ampcZD
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Ethan looked at her skeptically. "What trigger?"64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCiZovQO4p2
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"Do you think pregnancy triggers the end to the heat?" Hanna clarified.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUlsd4vrZZS
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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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwyhQ5Scyk9
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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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxk51UAUCq9
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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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJA3jQTOWln
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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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJte7PsqvAB
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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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhrTHhY67uL
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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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTZfR8PfeYT
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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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbPLQR5hZT
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"So?" Hanna prompted abruptly. "Could it stop the heat?"64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiL3WDurmSG
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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."64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdPUGFxyL2
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Hanna shrugged slightly. "I guess it doesn't matter, that isn't going to happen anyways."64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM81MvGQhZp
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"What?" Ethan lifted his head up to get a better look at her.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuGtmfrWCXV
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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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPfhnB1Tzpt
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"Oh," Ethan uttered in a small voice, her answer driving home how idiotic he'd been.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQv9JeYIwz
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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?64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzyB3NF3MID
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Hanna noticed his troubled expression. "Ethan? Is that a problem?"64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFoVpW9qnYA
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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."64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9FpBrdkPSQ
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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."64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkGPto1mk6G
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Ethan still looked troubled. "You're sure?"64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgxxXJzmwL
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"I'm certain," Hanna reassured him confidently.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnURHnGYis7
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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?"64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLIqwAvDggm
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Hanna smiled suggestively. "I don't mind."64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhqMgPvqP5I
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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?"64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRwLx3SvGJ7
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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?"64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4RSumVtxOb
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"Twenty to twenty three months usually," Ethan corrected her.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwYGrs9mgs
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"And aren't the heat cycles a lot shorter?" Hanna asked.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvvWK976vQ
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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?"64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LxjWsVVUb
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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."64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjLCmbVmjp
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"Okay?" Ethan replied uncertainly.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp6aaIwxG3z
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Hanna sat up and stretched out her arms. "I'm going to go clean up."64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKGWX5y3COo
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"Okay," Ethan mumbled, pulling to blanket over himself.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWww9a30xiO
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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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmIWgpGxrUz
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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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwNIjWlrL8c
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He doesn't enjoy it, even now, she thought sadly. How's he going to be in a week?64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbKCPa2LByM
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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.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzc0vsCvKMc
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