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.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4VYfUTIREv
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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.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYGy1eD0yw0
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Ethan twisted a lock of her hair in his fingers, trying to avoid meeting her piercing gaze. "What?"69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhqEu113jOj
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"Can I ask you some questions?" Hanna asked gently.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rF1Gk0CkN
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"What kind of questions?" Ethan asked back tentatively.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDiEerIAUuC
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Hanna bit her bottom lip, as if she anticipated refusal. "Questions about you, about being Charax, about the heat."69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC01Qkvj7TN
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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."69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuMVKI8yXdv
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Hanna smiled back at him eagerly. "What was in the pill bottle, the ones you took on the way here?"69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzcpJ0t9M7S
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Ethan relaxed a bit. This was a more straightforward question than he had been expecting. "Sleeping pills," he answered honestly.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6rBlufZl5M
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"Special Charax sleeping pills?" Hanna asked.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUCAnBjvAW
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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."69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd85zgiJRjb
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"Ever since the heat started?" Hanna suggested.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUkl8VxkY1J
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Ethan's smile vanished. "Yeah, it's one of the symptoms."69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ZXaP1o2ZJ
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"So does that mean there are other symptoms besides...?" Hanna gestured downwards vaguely.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm2GRouDw6i
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"Besides the arousal?" Ethan sighed at the reminder. "Yes, and they get worse the longer it goes on."69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaAh8RxmP3h
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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?"69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnclz06DWmv
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"I was talking about longer without sex," Ethan clarified.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL7VP6ZcZ09
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Hanna nodded back. "Right, what are the other symptoms then?"69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHyGCxJRvR2
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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.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfcMGThQ1BF
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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.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVnDj5fHTI5
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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.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRCkd5Cn7wI
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"Insomnia, fever, mild tremors, restlessness." Ethan gave her the short list, the certain list.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGfDvCHqpmL
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"That doesn't sound fun," Hanna replied sympathetically.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiUnU9e0pdM
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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.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijXc8KUDT4
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Hanna nodded slowly. "So how do you usually deal with it?"69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqxamI8259q
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Ethan paused hesitantly. "I haven't had to before."69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEUMFGzTTd2
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"It's your first heat?" Hanna asked, surprised.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2SBajzdyQ
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"Yeah, it usually starts about my age," Ethan answered.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhjSkEmjHt9
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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?"69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFwIuyDGjIt
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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.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL8gXumxu1Y
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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.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgd5z0Dv8o
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"My parents always went on vacations together to isolated places," Ethan offered finally.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhP1xG9uG05
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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...?"69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3blpzMYRiB
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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."69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUdaoO9poMZ
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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?"69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeXVpseRV5d
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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."69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8L7N4QrMp
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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?"69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuyAbD4RHon
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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.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoIMu8PF8KC
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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?"69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡytExfdA5ry
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Ethan consciously released her arm, slightly embarrassed. "The memories aren't very clear. Maybe a week, maybe a month, but..."69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcTY3a1Q3jh
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"But what?" Hanna prompted.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjZpYitvxh
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Ethan shifted uncomfortably. "Those trips they went on. My mom always came back pregnant."69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG0c9m73cfX
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"Always?" Hanna raised a skeptical eyebrow.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWweCSzVQOZ
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"Always," Ethan confirmed.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHRvXMDz3wi
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Hanna tilted her head slightly. "That seems odd."69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHwyib6t3nG
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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.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡamLLiSHcHD
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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?"69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4cJShk4pRd
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Ethan looked at her skeptically. "What trigger?"69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk4BGZ4IcN1
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"Do you think pregnancy triggers the end to the heat?" Hanna clarified.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP5vrixWsiN
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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.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC4bWbpYMac
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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.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxGfJQC7Rzw
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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.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsPbEtf6m0
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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.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡciioKWsPuq
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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.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjFa0pXmLAO
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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.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFVLSDpHo1e
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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.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmNbvbVK5Qd
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"So?" Hanna prompted abruptly. "Could it stop the heat?"69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTMp793t4qj
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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."69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqULzov7sCy
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Hanna shrugged slightly. "I guess it doesn't matter, that isn't going to happen anyways."69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHm3VOKxYQF
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"What?" Ethan lifted his head up to get a better look at her.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0dIE8AmGAk
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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.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWRebYBbNr
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"Oh," Ethan uttered in a small voice, her answer driving home how idiotic he'd been.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWmbDIs0lh4
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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?69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcIiI1BOmHo
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Hanna noticed his troubled expression. "Ethan? Is that a problem?"69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZdMwGEsR3
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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."69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjVgl7OhqKp
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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."69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyiKEIRYaLG
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Ethan still looked troubled. "You're sure?"69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Zw5ByTDxx
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"I'm certain," Hanna reassured him confidently.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDcBj24sLQf
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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?"69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLAepT24R7m
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Hanna smiled suggestively. "I don't mind."69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaD0fxrlHXv
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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?"69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYDuCybZRsi
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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?"69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLdEHdMdj7
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"Twenty to twenty three months usually," Ethan corrected her.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQkRNoqODIg
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"And aren't the heat cycles a lot shorter?" Hanna asked.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqZpDqHCDH
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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?"69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZpbkCmKw6r
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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."69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc9LjJ51FwP
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"Okay?" Ethan replied uncertainly.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHkNMxohct
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Hanna sat up and stretched out her arms. "I'm going to go clean up."69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gs4xpawkd
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"Okay," Ethan mumbled, pulling to blanket over himself.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡssjt8Pwnsh
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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.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwzeuX346x
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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.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡznZ3t8QyRj
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He doesn't enjoy it, even now, she thought sadly. How's he going to be in a week?69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡewweCBClch
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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.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGTd0UM7rQ0
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