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Etho hadn't had a heat before season 10. It was weird, that first heat, because he was still getting used to… female… parts. But the heat wasn't entirely unbearable, not in his opinion. He felt gross and overly sticky, but the cramps were mild and he didn't feel the need to tell anyone. He thought the heats would be a minor inconvenience, nothing more.
Until the second one hit.
He knew it was coming. He could feel his skin bubbling, the heat seeping into his stomach and grabbing hold of his intestines. Etho scurried around the house, grabbing water and snacks and blankets to decorate and stock his nest. The cramps hit while he was in the kitchen, causing him to double over. They were so much worse than the first heat.
"Holy…" How people went through this sort of pain was beyond him. Realistically, he should've asked someone to help him. Anyone. Someone he trusted. But it was embarrassing to ask a friend to just "have sex with me for my heat." No matter how close they were. And even if he did have someone to help him with this like that, Etho was very decidedly ace.
It wasn't that sex repulsed him - he found it somewhat interesting, actually - but that he didn't enjoy it very much. Plus, he wasn't exactly… out to any of the Hermits yet. Bdubs knew, but Etho was sure the moss man had forgotten. He didn't bring it up, and he hadn't planned on dating any of the Hermits when he joined, so it didn't seem important to tell people.
And then - then - Joel showed up while Etho was on the kitchen floor. Asking to borrow something. Etho's head was fuzzy already, cramps gnawing at his insides. "Etho?" Not him. God. Etho had to stifle a whine. He'd had the biggest crush on Joel since season 10 started. And now he was here, at Etho's lowest point. God, how terrible was his luck?
"Go away, Joel. I'm busy." A low groan, the cramps swelling before dying again. "I-" Silence. Oh no. Etho had forgotten Joel could smell him. Stupid pheromones. "You don't sound okay." The tanuki finally said. "I'm fine." Then a blistering shot of need, all the way to his thighs, punched a groan that ended in a whine right out of Etho. He hated it, he hated being vulnerable, he hated that his body and his mind weren't aligning on this.
"Okay, you're definitely not fine. I'm coming in." Etho wanted to protest. But he was on the floor, and the door was so far, and everything hurt, it all hurt. His vision went dark for a moment, and then there were hands, big hands, lifting him and carrying him somewhere, setting him down in his half-constructed nest.
"God, okay, you need more blankets. And water, Jesus, you're burning up." The hands were gone and Etho whimpered at the loss. He could see better now, see Joel's face, covered in concern. "Don't leave." Etho managed to whine. "Need you."
"Uh…" Joel seemed to take that exactly the way Etho didn't want. "I don't… Look, I'll help you if you want, but you seem out of it and you need to tell me when to stop. Okay?" He sounded resigned.
"No, no, no." Etho said, curling in on himself. Everything hurt, God, why did he have to be spawned in like this? He hated it all. "No sex. Please. Just hold me. Need your hands."
Joel seemed to deflate at his words. "Oh, thank God." He climbed into the nest behind Etho, wrapping his arms around the smaller man. "That I can do."
Etho couldn't handle the heat. But Joel was surprisingly cool, skin on skin at their arms. Etho whined again, twisting around until he could bury his face in the junction of Joel's neck and collarbone. "Needy, are we?" Joel teased lightly. But his hands tightened on Etho's waist, bringing them closer. This feels right, Etho thought deliriously. Very right.