I've been on a massive musically-inspired writing kick lately. I've been listening to a special playlist on repeat which I have made public on Spotify. If you are interested, search on Spotify for Roses & Thorns: LO Inspired by user petalsandswords (same as my username here!). May not be everyone's cup of tea, but it definitely gets me in the mood to write this adorable and sexy power couple.

TW: Mild sexual content and menstruation and vomiting.

Sorry for any typos.

Persephone clenched her ankles tightly against her chest, drawing them in as tightly as possible, as she groaned in fetal position on her bed. She continued moaning into the pillow, rocking her body slightly to attempt to assuage the waves of pain that were emanating from her vagina. She hadn't suffered menstrual cramps this badly since she was a young teenager. Very rarely had her period ever interfered with her daily life, a fact which she greatly prided herself on. It seems her good luck had run out this month, and she felt as though all the months of period-induced pain she had gotten a pass on now decided to hit her all at once.

Suddenly, an aggressive wave of nausea burned in her stomach on a fast track up her throat. She jumped up (increasing the nausea) and ran to the bathroom with her hand over her mouth. She barely made it to the bathroom in time as she upchucked the contents of her stomach, sparing a moment of thought to bemoan the waste of a delicious vegetarian dinner the night before.

Arms shaking, she gently rested her clammy forehead against her shoulder. She was trying to not breathe too deeply, fearing it would make her vomit again. Her eyes fluttered shut and she shivered. Vomiting only briefly distracted her from her cramps, and they insistently reminded her of their presence as they bent her in half with another painful contraction. She could feel herself pulsing, but in the worst possible way (Hades made her pulse down there in the best way).

She had only barely caught her breath when she started to dry heave again. She watched as yellow frothy bile came up in between her sputtering coughs.

"Crap…" She whispered to herself, head still in the toilet. She had never, ever missed work in her 6 months working at Underworld Corp., and absolutely despised the harsh reality: she would have to call in sick today. There was no way she could imagine herself sitting through meetings, staring at screens, wearing high heels and fancy dress blazers if her head was going to be spent mostly in a toilet.

After a few moments her stomach settled, so she tried to stand up excruciatingly slowly, as any sudden movements may trigger another episode. Like a turtle out for a Sunday stroll, she made her way back to the bedroom inch by inch. She daintily grabbed her phone and shot off a quick message to her immediate boss Hecate.

'Feel like death warmed over, taking a sick day today. Email me anything important!'

The response was almost immediate. 'My poor baby! Take the day, don't worry about work. Do you need anything? I can bring some roasted veggie soup by!'

Nausea gurgled up again at the thought of food and she clapped a hand quickly over her mouth, taking several deep breaths before responding to her well-intentioned boss.

'Nope! I think I'll be all set. Thank you for the offer, you're so sweet!' She typed out her response then replaced her phone on the bedside table. She dragged herself sluggishly to the bathroom to rinse out her mouth, brush her teeth, and of course change her menstrual products because they were already in need of a switch. Then she collapsed into her bed and was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

'Where is she?' Hades glowered during another (in his opinion) unnecessary board meeting. Why his presence was required at these dry, rambling shit shows was beyond him. He was the KING of the DEAD for crying out loud, didn't he have more important things to do?! Like perhaps judging souls?!

Hades did not have a good start to his day. He slept fitfully the night before and snoozed his alarm five times this morning, putting him in dangerous 'almost-being-late' territory. Of course, this morning, Pomelia decided to act like the puppy she still was and had an accident in the kitchen, which was of course fine as she was still a puppy and these things are to be expected, but she couldn't have possibly picked a worse time. Then, he hit massive traffic on his way in because the bridge across the highway was under construction, a new development since yesterday. He growled, white knuckling the steering wheel, cussing out every possible god, goddess, and deity he could think of (which was a long list, he knew them all) and checking his watch frequently.

When he finally arrived to work (15 minutes later than he would have wanted), he proceeded to dump hot coffee all down the front of his crisp white pressed shirt. He barely felt it as it singed his skin, because the ire burning in his core was about to boil over even hotter. Needless to say, today had been the Mondayest Monday Ever, so when the minutes dragged by and Persephone still hadn't shown up to work, it put him in an even more sour mood. She was like his aloe to a stinging burn- nothing much bothered him when she was there, and she could soothe most of his aches and pains with a simple, breathtaking smile, or a tinkling laugh.

Hades' self-absorbed bitching turned into genuine worry as the minutes dragged into hours. He checked his messages and email for the 50th time that day and still nothing from her.

The Fates apparently decided to cut him a break and his meeting ended early, so he wandered down to Hecate's office. He knocked and waited for her to respond before poking his head in.

"Hecate, is Persephone here today? I haven't seen her." He frowned.

"Sorry boss, I forgot to mention it, but she called out sick today. She said she was feeling, quote: like death warmed over. End quote." Hecate responded, not taking her eyes off the screen as she furiously typed out some email or notice.

Guilt pooled in Hades' stomach. 'My poor flower…' he thought, frown growing deeper. He imagined a pathetically adorable image of his beloved pink goddess curled up in the couch, nearly buried in blankets, with a red nose, tired eyes, and a half empty box of tissues. Being the overprotective and deeply caring boyfriend he was, he felt it was his duty to protect her from anything that could possibly hurt her, but this time his efforts had been vanquished by germs.

"Not to worry, Hecate. Sorry for the intrusion." She smiled appreciatively at him as he backed out of her office and snapped the door shut behind him.

Persephone's snoring was rudely interrupted from an incessant chirping somewhere off to her left. She blearily swung her hand out, keeping her eyes closed, until she found her phone. She cracked open a reluctant eye to view the screen.

Incoming Text from: Hades

'Heard you were sick today, Sweetness. Is there anything I can do to help? Do you need anything?'

Her heart squeezed affectionately in her chest and she grinned at the use of her beloved pet name. Hades never failed to be the doting and considerate boyfriend she always dreamed of. Sometimes she couldn't figure out why she got so lucky, why he picked her, but she didn't want to tempt the Fates. She knew from firsthand experience how fickle they could be. She suddenly felt very bad- she hadn't let him know where she was today. He was probably worried sick or angrily throwing sharpened pencils at his dartboard by now. She typed out her response.

'I'm sorry I didn't text you sooner, I guess I passed out right away! I'm okay love thank you for asking, and I don't need anything. You're so sweet.' She ended the message with 7 kissy face emojis and a bunch of sparkling hearts.

He responded within 30 seconds. 'I was worried but I'm glad you're okay.'

Then, 'Maybe you don't NEED anything… but do you WANT anything?' with a winky face and a kiss emoji. Butterflied erupted in her gut. She knew exactly what she wanted from her unbearably sexy, big blue boyfriend with a delicious dick, but unfortunately the red tides flowing forth from her loins prevented that. She decided to go the sweet route rather than flirting as she didn't want to lead him on.

'I don't need much, just your arms around me until the end of time. Think you can do that?' Winky face.

'For you, I'd do anything.' Her boyfriend was nothing if not intense. Another text read 'Holding your body close to mine for all eternity is hardly a difficult thing for me. In fact it would be a blessing.'

Persephone's heart swooned, and she grinned stupidly at her phone for several moments before she got her shit together and concentrated enough to form a response. They texted back and forth for a while longer until Hades was called away on some Very Important Business. She glowered, grumbling to herself, "I'm supposed to be the most important thing in the universe!" before deciding to attempt a shower. She felt gross and sticky. She cautiously lifted an arm and sniffed, and pulled a face when she realized she smelled… ripe.

She turned the water a few degrees short from boiling and eased her way under the steaming water, sighing contentedly as it hit her muscles. It felt heavenly on her bloated, aching abdomen. Thankfully her nausea had subsided from earlier in the morning, and despite feeling like two midgets were ripping a two-man-saw between her legs, she felt a bit better. Hope bloomed in her spirit that she may be able to go back to work tomorrow.

She lathered up her hair with her beloved coconut scented shampoo and hummed softly to herself. Even though it had only been literally one day since she last saw Hades, she missed him terribly. They had faced some hurdles early on in their relationship, (Vile, evil Minthe) but they had finally settled into a comfortable rhythm: Working in Tower 1 (not usually together) from Monday to Friday, date nights Friday evenings, adventures on Saturday, and lazy movie days on Sundays. They tried to not spend too much time with each other, and Persephone made sure to go out with her friends on the weeknights, or out for brunch on the weekends. But evenings were always reserved for Hades. While Hades craved the structure and consistency in their schedule, Persephone always found unique ways to surprise him and shake things up just enough.

She applied conditioner and lathered her body with soap while it set, careful to gently clean her most delicate places. She washed her face with her specially formulated sensitive skin cleanser and then rinsed out the conditioner. She stood under the warm spray for a few more moments, before reluctantly getting out.

After toweling off and dressing herself comfortable in loose sweatpants and a white cropped t-shirt, she piled her wet hair into a messy bun and padded to the kitchen to finally eat something. She hadn't eaten that whole morning, and now that she felt better, she was ravenous. She groaned when she looked in her fridge- she needed to go shopping. All she had in the way of food was some cauliflower, various deli cheeses and some fresh mozzarella, besides the assortment of condiments and essentials. She didn't really feel like cooking.

"Grilled cheese it is!" She declared in a sing-songy voice, spinning around obnoxiously with the bread, cheese, and butter in hand.

30 minutes later found her curled up on the couch, blanket wrapped protectively around her, with her drawing pad in hand and an empty plate in front of her on the coffee table. Although she trusted Hades with her life and he already knew entirely too much about her personal life, her hidden talent for drawing was one she was reluctant to share yet. She wasn't ready and still a bit insecure due to being overly critical of her work. The sketchbook and charcoals had been a gift from her mother, and the early pages were filled with vivid drawings of flowers, trees, and rolling fields- all of the things that surrounded her in the Mortal Realm. But soon, she shifted from plants and nature to more… visually pleasing objects. Particularly one, big, blue, devastatingly handsome subject. The first of those drawings came after the incident at the party, and were shy, modest sketches of his face, capturing his chiseled jawline and strong nose, his deep, contemplative eyes. But as their relationship grew, so did her drawings. Especially considering that she had more… inspiring… material to work with. Her drawings now included a more complete picture of Hades- or rather, incomplete, depending on your opinion, because most of those drawings had her handsome God sans clothes. Hades sitting on his office chair, naked. Hades leaning against the counter, naked. Hades in the shower, washing his hair, obviously naked. Strong hands gripping soft thighs. Delicate kisses against an ample pink bosom. His large member sliding into her dripping wet pussy. Bending her over the edge of a table and taking her from behind, hand tangled in her long tresses.

Today's drawing was no different from the norm, choosing again to craft her own personal brand of erotica. She easily conjured an image of Hades cradling her next to him, her leaning on her back, legs splayed open, with two of his digits playing on her clit. She focused on the small details- the curve of his neck as he gazed down lovingly at her face, broad shoulders tapering down to a trim waist.

Persephone had been intently focused for a while, and she tended to lose track of time when she got into her creative space. Suddenly, a chirp from her side startled her. She set the book down on the coffee table and grabbed her phone and was startled to realize it was already close to 6pm.

Text from Hades:

'Are you awake?'

Quickly, she typed out an affirmative response and sent it. She had barely replaced her phone on the coffee table when a polite knock sounded at her door. She usually didn't get a ton of visitors who showed up unannounced, so she suspected it was her landlord over to check her leaky faucet. She yanked open the door to reveal someone unexpected on her doorstep.

Hades was sweating in the grocery store. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid!' He admonished himself as he prowled the ice cream aisle, walking its length for the 6th time.

"What kind of boyfriend doesn't know his girlfriend's favorite flavor of Babel & Julius ice cream?!" He growled, yanking at his hair exasperatedly. He racked his brains and attempted to recall every late night grocery store run or drunken romp to their favorite ice cream parlor, but she always got something different. But this was Babel & Julius ice cream! EVERYONE had a favorite flavor!

'Okay, think, what does she like?' He remembered her inordinate fondness for strawberry cheesecake, but he somehow felt that wouldn't translate very well into an ice cream. He thought harder, remembering warm afternoons in the kitchen as she churned out seemingly endless batches of… chocolate chip cookies.

'Bingo!' He exclaimed as his eyes locked on the pint of cookie dough ice cream. He grabbed it quickly, as though if he was too slow someone else would get to it. Then, for good measure, he grabbed another flavor which had both brownie batter and cookie dough in it, in case she didn't like it. At least she had something to choose from.

Satisfied with his purchase and feeling quite pleased with himself for his superior boyfriend-ing skills, he actually smiled at the cashier as he paid for the sweet treats. He pretended not to notice the pimply young nymph almost faint. He returned to his car with a spring in his step. He also had swung by his place first, changing into more comfortable attire and bringing one of his smaller sweatshirts for Persephone to cuddle up in. He now was dressed comfortably in some black joggers and a gray sweatshirt with nothing underneath. He couldn't help but notice how she always smushed her face into the collar of his borrowed clothes. Sometimes he thought she purposefully didn't pack a change of clothes just so she would get to wear his. He fondly recalled an image of her standing barefoot in the bedroom, pink hair cascading nearly to the floor, as she was swimming in his smallest sweatshirt which fell down to mid thigh. She'd had to roll up the sleeves several times until her tiny pink hands finally poked through.

His texted conversation with her earlier in the day was going to become a reality. Although it (unfortunately) wasn't possible for him to cuddle her until the universe ended, the least he could do was cuddle her all night long and give her sweet kisses. Every pore in his body singed as he parked his car in its usual spot on the street outside her apartment. He stepped out and grabbed his extra sweatshirt and the two tubs of ice cream. He looked up, noting that the lights were on in her apartment, but wanting to make sure anyway. He didn't usually drop by unannounced- he respected that Persephone had her own life and own hobbies and did not want to intrude unless explicitly invited- but this was an emergency, dammit!

He climbed the stairs in twos and fired off a quick text, sending it as he reached the landing that led to her door. She responded almost immediately. With an excited grin, he knocked twice on her door, softly to not startle her. He bounced from one foot to the other as she waited to answer it. The door swung open and he was instantly rewarded with the image of his sweet Persephone in sweats and a crop top which left some of her tender pink skin exposed. He practically purred when he saw the surprise on her face.

"Hello, love." He said softly. She blinked incredulously for a moment, as though not quite believing he was actually there. Then she squealed and launched herself into his waiting arms.

"Aidoneus!" She locked her ankles at his back and wrapped her legs firmly around his torso while giving him sweet kisses.

Hades wouldn't contain his purr this time at the use of his lesser known name and her kisses, and his chest rumbled happily. He carried her back into her apartment and closed the door behind him with a foot.

"How do you feel, Sweetness?" He asked, punctuating his question with a smacking kiss to her lips.

"Much better, now that you're here." She gushed, knotting her hands in his hair how he loved. He nipped her lip in response.

"What happened?" He asked gently, allowing her to slide to the floor, carefully maintaining his grip on the parcels brought with him.

"Ah, just…" She paused awkwardly, looking down in embarrassment at the floor. "Girl things." She finished lamely. He waited for her to continue but she said nothing.

"Girl things?" He repeated, confused.

"Ah, well… ugh." She dragged a hand down her face. "Just… sometimes… about once a month… well, not once a month, this almost never happens…"

"Kore, you can tell me anything." Hades cut in softly, using one blue finger to tilt her face up, meeting his eyes. She blushed magenta.

"I just woke up this morning with… a very bad period." She mumbled softly, hoping he couldn't hear her. "Like, midgets with a chainsaw bad."

Hades laughed at her shocking description, then winced as he thought of it again. "Poor, sweet goddess! That sounds… horrifically painful." He shuddered. "Dealing with menstruation is a hardship I will never have to endure, but as your #1 fan and biggest supporter, it is my solemn duty to support you through such trials."

She giggled and pressed herself back into his arms, and smacked into something cold. She grabbed his wrist and noticed the cartons he held.

"You… brought me… ice cream?" She slowly said.

Hades gulped. Was she upset? "Yes?" He squeaked. Did she hate ice cream?

"Oh my GOD, Hades, Aidoneus, Lord of the Dead and Keeper of the Underworld, I am truly, madly, deeply in love with you!" She sang, each word growing louder until she was at a full screech. Hades chuckled bashfully, growing indigo at the ears under her praise. "Thank you, you are so thoughtful and caring and amazing and perfect." She followed each compliment with a peck to his lips, and he grinned and received them all with happiness.

"Those are all words meant to describe you, dear." He mumbled into her hair.

"Shush!" She pressed a finger to his lips. He immediately kissed it, loving the blush that crept up her neck. "I'm getting spoons! Make yourself comfortable!" She flounced around the corner into the kitchen.

Hades' eyes caught on a sketchbook laying open on the coffee table. Intrigued, he got closer and tilted his head to view it at the proper angle. His eyes followed the curving lines and sharp silhouettes until he realized with a start that he was looking at himself! And his sweet little goddess, in the throes of passion. Her attention to detail was astounding. She somehow managed to capture every emotion, every feather light touch, he felt when they were together, in one simple image. His heart thrummed, equally happy and excited, feeling extremely flattered and a bit aroused.

"Oh, Gods!" Her voice moaned somewhere behind and to the left. He looked back at her and she was turning aggressively fuschia.

"Sweetness, did you draw this?" He asked her softly. She nodded wordlessly, her eyes wide as saucers.

Catching onto her embarrassment, he quickly added, "I'm sorry if these were meant to be private. It caught my eye and I couldn't help myself once I saw it on the table."

"No- I should be the one who is sorry! I'm sure it makes you feel weird and awkward. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable! I swear I'm not that horny all the time! I just missed you, and-" Her panicked words tripped over themselves in a mad dash out of her mouth.

"Persephone, there are no adequate words. This is… incredible." He mumbled softly. "This is… precious. I can't believe you would ever want to draw me," He said, noticing the great care she took to recreate his chest scars from memory. She even added in his 5 o'clock shadow.

"R-really?" She seemed dumbfounded.

"Yes, really!" He took the spoons out of her hand, placing them down on the table, so he could grab them with his own.

"You- you like them? You actually like them!?" She breathed.

"Them? You mean to tell me there are more of these?!" Hades couldn't believe his luck.

"Erm… a few." She said, sheepishly, as she reached down and handed the book to him with a thumping heart and shaking fingers. These drawings represented the most private, intimate pieces of herself. She had yet to share most of her drawings for anybody, except for an occasional flower or nature scene for Demeter. Her drawings represented her inner monologue, her deepest feelings, her secrets and her heart's desires.

Hades gingerly took the book from her and began to turn the pages, eyes running rapidly across charcoal-saturated sheets, taking his time and cherishing each one. Persephone anxiously watched his face, scanning for discomfort, or disgust, or anger.

"You're so talented," He murmured, gently tracing the outline of Persephone's bust on the page with a finger. She flushed. He continued flipping through the book until he eventually reached the final page. Hades gently, and reluctantly closed the book. Having a hard time forming words, he opted to kiss Persephone with near bruising force, curling his hands around the back of her neck, thumbs stroking her cheeks. They pulled apart to come up for air.

He smirked at her and stroked a finger down the nape of her neck. "I couldn't help but notice that there were some positions in there that we haven't tried yet…"