pain for pleasure

[Time Skip]

“Pain? Pain love, can you help me with this box?” The Goddess of Spring hadn’t properly spoken to the demon in a week after finding out her Hadie was not in Storybrooke and the infernal duo lost her son while she was trapped in Olympus. Don’t get her wrong, her husband was also in her crossfire; but she knew how he was when she was gone. And Panic was carefully avoiding her it felt; but she couldn’t direct all her anger onto Pain. Hence her being nice again.

The fact that Persephone was even speaking to him again was a miracle in itself, and a small part of the demon didn’t wholly trust his luck. It had only been a week since Hades had found out that he had no idea where the kid was, had shown him his displeasure in the form of burns he now hid under long sleeves. Yet somehow the goddess of spring’s displeasure hurt him more - not physically, but emotionally. He enjoyed his talks with Mrs. Boss, and her giving him the silent treatment was remarkably effective. He’d been in a foul mood all week, and now... “Coming,” he grunted, heading into the other room to help the boss. It was his job, after all.

Pain wasn’t sure if it was phantom pain or if his arm was still somehow burning under his horrible new skin, but his arms were hurting from the punishment Hades had bestowed upon him. He hadn’t complained at first, not really - it was better than he’d expected, anticipating torture in Tartarus for the next few millenia, - but it was still healing, still sore, and Pain wasn’t used to being... Well, in pain for so long. He crashed into a chair in the back room of the Lily of the Styx, only noticing belatedly that he wasn’t alone.

“Where the fuck have you been?”

His son was missing, he had last been seen in the Underworld and yet Hades and Persephone were in this boring land without him; he had failed his son.

His anger at himself was being aimed at his friend instead of allowing himself to take the full brunt of the fury that burned within him; but Pain’s reaction stilled the anger to a degree as he watched the demon carefully. His ‘minions’ were always there for him, they were strong, helpful and needed to be there every time he called and they had been doing that for centuries without fail; until now.

Pain had a point, if he set him alight and sent him to the depths of Tartarus where he would not get a chance to reform; then he would not be able to look for the heir to the Underworld.

Strolling forward, Hades made a decision as he grabbed his minions arm and allowed his magic to run through him and set alight the clothes that covered Pain’s arm.

“I won’t eliminate you Pain, but I will give you a permanent reminder to never lose my heir and son again”

He was waiting for it. He was waiting for the feeling of being torn apart, left to flounder in Tartarus, incomplete, in agony, burning for eternity. He was the embodiment of human pain, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t feel it himself. His thoughts flickered briefly to his partner in crime, Panic - would the boss obliterate him too? As much as he didn’t feel complete without the other demon, he kind of hoped Panic would be spared. One of them should remain around to find Hadie and keep an eye on everyone.

And then he was on fire.

It hurt more than anything he could imagine - it was hellfire, after all, something even a pain demon couldn’t tolerate or enjoy - and he groaned in agony, falling to his knees. He didn’t try to pull away, though. He deserved the punishment he was getting and he was lucky to merely be on the receiving end of this. Flesh melted into the fibers of his jacket as he burned, only able to wait for it to be over.

Seeing Pain cower away from him reminded Hades of the time before Sephe, of the time where he tried to take over Olympus from his brother and nearly destroyed his own blood because he was so set on revenge; he didn’t like seeing his friend cowering away from him but he also knew that his fear and fury was overtaking just like it had back then.

“That.does.not.help” Hades bit out as he tried to stop from allowing his temper to overwhelming his actions, his son was his heir and one of the lights in his life; he knew his boy could handle his own but that didn’t mean he wasn’t terrified by the idea that he was on his own or was being used as a bargaining chip. His son was definitely a smart one if he could slip both of his friends for longer than five minutes at a time, but that didn’t mean his friends should have allowed it to happen.

“Give me one good reason I shouldn’t burn your ass to a crisp Pain”

Hades was delving back into old ways and there was nothing Pain could do about it. Mrs Boss probably would be doing the same, if he thought about it, but right now his focus was on the main man himself. His stilted words made Pain cringe and he couldn’t help but cower at the heat in his words. Hadie had really done one over on them this time, and he couldn’t help but think the young god probably would feel awful about it too. He hoped Hades would at least comfort the kid and make sure he knew this was Pain’s fault and not Hadie’s own. That seemed fairer.

“Ain’t got one, Boss,” he admitted quietly, eyes casting down to the floor. He didn’t want to burn and he didn’t want to cease existing, but he had a job and he’d fucked it up. “‘Cept that I can’t find the kid if I’m not here.” But that was a terrible reason to keep him around; he’d lost him in the first place, how could he be trusted to find him again?

The indifference was noted in the God’s mind as he shook his head lightly “I won’t bring you back if she does” he informed him, although it was a complete lie because Persephone wouldn’t want Pain to stay dead and he also wouldn’t want to lose one of his best friends minions.

The fear is what caught Hades attention though, he tried not to make Pain and Panic fear him most of the time but when they did, and when Hadie was mentioned; it was going to be a bad time for both of them.

“I thought he was with you” Hades growled quietly and coldly, his temper once again beginning to stir within him; the room darkening a little more as he glared at Pain and clenched his hands into fists “And what do you mean by ‘Hadie does it all the time?’. I gave you the job of protecting my son and heir while he is out of mine or his mothers sight, and you’re telling me that you lose him constantly?”

Yep. The Boss was pissed, and it was all Pain’s fault. Well, and Panic’s, but Panic wasn’t here and that meant Pain was going to get all the shit that came with being honest with Hades. Not the bravest of not-quite-souls, Pain cowered away from his master as the god’s wrath seemed to flare around him. So he wasn’t going to bring him back if he died, and also he was definitely going to die with this news. Fucking wonderful. Great job, Pain.

“I didn’t say constantly, I said a lot,” Pain corrected, although the correction really wasn’t helping anyone, let alone himself. “He’s your kid, Boss. He’s smart, smarter than either of us. And usually when he gives us the slip, we find him again real quick.” Pain was utterly miserable. It wasn’t like he didn’t worry when Hadie did this, but he also understood. The boy wanted his own space to develop and he couldn’t do that with two henchmen around him all the time. Plus there had been so much misery and pain... It had called to him, a voice completely irresistible. He’d been too weak to disobey. And now Hadie was missing...

Maybe Pain deserved this after all.

((PAST))

Rolling his eyes, Hades smiles slightly at the shrug of his friends shoulders; he knew that Pain would call Sephe that because he forgot in the beginning but he found it amusing every time that Sephe would react to it. “She’s going to kill you one day” he pointed out amused, although the death wouldn’t be permanent so he wasn’t worried.

Straightening up at the mention of them thinking that Hadie was with Panic, that didn’t bode well and fear shot through him at the thought that his son and heir was missing along with his other friend.

“You don’t know where my son is?” he demanded in worry and anger.

“She might,” he admitted with another shrug of his shoulders. Death didn’t really seem like the same kind of concern to him as it did to mortals. He’d reform as long as Hades willed it, after all. Persephone would only make it temporary and then she’d calm down.

Of course, that was assuming he survived this encounter. Pain winced, concern and a hint of fear spreading across his face as he started stumbling over his words. “I mean, like I said, I thought he was with Panic. Hadie does it all the time, and then you brought us all up here to the human world and I figured you must’ve known where he was because you wouldn’t leave Hadie in the Underworld all on his own...”

(( PAST ))

Hades winced lightly as Pain brought up the fact that Persephone wasn’t happy with him, it was true that his wife was furious with him but explaining to her about his plans seemed to have dulled down the anger; it also helped that he agreed to take in the young pup that they had had the pleasure of meeting.

“How many times has Sephe asked you not to call her that?” Hades inquired, his temper burning under the surface but he couldn’t blame his friend for being drawn to the pain of the new souls “Where’s Hadie? has he met some of the new souls?”

Pain just snorted at that. “Don’t know, lost count after the first fifteen thousand,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders. It was, at first, because he hadn’t known what to call her (and because he kept forgetting her name - he’d forgotten Hades’ name too, though, so he didn’t think it was such a big deal). Then it had become a term of affection and she’d just have to deal with it. Ah, and there was the part he didn’t want to get to. Pain pulled a grimace. “That’s just it, boss. I don’t know. Was walking with him and he wandered off, but I lost Panic too. Think he’s with him.” 

“Where have you been?!” Hades demanded, spinning on his heel to face his friend, he had been worried about both of his henchmen and his son so seeing one of them was a big relief.

He didn’t expect the comment about his plan not being a good idea, but he had his own doubts about the idea that had been cooked up by the league to escape the darkness of the Underworld.

Pain winced at the tone, the demand in Hades’ voice. That was never a good thing; the god of the Underworld had a temper and Pain had been on the wrong end of it (probably for perfectly valid reasons) many times before. “Been watching some of these new souls,” he replied. He was created from the human condition, from pain itself, and the violent way some of these children had died, particularly ones like the pirate boy and the girl of the false god... And the little princess, of course. It had called to the equivalent of his soul. “Lotta kids, boss. Mrs. Boss ain’t gonna be happy.”

“Pain, love.” Persephone smiled warmly at one of her husbands closest friends. Demon or not, the Goddess of Spring held a warm affection for the pair. Pain and Panic were the only two she would trust to look after her family when she was stuck in Olympus with her mother, the ancient bat. “Besides, what have I told you for centuries? It’s Seph or Sephe, not Mrs Boss, not Bossy Lady and certainly not Mrs Hades… how has he been? Honestly? I fear for him with all these villains in tow… and Hadie? How is my baby?”

Ah, that old chestnut. It really didn’t matter how many times Persephone asked him to call her by her name; she was Mrs Boss and would be for eternity. She was, after all, someone close enough for him to consider family and he had no idea how to express it. That and it was always entertaining to see her reaction to the name. At the mention of the boss, Pain grunted. “Usual. Preoccupied with everything ‘cause you ain’t been here. Don’t think much to this plan but he’s the brains, the boss.” Pain frowned. “I haven’t seen him. Thought he was with Panic.” Not that the two were ever too far from each other... Oh. Shit. So where was the kid?

Pain was worried. More than worried, actually. There were generally two responsibilities he had in terms of his actual duties - do what Hades told him to do, and make sure Hadie was safe. They weren’t particularly difficult jobs; following orders was literally what he was born to do, even if he could be a bit bumbling about it, and Hadie was a good kid. All in all, Pain thought he had a pretty cushy existence, especially since most of those duties were shared with his fellow demon and partner-in-crime, Panic.

Except he was the one panicking.

Pain wasn’t certain this was his best idea. As long as he’d known Hades and cared for the god, he was still (at the end of the day) a slightly temperamental entity with the power to make Pain into nothing again if he so wished. Not that he thought Hades would - Pain was confident that Persephone might just do the vine thing again if he tried it, but Pain wasn’t really the thinker of Hades’ goons.

There weren’t many people Pain actually liked. He was a demon, at the end of the day, created from human suffering. The concept of like was a difficult one for him, and the concept of caring even more so, and yet Hades and his brood had definitely managed to get through his comprehension and claim a firm place in whatever the equivalent of his heart was. So seeing Persephone returned to the Underworld was always a pleasant experience for him. It meant he didn’t have to keep sneaking food in front of the boss, or trying to make the god sleep, or generally playing mother hen. It could all go back to Persephone, who made the boss smile simply by walking into the room.