TWO WEEKS LATER SAW KAIPO AND THOR LANDING ON AUSTEA. Each with a handle on the controls, they slowly descended, looking down at the main city which was a sea of snow and white, the two shivering despite the warmth of the ship. The trip had been rather uneventful, Thor backing away out of respect, but not enough to destroy the precarious relationship they had created for themselves. It was a strange space they now lived in, but Kaipo found no qualms with it.

"No fighting," he said as they stepped down from the ship, their capes wrapped tightly around themselves.

Thor bristled at his words, shaking his head. "Why would I fight—Who would I fight? Hm? The books? 'Oh no, the books are attacking me, it's time to fight everything, I'm Thor, rawrgh.'"

Kaipo rolled his eyes, leaving Thor by the ship as he began to trek through the snow, shivering as some slipped into his boots, soaking his socks instantly. Steeling himself, he continued along the way, ignoring Thor's shouts for him to wait.

By the time they made it to the expansive library lit up by protected flames, its gold frame covered in snow, they were soaked to the bone, shivering as they fell forward onto the snowless doorsteps, watching as the double doors lined with gold and jewels opening on their on accord, the two princes gawking in awe as they stepped inside, hit with a blast of warmth, their clothes drying instantly and their bodies warmed to the temperature they needed.

"Wow," Kaipo breathed, staring out at the rows and rows of shelves that towered to what he thought was the ceiling until he looked straight up and found that there were multiple floors connected by a large spiral staircase.

"It seemed smaller outside," Thor pointed out, eyes widening as he realized just how massive it had seemed outside to begin with, "What kind of magic is this?"

"The kind that neither of us should ever learn," Kaipo said, giving him a small smile as he brushed past him, looking out towards the bookshelves, "Did you ever touch a book growing up?"

"Of course," Thor scoffed, swatting at him, making his way to another row, speaking through the shelves, "My brother always worked on his magic and searched for spell books, but as future king, I had to learn about societies and history, it's all very interesting."

"I didn't peg you as an intellectual type," Kaipo commented, the two falling into a topic often discussed when they were tired and didn't care.

"I know five languages and could tell you the cultural similarities and differences of twelve drastically different extinct civilizations far more and less advanced than my own, how dare you," Thor said, looking wholly offended at Kaipo's words, "When I take the throne I will be one of, if not, the smartest and strongest king Asgard has seen."

Kaipo clicked his tongue. "And the most humble, clearly."

Thor groaned, rolling his eyes, opening his mouth to argue his case, but Kaipo interrupted him, "I believe you, Thor, you do seem like the type. From the stories you've told me, your head has shrunk a few sizes. Of course, it could do with a little more and your fists could see less blood."

"I only fight when necessary," Thor pointed out, grabbing a random book and flipping through it, eyebrows raising at what he saw, "This is written in Asgardian."

"Why fight at all?" Kaipo countered, pulling out a book of his own, finding that it was written in Asterion, "The books have been charmed to translate to the reader's own language, but there is a way to find it in its original text somewhere else in the library."

"We should find books on the Infinity Stones," Thor said, the two meeting on the other end of the long, expansive bookshelf, a respectable distance apart, facing each other, "But that could take years."

"We should just find the book we came here for, take in what it wants us to know, and move on from there," Kaipo suggested, looking up towards the "ceiling" of the first floor, thinking back to what he knew of the library, searching for the knowledge of where to find the book; he figured someone must have known.

"Come on, let's go search," Thor said, too impatient to wait around for something to appear, grabbing Kaipo's hand and tugging him along, the Asterion too caught up in his thoughts to pull away, allowing himself to be led around the vast first floor, then up the large steps.

"I have never felt this small before," Thor commented as they struggled to climb the stairs, looking up towards the ceiling, "I'm very intimidated."

"What does it feel like," Kaipo asked, smirking when the god caught onto his words, chasing after him as the brunette moved faster than him.

"What were you like as a warrior, you must have stories," Thor asked, grabbing his hand again as they reached the top, both refusing to look down for fear of falling over in their confusion and discomfort.

"I'd rather not talk about it," Kaipo sighed, shuddering as he thought back to all the blood and the screams and the noise, "Please."

While Thor was never one to back down from a challenge, he knew when to take a step back, so he simply nodded and let the topic go, tugging Kaipo along as they looked around the second floor which was the exact same height as the first floor, though the vastness of the floor itself was slightly smaller due to the part of the floor reserved for the stairs and the space to look up towards the other levels and the true ceiling.

"Loki would have loved these," Thor said, flipping through a few books before shoving them back on the shelves and heading towards the next flight of stairs, Kaipo's hand still caught in his own.

"I know how to follow," Kaipo pointed out, but the blond made no move to let go of his hand, so he said nothing, figuring it'd be easier on both of them if he held on instead of just letting it fall limp.

Now truly holding hands, the two made their way up to the third floor which was significantly smaller than the other two floors, and, as far as they could see, the other floors proceeding. Instead of the vast height they were used to, the found themselves under a ceiling that was only a few feet above their heads, the floor wood instead of the polished rock, the bookshelves greater in number than size and length.

"I think this is where the book is," Kaipo said, looking around at the floor, "This isn't as loud as all the others. It doesn't need to compensate to be important."

"I know you were being objective, but why do I feel like that was another jab at me?" Thor asked, now his turn to follow Kaipo, the brunette still holding his hand despite being the one to lead.

"Because it was," he replied simply, and Thor simply sighed.

The two made their way to the end of the floor where everything seemed a little darker, catching sight of a book sitting on a pedestal, pressed up against the wall in front of a small concave window, a half sphere looking out towards the darkness of the night, the glass paned with gold, the only ornamentation on the level besides the book.

"You should look, then we should look together, then I should look by myself," Thor said, letting go of Kaipo's hand and pushing him towards the book.

"You're just afraid," Kaipo taunted, unsure as to why he was even goading Thor in the first place, reveling in the offended glare he received in return.

"I'm not afraid of some book," Thor scorned, pausing when he realized what he said, addressing the book immediately, "Not that you are unworthy of respect, I'm sure you hold very horrifying truths and secrets within you, please help us."

Kaipo rolled his eyes and motioned for Thor to take a step back. Standing in front of the book, he raised an eyebrow, raising his right hand and placing it in the center of the circle that was placed onto the book, seemingly made out of some jewel or rock.

It glowed a faint blue and Kaipo waited, pulling away only when he felt it right to, watching as the book flipped open on its own accord, pages fluttering until it landed on an open two-page spread.

He leaned closer, eyes widening as he caught sight of an explanation on the binding spells that he had casted on both himself and Alasdair, and himself and Thor. He understood what entailed the bond between him and Alasdair, though what he was surprised to find was that, though he couldn't feel him, the two were still connected on a deeper level, feeling the other in a subconscious plane; if Alasdair was upset, he too would feel upset, though not know it was because of him, something neither of them ever experienced when in close proximity.

What shocked him more, however, was the protection bond. Kaipo had always believed that bonds were forged by spell and energy alone, but according to the book, they ran deeper. He often forgot, but the bond forged between him and Alasdair had been controversial for the reason that it had been accepted. Bonds had to be accepted by the futures and the universe, a concept that Kaipo often omitted due to how convoluted they were, but it was a distinction that he should have remembered.

It went for all bonds, including the one he formed with Thor. Theirs was an accepted bond, one that meant they were compatible on all planes, in all forms and relationships, a universal constant in the cosmos of reality and its varying branches. No matter what path they took, they would always be bonded together, and had been before either were even born, but it took a special route of life to connect them together in the first place.

Kaipo couldn't help but turn back to Thor who was simply watching him with a soft smile on his face, patiently waiting, the blond hiding it as soon as he realized he was caught.

"Okay," Kaipo breathed, stumbling as he walked towards the blond who caught him easily, righting him and tugging him back over to the book which had closed again.

"What did you see?" Thor asked, taking in Kaipo's pale features and clear shock, "Kaipo?"

Kaipo took a deep breath, swallowing thickly as he shook his head. "It's best you don't know."

Dropping it, yet again, Thor simply placed a hand on the book, Kaipo following not soon after, the two opting to just place their fingers so the circle could register both of them; Kaipo had a sneaking suspicion, however, that it didn't truly need them to do so.

They pulled their hands away and watched as the book flipped open to another two-page spread, this time of the Infinity Stones.

"The Time Stone," Thor breathed, placing a hand on the small of Kaipo's back as he leaned forward to read.

According to the book, the Time Stone had been placed in the care of humans on Earth, its protectors going by the name of The Masters of the Mystic Arts who, according to the book, were originally monks of some sort, deeply connected to the natural world and the cosmos.

"How could these humans guard the stone?" Kaipo found himself asking, "If other humans learned about it, there would be wars as to who could wield it."

"I haven't heard of them before, so they must do a good job of hiding," Thor said, searching the words for any indication of where to find the stones, "We'll go after we reach Knowhere. We can go visit Jane, if anyone knows where to find them, she will."

Kaipo felt a pang of discomfort of the mention of the woman. Thor had explained to him that their relationship transcended the simple carnal pleasures, as well as the romantic notions. Wherever he went, he tended to find someone to connect to, as he had also told Kaipo of blond Steve Rogers whom Thor had a short, but caring relationship with before leaving for his search.

The way Thor said Jane's name was different than the way he had when they first met. It was still filled with great warmth and care, but it lacked something that Kaipo simply couldn't place. He tried not to dwell too much on it, turning his attention back to the pages. When it was clear they would divulge no more information, he took a step back, making his way towards the bookshelves to allow Thor his turn alone with the book.

The blond watched him go, turning back to the book to find it, once again, closed. Placing his hand on the circle, he watched it glow blue, pulling away when he felt compelled to, watching as it flipped open to information on Asgardian visions.

He raised his eyebrows as he read about how Asgardian visions tended to be premonitions, though they tended to be slightly inaccurate to the truth, but should be taken as an early warnings. Like all prophecies, they are never set in stone and are merely suggestions, but should be taken seriously, as visions come to the worthy and those in need of the knowledge.

He felt a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach as he nodded gravely to himself, beginning to leave, only to pause when he heard the pages shuffle again, opening up to another spread.

Turning back around, he caught sight of a different set of information, one that was just as important, but in a very different way.

º º º

"Where are we going?"

Kaipo shivered as he followed Thor towards the end of the planet, trekking through the snow after the blond who seemed too excited to feel the cold, his cape tugged around him almost like a blanket.

"You'll see, hurry, it's almost time," Thor said, holding out his hand for Kaipo to take, the brunette simply moving faster, not taking his hand as they fell into step.

Kaipo felt as though he should know where they were headed, but combined with the cold and his lack of experience in calling memories and knowledge at will, he was rendered utterly clueless, which didn't make him feel extremely secure, especially when the one who was aware was Thor.

"Here," the blond said, the two pausing not far from the end of the planet, "Look up."

Having no reason to argue, Kaipo raised his head up towards the dark sky, finding nothing but the oblivion he would eternally fear. He felt the panic settle in his stomach, his mind racing as he began to question himself and his life, his existence, his chest constricting as he desperately tried to fight off the thoughts and images that appeared.

Then the lights.

He gasped as the sky instantly illuminated, the darkness covered in a sea of greens and purples, the rippling as far as he could see, changing to golds and blues, then shades of pink, the colors hiding the darkness he so feared, coloring the white snow and reflecting off the golden library.

Thor smiled as he watched Kaipo gawk and stare, a warm feeling settling in his chest at the slow smile curling on the other man's lips. He knew how terrified Kaipo was of space, and considering he was in space because of Thor, he figured he should give him something nice to try and cope.

He didn't bother to hide his open staring when Kaipo turned to look at him; he could feel his smile growing when he was caught. The brunette smiled back, the colors dancing over his face and his dark eyes.

"Thank you," Kaipo breathed, a strange feeling in his chest as he stared at Thor who was looking at him with a fondness he couldn't dismiss.

Unable to help himself, Thor stepped forward, cradling Kaipo's cheek in his hand, and kissed him chastely. Strong, yet fleeting, it was over before it even begun, nothing more than a press of lips, easily brushed aside and dismissible, yet it stole Kaipo's breath and weakened his knees, rendering him unable to do anything but stare as the blond pressed their foreheads together, the two breathing in unison.

"You're welcome."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

( 07.18.18 )

Ya'll, this kiss came out of nowhere and it didn't even really mean anything, because it was more of a test than anything, because Thor's kind of steady in his "oh yeah I like him a lot" but Kaipo is still on the fence and what he learned in the book was a turning point, so the kiss was kind of just a spur of the moment kind of thing that won't be discussed between the two of them because they both understand why it happened, so I hope that makes sense.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!