KAIPO FINALLY ALLOWED HIMSELF TO CRY. It took some time, but he and Thor found the closest realm to them and landed, hiding in the outskirts of the woodland area, glad for the cover as they were landing without any notice which could be taken as a declaration of war, if it was still being governed the way his memories said it was.

Once they had situated themselves and made sure they weren't about to be ambushed, he stepped away from the unit and the other man, walking a short ways away, searching for a place where he felt safe, searching for the comfortable feeling he had been so in tune towards since he was young.

Then he fell to his knees and began to sob.

Despite his size, Kaipo never was one to try and keep a brave face in times of emotional turmoil. In times of grief, he was the first to mourn with others, the first to offer comfort, the first to show what others saw as weakness. But where they saw weakness, he saw strength; the king who could connect and care for his people was one whose reign would bring about true peace.

As he sobbed, he prayed for the safe passage for his mother and father's souls, pouring his heart and soul into the words that came as easily as breathing, body aching as he felt them leave him forever. When he was finished, he asked them to watch over their people, make sure they found a safe haven, even if he was not there to lead. He asked them to watch over Alasdair, to keep him safe until they could be reunited. Then, finally, he asked for them to watch over him, their son, to guide him, wherever his journey may lead.

When his breathing began to even out, he heard Thor walk over, keeping his distance. He raised his head, turning to look over his shoulder. "Have you come to mock the weak?"

Thor was taken aback, shaking his head. "Of course not. I came to offer—to ask—may I join you?"

Kaipo nodded and gestured towards the spot next to him, watching as Thor made his way over, looking away when the god lowered himself onto his knees, lowering his head and dropping his hands onto his thighs, beginning to mumble the Asgardian prayer for safe passage to Valhalla.

Kaipo couldn't help but watch him, unsure of how to react. Valhalla was not a place his own parents believed they would pass, however they had told him that many people viewed the same place differently and called it by different names.

"Thank you," he said, once Thor raised his head, finished with the ritual.

"Of course," Thor said, clearing his throat, "While your people may not believe in what I do, I hope you can accept what I can offer."

"I would never turn away your prayers because they are not like my own," Kaipo breathed, and Thor gave him the ghost of a smile. His lips did not raise, but there were the hints of a smile just behind the surface; it was a comfort.

"What do we do now?" Thor asked, turning back towards their unit which was just in their sights, sitting and recuperating from the beating it had taken. As it took in the natural life from the planet, its damages were repaired, slowly returning to new.

"Well, we need to eat and find your Infinity Stones," Kaipo replied, standing and making his way back towards the unit, Thor following him, "Have you gone through your Nine Realms?"

Thor shrugged, tilting his head back and forth. "Not...thoroughly. There was only so much I could gather and I had first gone searching the other far reaches, I figured best I work out, then back in."

"Then why did you tell me you had gone through all nine of them?" Kaipo asked, unable to keep from smirking as his questions caught the god off guard.

Thor cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable. "Well, I mean, it wouldn't sound as cool if I said I was just around. I needed to be forceful or else you never would have agreed to help me."

Kaipo smiled and shook his head. "Well, I figured as much. If you had really dug around, you would have found at least one. I don't know in which realm exactly, but there's one somewhere in there."

Thor brightened. "Great! Great, this is perfect! When do we go?"

The Asterion motioned towards the large burn still mending on the side of the unit. "I don't know, you tell me."

Thor rolled his eyes and just like that, the moment was over. The blond looked around, running a hand through his hair as he tried to figure out where he should go. Sighing, Kaipo waved his hand, motioning for him to follow him into the family unit.

"There isn't an area for us to sleep, but we do have blankets and coverings and the like," Kaipo drawled, searching around before finding the right spots on the unit, "We're going to need to find supplies, we don't have any food or clothes or anything, really."

"Yeah...didn't really think this through..." Thor admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"How did you even get to my home?" Kaipo asked, pulling out the various blankets and pillows that were stowed away in various areas of the unit.

The god of thunder cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably. "Well, I had a ship of my own and as I was making my way down, I, um, crashed. It exploded, I nearly died. You know."

Kaipo nodded slowly, not even bothering to hide how ridiculous he found the other man. "Of course. It all makes sense now."

"What does?" Thor asked, catching a continuation to the other's statement he stepped aside, letting him exit first.

Kaipo scoffed. "I'm bonded to an idiot."

He ignored the indignant shout coming from Thor as he walked a short ways away from the unit, clearing out a part of the land so they could sleep, kicking away the fallen leaves and rocks and sticks and other things on the floor. The family unit was spacious, but there truly was no place for them to sleep and staying on a unit while it was repairing serious damage for long periods of time could have consequences on the part of the beings inside.

"I found some food," Thor called out, walking out of the ship with two bars in his hands, "At least, I think it's food. You have enough rations for us to last until we can replenish our supplies. Do you have any money?"

"Of course we do, we prepare the units in an event we have to change course, there is universal currency inside as well as rations and other supplies. They're not enough for us to survive on, but we can get by. Now I suggest you rest with me, we have to get up early before the locals find us."

"What will they do if they find us?" Thor asked, handing one of the bars over to Kaipo, sitting down across from him.

"Nothing good," he hummed, opening the ration and taking a bite.

He couldn't help but smile as he welcomed the familiar taste, one that he hadn't experienced in so long. For a moment, he was a child again, sitting with his mother and father as they went off to visit another planet, hoping for an ally to aid them in times of war or attack, which had been frequent all throughout his life. The rations were always an odd sort of taste, different than the food at home, but it was fun to eat them with his parents as he avoided staring out at the olivion before them.

"I'm very sorry about your parents," Thor said, breaking him out of his reverie. He had been watching him eat, noticing his bittersweet expression.

Kaipo sighed, taking another bite to try and swallow the growing lump in his throat. "I hate to say it, but I expected this would happen. Some day, perhaps, but not now. Not like this."

He took a deep breath, unable to fight the tears; speaking broke his careful resolve and it was crumbling fast. "I lost everything in a matter of minutes. My parents, my people, my home. Alasdair. I can't feel any of them, any of it, it's all gone. All that's left is whatever is in my head. I'm truly alone."

Thor shifted, speaking carefully. "I'm with you."

Kaipo laughed sharply, immediately regretting his actions. "I'm sorry, that wasn't fair. Thank you for agreeing to protect me, you took on something most never would."

"You're helping me. It's an exchange," Thor said, fortunately not sounding very fazed by his harsh laugh. "It's okay to be upset."

Kaipo laughed again, bitter this time, and shook his head. "No, it's not. I mean, yes, it is, but—there is a time and a place and I can't let my emotions run my life, I have to be rational, I am an Etera, I can't afford to be clouded by emotions."

"You don't fight," Thor pointed out, "Is that not letting your emotions guide you?"

"No," he replied, "No, I think more rationally because I don't allow blinding anger to form. I force myself to be rational, to be merciful, to be kind. I force myself to think. My emotions keep my grounded, but they do not cloud my judgement nor guide my actions."

He coughed, groaning as he shook his head. "Did I just quote something, it's like I couldn't stop speaking formally. I mean, there is only so much proper speech I can use before it just gets too tiring."

Thor smiled slightly, partly confused. "You're very odd."

Kaipo snorted, raising the rest of his ration towards him, as if in toast. "And you're very reckless."

The blond snorted lightly, bumping his ration against Kaipo's own. "This is going to be a disaster, isn't it? The two of us together?"

The other man nodded, finishing off the rest of his ration. "It's going to be a complete and utter garbage fire."

Thor grinned. "I can't wait."

º º º

Kaipo and Thor were sleeping five feet apart, huddled in their own blankets against the cold of the wind. If it were him and Alasdair, Kaipo would have had no problem staying close together for warmth, but the man he was with wasn't Alasdair, but rather a complete stranger.

One that he was not going to work well with in the slightest.

They woke as one of the three suns on the planet rose, bathing them in a warm, orange light. Kaipo rose first, Thor following not long after, the two saying nothing to each other as they stood, stretching heavily before gathering their things and making their way to the now fully renewed unit.

"Good morning," Kaipo mumbled, if only out of habit. He hadn't expected Thor's response.

"Good mourning?" He asked it as a question, implying an action. It might have even been disrespectful to Kaipo if it weren't for the careful way he asked it, more concerned and comforting than mocking.

The Asterion sighed and cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders. "It was enough."

"It's a process, you can't just force it short," Thor said, his tone still soft and careful.

"What would you know?" Kaipo demanded, letting his anger slip, directing it all on the one being who didn't deserve his anger.

He still looked as understanding and kind as he sounded, and it infuriated him. "My mother died. She was murdered by the invading Dark Elves."

"From Svartalfheim?" Kaipo said, more of a statement than a question, "They had the power to wield one of the Infinity Stones. I heard they're practically all extinct, did you have something to do with that?"

Thor shrugged. "Possibly. They did have an Infinity Stone, but we gave it to The Collector for safekeeping."

Kaipo sighed. "Then we're just going to have to hope we stumble upon one."

"And if we don't?" Thor demanded, "Will this just be for nothing?"

"Of course not," Kaipo replied, moving to sit in the controls, powering it up and sighing, "Things like this are never as simple, we will most likely find something else along the way. That's the way of the universe."

Thor blinked. "You sound like a hippie."

Kaipo scoffed. "You sound like a human."

With that, he shifted the controls and they were off. Rising up just above the forest layer, they made their way out of the planet. Thor asked why they couldn't replenish their supplies there, but was immediately informed that the people inhabiting that realm were no where near as advanced as most others, more primitive, so they were better off finding some other place on their way back to the Nine Realms.

Kaipo shuddered as they exited and Thor raised an eyebrow. "Are you alright?"

He just continued to stare at the controls. "I always hated this. Just staring off into oblivion, it's...it's horrifying. This is the infinite space that people associate with the afterlife, but that's realm is another entirely, leaving this to be nothing more than a vast nothing threatening to consume us all."

He sighed, eyes wide. "I've never been able to voice my thoughts on it before. Someone else must have felt that way as well."

Thor looked around, seemingly unfazed. "Well, I can't say I blame you for it. I can drive if you want."

"No, I'm fine," he finally sighed, forcing himself to stare out in front of him, "My parents are dead, I can't just hide anymore. I have to take responsibility. Even if I have no one to rule."

Thor didn't respond, instead just letting the heir to nothing mourn the loss of his entire life, staring out into the oblivion where the people he held most dear were waiting. Somewhere, maybe nowhere, maybe everywhere.

They would just have to see.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

( 01.27.18 )

Sorry this was more of a filler chapter than anything, I just wanted to show the start of Kaipo's healing process. As you can see, he's very emotional once he gives himself the chance to be, but he wants to bottle it all up, despite usually being so open when others are mourning, it's very complicated for him as he has conflicting thoughts and memories now, which are also going to play a big role in his character.

Also, how do you think I'm writing Thor? I didn't want to write him or Kaipo too formally since in Ragnarok they talked pretty casual, but I seem to default to that for some reason, mostly for Kaipo, even though I didn't plan on it.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!