Of Two Minds

Chapter 12 Part 1: Choosing Courage Over Fear

TOM'S QUARTERS - The next morning

Loki rolled over, staring at the alarm as it proclaimed the early morning hour in bold red numbers. Only ten minutes remained to chase the good night's sleep that avoided them as on so many other nights of this project. Accepting that ten minutes would not help him now, Loki turned off the alarm and climbed out of bed with an annoyed grunt.

He barely crossed the threshold of the bathroom for the morning shower when Tom spoke in his mind.

TOM: I know we agreed that the action scenes are yours, but I want to film today's.

LOKI: Knowing that some villain out there planned to make an attempt on your life? Absolutely not.

TOM: You can't protect me from everything, Loki, and you shouldn't.

LOKI: Don't be absurd.

TOM: What's absurd is the idea that I should cower in the corner out of fear. I refuse to do that. I refuse to live my life any differently than I do now, simply because someone wants me dead. I will not run and hide for doing nothing more than holding the genuine Tesseract in my hand, especially since I was not seeking it for myself.

LOKI: You continue to be more than I expected, Tom Hiddleston.

TOM: Let's get one thing quite clear right now. I am nothing more than an ordinary man who has been placed in extraordinary circumstances.

LOKI: Extraordinary circumstances is a severe understatement. These circumstances are the kind that either strengthen a man or break him.

TOM: Yes, they are.

LOKI: Make no mistake, Tom. I can sense your emotions as much as you can mine. I feel the very real, raw fear beneath the surface of your thoughts. You are afraid. You are being pushed beyond your limits like never before.

TOM: I won't deny the fear is there. I merely won't give in to it. If I am going to continue to help you grow, I have to be willing to pursue my own growth as well.

LOKI: Then so be it.

The green eyes slowly closed as Loki focused his concentration. Within a moment the eyes shot open wide, blue with the tiniest fleck of brown. Tom gasped for breath at the sudden exchange of control between them, as he brought his hands up and patted his face and chest in surprise.

LOKI: That is the reason I will give you this day. There's a quote from that Doctor Who program buried in your memories that suits you at this moment.

TOM: "Courage isn't just a matter of not being frightened, you know. It's being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway."

LOKI: Just like metal goes into the fire to burn away the impurities that dilute its strength, you have gone through fire and come out a stronger man. Today you will swagger triumphantly onto the set with the knowledge they may have battered you, but they have not broken you. And I will park my blue popsicle butt in the proverbial corner, waiting until my unique skill set is required.

TOM: I'm trying to decide if I should laugh at that or not.

Tom showered and dressed in haste, knowing that he would deliver two key performances today instead of one. He walked out to the kitchen to make breakfast, finding his phone buzzing like an angry wasp on the coffee table. Unplugging the phone from the charging cable, he woke the screen and brought it into the kitchen with him as he absentmindedly began his breakfast routine.