[ He won't lie, he doesn't fully understand Loki's explanation. Not because he didn't word it well, but mainly because he's never known a god before, never had to deal with the complexities of reincarnation, never had to think about what it might mean to be reborn with access to who you were before. Chris has only lived some forty-odd years on this earth, and if his soul belonged to another body before his, he has no memory of it.

All he knows is that the Loki of now, his Loki, is worth fighting for. And, more to the point, he's hurting over something that hasn't yet come to pass, that might never come to pass, because he wants to be good and he's afraid he'll disappoint. ]

So we'll just have to keep you from dying. [ What a hypocrite he's turning out to be. ] I'm sure I'll like any Loki I'm lucky enough to meet, but you ... [ he squeezes Loki's hands, waiting until those green eyes lift to meet his own, ] are the one I love.

[ He's not usually so verbose about his feelings, so forthright, but Loki is clearly struggling, and Chris wants to help. He has no idea if this will make things worse or not, but he has to try. ]