Peter was still scared. He was terrified of losing anyone else he cared about. But Tony’s words were comforting. Somehow it all sounded much more real and true whenever Tony said it. Peter believed him when he said he wasn’t cursed, that it wasn’t his fault. It didn’t make it hurt any less, but it made it more bearable. Tony’s assurances he wasn’t going to die also really helped. Peter was still scared about someone close to him dying - not just Tony, but Ned, MJ, and the rest of the Avengers as well. Tony and Ned scared him most of all, given he was closest to them. But it was still comforting to hear that he had survived so much and was still standing. He wouldn’t be taken down that easily. The arc reactor was proof of that. He had built something when he had nothing, and saved his life with it. He had taken matters into his own hands and saved himself. To Peter, the arc reactor represented Tony’s drive, his genius, his ability to survive even in the worst circumstances. Maybe the infamous Parker luck would be unable to touch Tony.<br/><br/>Peter hesitantly met Tony’s gaze as his head was tilted. He was still crying, but not as bad as he had before. Besides an occasional sniffle, he was mostly silent. Tony’s words had already helped a lot. But then Tony said Peter was his, and that brought a fresh wave of emotions. Not grief or hurt or fright. He felt incredibly thankful that Tony had let him into his life, happy that he cared so much, grateful that he stayed, and just a lot of affection for his mentor. “Thank you, mr Stark, thank you so much,” he muttered against his chest. He couldn’t put into words just how grateful he was. No words could come close to it. He felt so safe in Tony’s arms, like nothing could hurt him. Tony was always there when he needed help, both as Spiderman and as just Peter. He remembered an incident from a few years ago, when he visited the Stark Expo and those Hammer drones attacked. Iron Man had saved him then, which was the start of his worship of the man. It felt like they were meant to be, like that moment had led them to where they were now. That realisation helped, and slowly he was able to get himself under control again and stop crying. Still he stayed where he was, head on the arc reactor and hands clutching Tony’s shirt. He didn’t want to go back to sleep, terrified that more nightmares would haunt him. He felt safe in Tony’s arms, like nothing could ever hurt him. He just wanted to stay like that.