He nodded, letting the boy talk. It helped, saying the words. It helped. It also hurt, so very much, but sharing the grief also helped, "He was behind a glass door, at the end. We had to w-watch him. Inches away. We were inches away. And his body was so radioactive we couldn't . . . " He swallowed several times and just hugged Peter.

"Most of the time, we don't get a miracle. Most of the time, we gotta say goodbye and it hurts. It hurts so much when we love 'em that much. But it does get easier. Over time. With other friends. You just . . . you just try to remember the good, you know? All the good they did, all the good they made us feel." He started to stroke Peter's hair absently, as he did with Luke when the guy wanted to get cuddly. It was soothing for him, and hopefully for Peter too.

"We've lost a lot of people over the years, and it never gets easier. But we do have the good memories. We'll always have that. And your Mr. Stark sounds like one of the best."