Comfortember Day Twelve: Make Something [Bio!Dad Tony AU]

"Hey, Dad!"

Tony was pouring coffee into the mug Peter got him for Father's Day, 'World's Best Iron Dad' as Peter bounded into the kitchen. Peter tossed his backpack unceremoniously next to the kitchen counter before hopping onto one of the stools. He grabbed an orange from the bowl and started peeling.

"Hey, kiddo. How was school today?" Tony asked, turning to face him.

"It was fine. I aced my Spanish test," Peter said, with a proud smile.

"Good job! See, I told you you had that test down. You worried for no reason, you little genius."

Peter chuckled and popped an orange slice into his mouth. "Thanks."

After a moment of silence, Peter looked down and said, "Is Uncle Rhodey still in the hospital?"

Tony sighed and frowned. Rhodey had been in the hospital for the past three days after his plane crashed. The plane caught on fire and had been torn apart, it was a miracle Rhodey survived the accident. He was the only one in the plane, having been asked to take the air vessel for a test run.

Tony made sure to get Rhodey the best doctors possible. His best friend had been burned profusely and some of his bones had been bent out of shape. It was hard to look at Rhodey in the hospital bed, all wrapped up in bandages with bruises and cuts all over him. He only took Peter to see him when Rhodey woke up.

The doctor's assured him that Rhodey would make a full recovery but it would take time. A lot of time and a lot of care. As the days went on, he did start to look better but it was obvious he was still in pain. He only managed to stay awake for two or three hours before going into a deep slumber again.

"Unfortunately, kiddo," Tony said, swallowing the lump in his throat. "He'll get better. It just takes time."

"I know," Peter sighed. He munched on another orange slice. "Ned and I were talking about building a Lego set at school."

Tony was taken aback by the sudden change in subject. He took a sip of his coffee. "And?"

"And it made me think. Why don't we make something for Uncle Rhodey?"

Ah. Now Tony understood.

"Something like what?" Tony asked, curiously.

"Does Uncle Rhodey still like to fly?"

"It'll probably take a while for him to get comfortable in a plane again," Tony answered with a frown. "Why?"

"Well, I was thinking that we could make him a model plane out of clay," Peter said. He played with the last slice of his orange and frowned. "But if he doesn't like to fly anymore...Maybe not…"

Tony smiled softly. "Kid, I think Rhodey would like that."

Peter perked up, eyes hopeful. "Really? It won't upset him?"

"I don't think so. He'd love a model plane from his favourite nephew. Besides, he used to collect model planes when he was younger. No doubt he'd love to add yours to his collection."

Peter smiled. "Okay, let's do it!"

"You go wait down in the lab. I'm gonna go buy us some clay, I won't be long."

"Okay, I'll see you down there!"

XXX

"Who knews this would be so messy?"

Peter laughed and wiped some hair out of his eyes which proceeded in getting some wet clay in his hair. There were splashes of clay all over their hands, arms, torsos and legs. And some on Peter's face when his cheek got itchy and he couldn't hold back anymore.

"Who cares? It's fun," the kid said.

Tony smiled. He wasn't going to deny that. It was fun even if it was messy. He did suspect it might get a little messy, hence why they changed into different clothes and had gloves on. He just didn't expect it to get this out of hand. But to see his kid smile and laugh as they molded the plane, that's all that mattered.

He knew Rhodey would love this.

"We should do something like this for Mom on her birthday," Peter suggested, shaping the wing.

"You can, kiddo. I'm not getting this messy a second time," Tony replied with an amused smile.

"C'mon, Dad! You get oil and grease all over yourself when you build down here!" Peter accused, flicking some clay at Tony's shirt.

"That's different." Tony flicked some clay back at Peter.

"No, it's the same thing!"

"No."

"Yes!"

It technically was but Tony wasn't going to admit it. He dodged a large ball of clay Peter tried chucking at him.

"Watch it, Underoos. I might dump the rest of this bucket on you," Tony threatened.

"Uh, no thanks."

"That's what I thought."

Peter hummed along to the song playing in the background as he continued to mold the plane. He was doing a much better job than Tony was, keeping pieces connected where they were supposed to be connected. Then again, Tony was mostly watching and only adding in bits here and there. He was much more interested in seeing how Peter would make a clay plane.

By now it was a little bigger than the size of a handheld telescope. It'd be just big enough to fit on Rhodey's bedside table without taking up too much room for other things, like the pills and water the doctors brought for him when they went to check on him.

Peter's plan was to keep the plane grey so that when Rhodey got out of the hospital, he could paint it whatever he wanted, if he wanted to. If not then that was why Peter was putting in as much tiny detail as possible, so that even if the plane was grey, it'd still be beautiful.

Tony was proud of his son for such a thoughtful idea. He knew how much he loved Rhodey and that the accident was hard on him. The poor kid broke down when he first saw Rhodey in the hospital bed in such horrid shape. It took both him and Rhodey ten minutes to really calm him down.

From that day on, Tony let Peter be in the room for only a few minutes when they went to the hospital. It was best for all involved and Peter was disappointed at first but he understood why. This time when they went, Tony knew he'd have to let Peter stay longer so he could see Rhodey's reaction to the gift.

"I really hope Uncle Rhodey likes this," Peter said, sighing.

"He will, champ. He will."

Tony reached over and ruffled his hair. While he still had damp clay on his hands.

"DAD!"

Tony wasn't fast enough to dodge the large clay ball Peter threw at him.

XXX

"You okay, kid?" Tony asked, noticing Peter standing a couple feet away from Rhodey's room door.

Peter nodded but didn't say anything. While they made their way to the hospital, Tony didn't fail to see that his son was trembling the whole time. He didn't know why. The plane he made was beautiful and looked professionally done. He had no reason to be afraid of Rhodey's reaction.

Tony placed his hands on Peter's shoulders and leaned down to his height to look him in the eyes.

"What's wrong, Underoos? Talk to me."

Peter swallowed hard. "What if he doesn't like it? What if he thinks I'm mocking him? What if he throws it?"

Tony sighed. Softly, he said, "Oh, Pete...He'd never do that. He loves you. And making a plane model isn't mocking him in any way."

Peter nodded again but didn't seem convinced. Tony brushed some curls out of his eyes.

"What else is it, Pete?"

"It's just really hard," Peter struggled to say. "I hate seeing him like this."

"I know, kiddo. I know," Tony said. "Come on. It'll be okay."

Peter took a deep breath and stood straighter. Tony smiled and kept an arm around his shoulders. He knocked on the door and held Peter tighter when he felt him tense.

"Come in," Rhodey's raspy, tired voice called.

Peter looked up at him nervously. Tony nodded. He opened the door and led Peter inside. He gently closed the door behind him. Tony glanced from Peter to Rhodey. He smiled. He looked much better than the day before. Some bandages had been removed and some bruises had slowly started to fade.

"Hi, Honey Bear," Tony greeted, stepping forward, gently thumbing the back of his hand.

"Hey, Tones," Rhodey said, smiling up at him. Tony could tell it was still a bit of a struggle for Rhodey to keep his eyes open. He looked at Peter. "Hey, buddy."

"H-hi," Peter said, shyly. The whole time he hid his plane behind his back.

"Don't be shy, come in." Rhodey gestured for him to sit in the chair next to his bed.

"I, uhm, I actually...I have something for you."

Rhodey tilted his head. "Oh?"

Peter bit his lip and nodded. "Uh-huh…"

"Let's see," Rhodey prompted, waving him forward.

Tony nodded his head toward Rhodey, a clear sign that in case things did go south, he'd be there. However, he knew things were going to be fine. Peter stepped forward and hesitantly held out the grey model plane he made.

Silence.

Peter looked down the moment he saw Rhodey's eyes widen the best they could in his state. Tony looked from Rhodey to Peter. His kid was tearing up as if he made some big error, as if Rhodey was going to shout at him. No matter how hard Tony tried to reassure him for this moment, it seemed like it was all for nothing.

Rhodey cleared his throat and held his hands out, not that Peter noticed. Tony sighed and placed his hand under Peter's chin and lifted his head slightly so he could see Rhodey. His Rhodey Bear's eyes were watering just like Peter's were.

"Come," Rhodey said, sternly. "I want to hold it."

Peter tilted his head and handed the model to Rhodey. Tony kept a hand on Peter's shoulder, giving him a comforting squeeze.

"Is-is it okay?" Peter asked, hesitantly.

Rhodey looked it over and Tony knew the look in his eyes. He had to hold back a smile, knowing Rhodey was purposefully leaving Peter in suspense. Rhodey placed the model in his lap carefully so as to not knock it over.

"I must say, it's very well done. One of the best models I've seen."

Peter perked up right away and the brightness was back in his precious brown eyes. The smile on his face was exactly what Tony was waiting for. Nice, big and happy.

"Really?"

"Definitely."

Peter wiped away the tears in his eyes. "Thank you, Uncle Rhodey! Oh, I was so nervous."

"I can tell," Rhodey chuckled. He also wiped away his own tears. "Thank you so much, Pete."

Tony took the model and placed it on the bedside table so Peter could hug Rhodey. And he did so right away. Of course the kid was careful when he held onto Rhodey, knowing he was still sore from the accident. Rhodey hugged Peter back the best he could.

"Thank you," Tony whispered, giving Rhodey a peace sign.

Rhodey smiled and shrugged. "Nothing to thank me for. I really love this."

Peter pulled back. His smile hadn't gone away and it was so contagious that Tony couldn't help but smile too. Peter could make anyone feel better. Anyone. This was also the longest time Peter stayed in the room with Rhodey without having tears actually leave his eyes. Tony was proud of him.

"When I get out of here, you better help me find a good place to put it, kid," Rhodey teased, bopping Peter on his forehead.

"I will," Peter laughed.

"And I'll be sure to buy the best dinner for you when you're out," Tony piped in.

"Thanks, Tones."

Tony winked. "Anything for my Honey Bear."

"And anything for my uncle!" Peter said.

"Now how about you tell me how you went about making this. Was it a mess?"

"Yeah! You should've seen Dad! It was hilarious!"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Whatever. You were just as messy as I was."

"Only because you put clay in my hair! Uncle Rhodey, he was being a jerk sometimes."

"Kid, I'm offended."

Rhodey laughed as he listened to the two banter. This was the least stressful day in the hospital thus far. It was wonderful.

Author's Note: A while ago before I wrote this, I was thinking of using another alt. prompt because I wasn't sure what to do with this prompt but then BAM. I thought of this and I'm glad I wrote this instead of doing another alt. prompt. I'm satisfied.

That's all for now. I'll see ya'll in the next chapter.

Thanks for reading!

~Kurosaki