Author's Note: *TRIGGER WARNING* mentions of past child sexual abuse (no details in this chapter) Please do not read if this would be harmful to your mental health.

I do not own any of the Avengers characters.

Peter didn't like sexual innuendos.

It wasn't like he was a prude or anything, he just didn't like the way people made everything about sex.

Why couldn't they just talk about sports or movies or literally anything else?

Especially Tony. Peter could tell he tried to make an effort to be PG when he was around, but PG for Tony was PG-13 for anyone else.

And now that he was living at the tower full time it was hard to avoid the sexual banter the rest of team threw around so casually.

But he was fine.

Really.

"Come on Pete! I know you're a teenage boy and all, but save some hot water for the rest of us" Tony joked as Peter arrived for breakfast.

Peter cringed. "I'm sorry Mr. Stark, I….I was just thinking, I got distracted…"

Natasha rolled her eyes as she cut off Peter's rambling "You have unlimited hot water Tony"

"It's the principle!" he argued, before Pepper shot him a sharp look that effectively shut him up.

"What? Peter knows I'm just teasing. Don't ya Pete? After all, I know what it's like to be 15!"

Peter involuntarily cringes when Tony ruffles his hair.

"Yeah…Of course, Mr. Stark" He forces his face into a smile.

But Natasha picks up on his discomfort and frowns.

The next time Natasha notices something is off is a Friday night when the team gathered to watch a movie. Clint had picked the film, Split, about a guy with multiple personalities.

Peter was careful when watching movies that seemed like they might be triggering, but this one seemed safe.

How was he supposed to know there was a scene about child abuse?

"Let's pretend to be animals again Casey…"

"I'll tell your dad you were being mean…"

"Come on Casey…"

"Come on Peter, I have a new game we can play…You don't want me to tell Ben you misbehaved, would you?...Be a good boy Peter"

"Be a good boy Peter"

"Be a good boy"

Most of the team is too engrossed in the film to notice, but nothing slips by Natasha. She sees as Peter cringes, making himself as small as possible, as his breathing picks up.

"I um…I need to go to the bathroom" Peter mumbles as he ducks out of the room.

Natasha looks after him. Surely not. She thinks she knows what's going on, but she prays she is wrong. Not Peter…Please not Peter… Я сочувствую тебе

She gives Peter a moment to himself before she follows.

"Peter?" She gently knocks on the bathroom door. "It's Natasha… Are you okay?"

Peter doesn't respond.

Natasha starts to worry. She can hear his breathing pick up through the door.

"Peter, can I come in? Just to make sure you are okay and then I'll leave."

She doesn't actually think it'll work, but to her surprise she hears the door unlock.

"I'm coming in now Peter"

She peers in and sees Peter curled up on the floor with his back to the wall. His face is flushed and he's staring at the floor, with a glazed look in his eyes. After ensuring he looks to be okay, (well, not physically injured at least) she sits beside him quietly.

Neither of them speak for a few minutes. Natasha doesn't like forcing people to talk, but she can tell Peter is struggling and she decides she will have to be the one to break the silence.

"I was seven."

Peter looks up, "You were seven when what?" He gives her a puzzled look. "I don't understand…"

"How much do you know about my past Peter?"

"Not much Ms. Black Widow, just that you are a Russian assassin turned super spy."

"Well long story short, when I was 5 I was taken to a place called the Red Room. It's where I was trained by the KGB to become an assassin." She pauses, "I was seven the first time a guard snuck into my room at night."

Peter processes this. Does she know? Is she saying her too? Wait, there's no way. She's, well, she's Black Widow! But what else could she be saying…?

"What…" Peter struggles to speak, "What did… did he do?"

She takes a breath before answering. "He sexually abused me for a year until he was found out. Those in charge couldn't have us being "distracted" so they got rid of him."

"Got rid of him? Like, they fired him?"

"Not exactly... But the point I'm trying to tell you is you aren't alone." She turns and looks at him softly.

Peter's eyes widen,

"Oh I, I wasn't abused or anything, I don't know what you are talking about, I was just, uh, just upset by the movie, because it was sad, and I, I just felt bad for the girl, I can't, you know, relate or anything…" He starts to hyperventilate as he continues rambling.

"Peter" Natasha cuts him off softly.

He's now added hand motions to his rambling, "You've got the wrong idea, I'm sorry I made you think that I, that me, that I was hurt like that. Honestly," he squeaks, "I'm fine. Totally, perfectly, okay. Fine as can be,"

"Peter" she whispers and reaches out to lay her hand on his shoulder.

His eyes are filled with tears, but he keeps rambling.

She continues, "It's okay Peter. I know. I know."

At this point, Peter is simply making unintelligible sounds as he cries.

After a minute he speaks so softly she can barely hear him. But she does.

"I was nine."