An-Penny Parker who won't show her body, and when the team invite her on a vacation they find out why

TW-Mentions of abuse, description of abuse and blood

—————————————————

Penny and MJ stumbled into the common room, giggling madly and clutching each other. Penny was tucked into MJ's side under her arm, blushing madly.

"Did, did you see his face? When I said we're lesbians? The look in his eyes man." Penny giggled, pulling MJ into one of the free couches on top of her and giggling louder.

"What are you girls up to?" Tony asked from the doorway. MJ clambered off of Penny and sat next to her, cuddling her close. Penny played with the ends of her sweater sleeves and pulled her knees up to her chest. She glanced between Tony and MJ and snorted.

"Stop staring each other down. I love you both equally just in very very different ways." Penny said firmly, MJ rolled her eyes and pulled Peter closer to her.

"Anyway," Tony said, clucking his tongue loudly.

"The team and I are going on a vacation to Miami to my townhouse. I wanted to invite you as our newest member to the Avengers, and your little girlfriend." Tony said, Penny froze for a moment.

"Where in Miami?" Penny asked cautiously.

"My mansion on the beach. Where else?" Tony asked suspiciously.

"I won't be going, I have a journalist convention." MJ said, Penny glanced at her for a moment.

"I'm not really a beach person," Penny said quietly. Tony waved a hand.

"Sure. Just sleep on it for a while Pens." Tony said, leaving the room swiftly. Penny turned to MJ and shook her head.

"MJ I can't. They don't, they don't know about it." Penny said frantically. MJ took her hands in her own and shook her own head.

"Penelope Parker. You listen to me. You are strong, and kind, and so good to the world. They'll understand when you tell them when you're ready."

—————————————————

"Hey Pepper, can I talk to you for a moment?" Penny asked awkwardly, pulling the ends of the sweater sleeves over her hands. Pepper nodded and got up from her seat at the kitchen island with some of the team.

"Sure honey, what's up?" Pepper asked, they walked a few feet away from the team.

"I thought I packed my swimsuit but I must have forgotten and I was wondering if you could come with me to town to get a new pair?" Penny asked awkwardly, refusing to make eye contact with Pepper.

"Oh I'd love to! We can make a day of it, invite all of the other girls. It'll be great honey."

————————————————

"Oh, this one. This one will look great." Natasha said, holding up a red bikini top to Penny. Penny shook her head.

"Are you sure we can't find anything that shows less skin?" Penny asked quietly.

"Nonsense Penny, you have an amazing body and I'm not going to let you waste it. We'll pull out a couple of options and you can try them all on." Pepper said. Pretty soon Penny had at least ten swimsuits piled in her arms.

"Okay. Take your phone, take some photos and pull the ones you like and we can get them." Wanda said, nodding encouragingly. Penny nodded and walked slowly to the changing rooms. She pulled off her jumper shakily and put it to the side. She could already see the scars peeking out of her short sleeves and sighed. She raised her hands shakily and pulled off her shirt and narrowed her eyes.

She traced the scars with the tips of her fingers, the blotchy and rough scars cross-crossing and covering his entire torso. She sighed again and pulled down her jeans and winced. Mid-thigh down her skin was clear and smooth, but up her thighs were more scars crossing around. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, quickly changing into the first swimsuit and taking a photo, she repeated the process and took a very deep breath before sending them all to MJ in one message. She squeeked when it buzzed her hand and peeled at the message.

MJ

Sending me sexy pictures in the change room? How classy of you sweetheart.

Penny rolled her eyes and grinned, quickly typing a reply.

Penny

Not sexy at all. I need your help picking new swimsuits, forgot my ones at home.

MJ

Sure, sure. The Black pair, the blue pair, the red pair and the rainbow one make you look *chefs kiss*

Penny snickered at the message and grinned wider. She glanced at the suits before smiling wider.

Penny

How do you always manage to make me feel pretty?

MJ

Cause you are. Always were and always will be. Now go, you're supposed to be having fun.

Penny

Love you M. Talk later <3

Penny smiled fondly and picked up the four MJ had suggested and left the change room after changing back into her clothes, pulling up her sleeves. That was the most skin she'd ever shown around the team.

"Got some picks?" Wanda asked, Penny smiled wide and nodded.

"Yep. Sent some pictures to MJ and she told me which ones she thought looked good." Penny said, blushing darkly.

"Oh? Getting saucy with the girlfriend?" Natasha teased. Penny reddened further and shook her head.

"No! No, I just wasn't sure which ones to pick." Penny excused. Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Was just joking Pen. Bet you look great in them. Ooh, you picked the red one." Natasha said, picking up the suit. Penny nodded.

"We all know how much I love red."

——————————————————

Penny shifted on her feet in the mirror. She was glad everyone had been given their own rooms because at this moment she was staring at herself in the mirror in a rainbow bikini tracing the scars on her stomach again. She huffed and picked up her phone, striking a pose a snapping a photo and sending it to MJ, who was immediately already typing.

MJ

You're hot as fuck. And I love you.

Penny reddened immediately, the blush covering her entire face and down her neck and chest. She grinned to herself and giggled a little, MJ always managed to do that to her.

Penny

No, you! Love you too M. Talk later, I'm gonna brave the team.

She put her phone down and slowly opened her door and held her head high as she descended the stairs. Everyone had already gone outside and played around in the pool, Penny had stayed behind and stressed about her scars and the team seeing more of her skin then they'd ever seen. Her hand froze just before it touched the door handle. She took another deep breath before grasping the handle and threw open the door, holding her head high and walking out of the door and stopping just beside the pool.

"You look amazing! The rainbow one looks so good on you." Natasha said, rushing up to her and looking her over.

"Thank you. I almost picked the red one but I decided this was more fitting." Penny said. Natasha nodded sagely.

"With how much you've been talking to MJ that's not surprising." Natasha said. Penny reddened again and sputtered.

"You're the one that's been stealing my phone. Ew, you looked at my messages with my girlfriend." Penny said, sticking her tongue out and making a face.

"I didn't read too deep. Don't worry. Your texts are safe." Natasha consoled, Penny rolled her eyes.

"I don't have anything to hide." She said. She went to put her hands on her hips but immediately dropped her hands when she felt the scars on her hips.

"Get in the water! You're late!" Wanda shouted. Penny rolled her eyes and descended into the water, stepping carefully down the steps.

"I can't remember the late time I was in a pool." Penny said quietly, wading over to Wanda who had reserved her a floating bed. Penny grinned at her and got up on the bed, humming in content. She forgot what it felt like to have the sun on her skin.

"You have nice legs." Pepper said, Penny looked up at her and blushed madly.

"Sorry?" Penny asked.

"You have nice legs. Don't know why you hide them away." Pepper said, Penny's blushed deepened and travels down her neck again.

"Thanks I guess?" Penny said. She was being complimented by possibly the most beautiful woman in the world.

"Aw, your blush goes down your neck. That's adorable." Sam teased, Penny stuck her bottom lip out in a pout.

"This is workplace bullying," Penny said, crossing her arms over her stomach.

"Is not." Steve teased. Penny huffed and rolled onto her side and propping her head up on her elbow, wading on the float with her right foot.

"Is too." She said in a sing-song voice.

"Aren't you like twenty-three now? You act like a twelve-year-old." Clint muttered, Penny shrugged.

"Twenty four. And I do not. You're worse then me sometimes." Penny said.

"Am not. I'm the one with kids here." Clint said.

"How do you know I don't have kids?" Penny teased.

"Sorry kid but that impossible with your little girl. You need a boy for that." Tony said, Penny rolled her eyes.

"Straight people are wack. Boys are gross." Penny said.

"Okay, and whys that?" Bucky asked. Penny froze for a moment, and shrugged, trying to get the attention back off of herself.

"Is that where you got the scars from?" Natasha asked suddenly. Penny looked at her in a panic as she continued

"From a boy? The way you said that." Bucky asked. Penny nodded slowly.

"You wanna talk about it?" Tony asked, Penny shrugged again.

"We were nineteen. I ignored the red flags." Penny said simply.

"But there's more to the story?" Wanda asked, Penny nodded slowly.

"We met at a university tour. We were both going into physics and we got talking. This was before I was out and before I even really understood my sexuality. And by the time I did, we were in a relationship. And I tried to tell him that I wasn't attracted to him and that I never was." Penny paused and lay back on the floaty.

"He didn't like that. He told me if I broke up with him he'd hurt my friends. And at first, it was just grabbing my wrists or my thighs, and then it was slapping me and hitting me. Then it was dropping boiling water on me, then it was hot pans, then it was cutting me with things." Penny said quietly, swinging her leg slowly.

"I only got out of it because MJ caught me bleeding out in the bathroom trying to clean it up. She brought me to the hospital and then they asked me how I got the injuries and the scars and I told them. And then he got arrested. And convicted. And I came out, and I started dating MJ. And I'm okay now. Or more okay then I used to be." Penny said firmly. Placing her hands in the water and sighing softly at the quietness of the team.

"We thought you were just shy," Steve said quietly. Penny nodded.

"I am. But not that shy. I don't think I'm unattractive. I actually really like the way I look. And MJ is really great. She doesn't pressure me to take off my shirt or anything, or pressure me to do anything." Penny said, a fond smile growing on her face.

"You are so smitten for her." Tony teased, Penny propped herself up on her elbow again to look at her.

"I am shameless for my love for my very wonderful and attractive girlfriend," Penny said. Tony rolled his eyes and splashed Penny in response, causing her to spit the water at him.

"You are so on."