Behind That Mask: Peter Parker x Reader

Secrets

Tell me what you want to hear

Something that will light those ears

Sick of all the insincere

I'm gonna give all my secrets away

This time, don't need another perfect lie

Don't care if critics ever jump in line

I'm gonna give all my secrets away

---

Y/N-as-Anima breathed out one word: "Peter."

Peter clutched the mask in one hand tightly. He was shaking slightly. "It's only fair if you take yours off too. Please." The catch in the word "please" broke her. 

She remained silent, taking in his form. 

"Please, Anima, please. Even if you're not who I think you are... I want to know. I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Peter's voice broke. 

Y/N shushed him and removed her mask. Without the mask, she felt so exposed. She always knew she was going to tell Peter, but she didn't think so soon...

Peter gazed at her face, looking torn. She imagined he was thinking that she couldn't possibly be Anima, or that he was right. By the look on his face, probably both.

"It's you." Peter finally exhaled. "Oh god, Y/N, it's you. It's really you. I was right, I was right... "

Y/N didn't know how to react to the hopeful expression on his face. She'd come as Anima because Peter told her that Anima- her- was going to be at the warehouse, and she didn't want to disappoint him. She wanted to help maintain that hopeful expression. 

"I was going to tell you that I was Anima." Y/N said, realizing there was a lump in her throat. "I was going to tell you because I didn't want to keep any more secrets. I'm sick of it. I'm tired of it."

Peter opened his mouth to speak, but she plowed on.

"I lied so much to you, you know. I lied more than I ever wanted to. That bruise on my jaw from weeks ago? It was because you kicked me in the jaw, and I've forgiven you for that already. That one time you called me a while ago when you asked me what I was doing before Aunt May took the phone from you? I wasn't home. I was Anima, I was sitting on a rooftop guarding the city."

She took a deep breath and shoved the mask into an inside pocket. 

"That time you left a voicemail asking how I was because you missed me? I lied. I was jealous of you asking Michelle out, and I didn't understand why-"

"Y/N," Peter said softly, but loud enough to stop her. "I didn't want to ask out Michelle. I did it because I was sorting out my feelings for someone else."

Her heart sank slightly. Someone else. 

"Someone else?" She echoed. "You should've told that one person you liked how you felt instead of asking out someone you don't love and perhaps made them jealous." 

"Don't you understand?" Peter said desperately, leaning forward. "By someone else, I meant YOU." 

"ME?" She wished she could stop echoing whatever people said. Peter grabbed her shoulders.