Hidden Truth - P.P

                                    

                                          
Parings → Peter Parker x Reader
Warnings → angst
Summary → You know Peter's lying to you, and it's time you confront him.
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Your phone buzzed on the bed beside you, but you ignored it. You were in no mood to check any messages or take calls. Not from him. Not tonight.
Peter had canceled another date. This was the third time in two weeks. This time, it was the flimsy excuse of, "I have to help Aunt May with something at FEAST, sorry babe," followed by the usual, "I'll make it up to you, promise."
But how was he going to make up for the growing distance between you two? The secrets, the bruises he couldn't explain, the constant lateness to every planned date or hangout, and the cold, vague texts he sent you when he went MIA. You were starting to doubt him. Doubt what you both had.
Another buzz.
You glanced at the screen, seeing Peter's name pop up with a message: "I'm outside. Please let me in."
Your chest tightened, anger and frustration swirling in your mind. Really? Now? You considered ignoring him. Maybe it was time to have a serious talk. You had spent too long bottling up your emotions, trying to rationalize his odd behavior, his constant disappearing acts, and the unexplained bruises.
You made your way to the door, opening it to see Peter, looking a mess. His hair was disheveled, and his face was marred with fresh cuts and bruises. His right cheek was swollen, and he winced as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
"Hey..." he started, his voice hoarse, as if he was in pain.
You crossed your arms and stood aside to let him in. The room was silent except for the soft thud of his feet against the floor. He went straight to your room and sat down on the edge of your bed, hunched over and breathing heavily.
Not a single word of explanation. No apology for missing the date.
"Can I borrow your first-aid kit again?" Peter asked, his voice hesitant, like he knew something was wrong.
You sighed, trying to keep your emotions in check. "Yeah, sure," you said, walking to your bathroom and grabbing the kit from under the sink. You returned, sitting beside him, though you kept a little distance between you.
Gently, you began to clean his wounds, not saying a word. The silence between you two felt suffocating, but you couldn't bring yourself to speak just yet. He winced every now and then, but you kept your touch light, focusing on cleaning up the deep gash along his jaw.
Peter glanced at you, clearly noticing the tension. "Are you okay? You're... you're really quiet tonight."
You paused, letting his question hang in the air for a moment before replying. "I'm fine," you muttered, but your tone said the opposite.
He frowned. "Are you sure? You seem... mad."
That was it. Something in you snapped. You couldn't keep quiet anymore.
You stopped what you were doing, putting the first-aid supplies down and standing up, facing him. "Mad? Peter, of course, I'm mad! How can I not be?"
His eyes widened slightly, and he stood too, though he seemed cautious. "What are you talking about?"
You swallowed hard, your emotions bubbling to the surface. "Peter, do you even still love me? Do you even care about us anymore?"
"What? Of course I do! What-why would you even ask that?"
You laughed bitterly, shaking your head. "Because lately, you've been acting like I don't matter to you anymore! You cancel dates last minute, you don't answer my calls, you don't even reply to texts half the time. And when you do, it's some vague excuse or a 'Sorry, I'll explain later' message."
Peter shifted uncomfortably, but he stayed quiet.
"And don't think I haven't noticed the bruises, the cuts, the constant pain you're in. You never tell me the truth! You just keep lying to me or dodging my questions. I feel like I don't even know who you are anymore."
Peter opened his mouth to respond, but you held up a hand, stopping him. "No, don't. Don't give me some half-assed lie, Peter. I don't want to hear it. I want the truth. For once, just tell me the truth, or... or leave. I can't take this anymore, Peter. Are you cheating on me?"
The room went silent again, but this time it was charged with raw emotion. You could see the battle going on in Peter's eyes. He looked torn, like he didn't want to hurt you but also couldn't keep lying.
"I'm not cheating on you," Peter finally said, his voice low. "I would never do that. I love you."
You bit your lip, holding back the tears that were threatening to spill. "Then why? Why all the lies? Why the secrets?"
Peter ran a hand through his hair, clearly struggling to find the words. "I... I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't want to scare you or put you in danger. I thought if you knew, you'd... you'd leave."
"Knew what?" Your voice was barely above a whisper now, but it was laced with hurt and frustration. "Knew what, Peter?"
He took a deep breath, avoiding your gaze for a moment before finally looking at you, his brown eyes filled with guilt and vulnerability. "I'm... I'm Spider-Man."
The words hit you like a truck. You blinked, trying to process what he just said. Spider-Man? That couldn't be right. Peter was... your boyfriend. Your slightly awkward, science-obsessed boyfriend. But as the pieces started to click into place-the bruises, the late nights, the missed dates-it all began to make sense.
You took a step back, shaking your head. "What? No... No, that can't be true."
Peter stepped forward, his eyes pleading. "I know it's a lot, and I know I should've told you sooner, but I was just trying to protect you. Every time I went out there, I knew I was putting myself in danger. I didn't want you to worry. I didn't want you to get hurt."
You felt like the ground was falling out from under you. "So all this time... every time you canceled a date, every time you showed up hurt... it was because you were out there, risking your life?"
He nodded, guilt etched on his face. "Yeah. And I'm so sorry. I know I've been distant, and I know I hurt you. But I swear, it was never because I didn't care. I just... I thought I was doing the right thing by keeping you out of it."
You took a deep breath, feeling a mix of emotions-anger, relief, fear. "Peter... you should've told me. You can't keep something like this from me."
"I know. I'm sorry. I was scared. Scared that if you knew, you'd be in danger too. My enemies... they can go after the people I love."
Your heart ached as you looked at him. You could see the fear in his eyes, the weight of the responsibility he carried. But you were still hurt. "I just... I don't know if I can handle this. You being Spider-Man... it's a lot, Peter."
He nodded, his voice soft. "I understand. And I'll do whatever it takes to make it right. I don't want to lose you, babe. Please, I love you."
You wiped away a tear that escaped, finally feeling the weight of everything that had been building up for weeks. "I love you too, Peter. But you can't keep shutting me out. I want to be there for you, but I need you to be honest with me."
Peter took a step closer, gently taking your hands in his. "I will. I promise. No more lies. No more secrets."
You nodded, feeling the walls between you two slowly start to crumble. "Okay. But if we're going to make this work, you have to trust me, Peter. I can handle it."
"I do trust you," he whispered, pulling you into a soft, tentative hug. "I'm so sorry."
You rested your head against his chest, hearing the steady beat of his heart. "Just... don't leave me in the dark anymore."
"I won't. I promise."
And for the first time in weeks, you finally felt like things were going to be okay.
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