Title: Behind the Mask
Summary: When Kyle says hurtful words to Fanboy, it prompts the superfan to recount his childhood, and finally reveal what is behind the mask.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fanboy and Chum Chum. They belong to Nickelodeon, or whoever owns them...I think.
Kyle's POV
It was another god-forsaken awful day, well for me at least. I hated this red-neck town. Ever since I first moved here from England, I've always despised it. I miss being around normal people, but no...my parents had to send me here and suffer for what I have done. It's not my fault I turned my teacher into a raspberry flan! Well, okay maybe it was, but he started it! I hate this town. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it!
Most of all, I hate those two hero-wannabes that constantly annoy me all the time. Who? Who else! That purple, mask-wearing, dolt Fanboy, and his saner, yet immature sidekick, Chum Chum. The moment I saw them, I knew that I was going to have a hard time.
Now, we're all in senior year. It was a miracle those two even got this far. I had quietly hoped their stupidity will cause them to fall back, and I won't have to deal with them anymore. But no. They just had to come back every year, and be on my back. It irritates me, and it takes all my self-control not to curse them into oblivion. Especially that Fanboy. Oh how I loathe him.
"Hey, Kyle!"
Oh, speak of the devil.
"What, Fanboy?" I asked irritably. "I am studying if you can't see that."
He chuckled and sat on the seat across me. "Studying...ha! You should get out more often, Kyle! It's a beautiful day!"
"Fanboy if you do not get out of here on the count of three, I will curse you." I growled threateningly at him. He didn't seem fazed.
"You always say that Kyle, yet you never do it." He said, smirking, his eyes twinkling behind that purple mask.
"You threaten me with curses and all that, but you never do it. So what's the difference?" He asked me. I gripped my book tightly, wanting him to leave. "So, come on, Kyle! Let's have some fun!" He added, tugging my arm.
"STOP IT!" I shouted. I slammed my book shut and faced him. "Why can't you leave me alone? I have a life unlike you! I actually need to study! You pathetic waste of space! I cannot believe someone actually bore you! What on earth were they thinking? Bearing a weird, annoying, brat of a child! No one is ever going to love you! No, scratch that, no one with a sane mind or insane is ever going to love you! Do me a favor and leave me THE HELL ALONE! GOT THAT?"
Fanboy had stepped back a few feet, hurt flashing across his eyes. His lower lip started trembling as he ran away from me, his sobs wracking his frame.
I watched him as he ran towards the exit. Suddenly, I regretted what I said.
Chum Chum came up to me, staring at where Fanboy went. "Hey Kyle, what's with Fanboy?"
"How on earth am I supposed to know?" I snapped at him.
"Well, he was pretty upset when he ran. He's never this upset." Chum Chum explained. "Did you do something to him?"
"What?" I hastily said. "No."
"Really?" Chum Chum looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Kyle what did you tell him?"
I looked at the masked boy. His eyes bore straight into mine, swirling like hypnotics.
"Fine. I...sorta...told...him that...nooneisgoingtolovehim." I spat that last thing out hastily. But Chum Chum caught it, and his eyes widened.
"Oh. Oh no." He said shaking his head.
"What?"
Chum Chum looked at me again, and sighed. "Fanboy, even if he is a happy-go-lucky type had a bad childhood. His never-ending happiness is just a defense mechanism. He doesn't want anyone to know."
"Do you know?" I asked.
He shook his head. "No. But all I can advise is you better apologize to him."
I sighed. "Very well."
I arrived at the Fanlair, knocking on the wooden door. "Fanboy? It's Kyle..."
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" He suddenly shouted. Something so uncharacteristic of him.
"Please let me in...I-I want to apologize." I said finally.
He opened the door just a crack and he looked at me with bloodshot eyes. "What?"
"I want to apologize." I said. "For what I said earlier."
Fanboy closed the door, and I heard a shuffle of chains behind. He must have barricaded the door.
"Come in." He said in a morose voice.
I followed him and he sat on the couch. I sat down on the same couch, though at a respectable distance from him. He stared at whatever was in front of him, as he lazily slumped.
"Look, I didn't realize you were so sensitive. I shouldn't have said what I said. Chum Chum told me you had a bad childhood, and...well...forgive me. I had no idea."
He let out a grim laugh. "That's an understatement. Not even Chum Chum knows what my childhood was like."
Then, he turned to me. "Do you want to know?"
I was stunned. Speechless. "W-well, I don't want to hear anything personal..."
"Oh come off it. I know you are just dying to hear it." He said.
Okay, I admit it...I wanted an explanation as to why he was hurt.
"Fine...tell me."
Once we got settled, Fanboy began his story, and I listened.
"You see, Kyle, I was a child born out of wedlock. My father, well, he was gravely disappointed. He never wanted a kid. He wanted to be a free man and do whatever he wanted as a bachelor. But then, I was born, and he had to marry my mother and that tied him down." Fanboy began. I listened attentively, not wanting to look uninterested, even if I wasn't.
"Go on." I said.
He bowed his head. "Well, when I turned four, my father would slap me for whatever bad thing I did, whether it was break a small teacup or step on the flowers in the backyard. Then, it got worse. He would come home drunk, every night, and start punching me saying that he never wanted a son like me. Or a son at all. My mother tried to stop him, but he would always push her away. The next morning, I would wake up with bruises all over my body, and I would refuse to go to school. He told me that if I tell anyone, he would kill me."
I gasped. "Let it all out." I said.
"Well, I saw this mask at the store, and I just had to buy it. It would be good so that no one would see the bruises on my face. When I showed my dad, he actually complimented me for thinking about that. So, this is where the mask came in.
"It would continue almost every night. He started yelling things like "No one's ever gonna love you!" or "You stupid waste of space! Why were you ever born!" And I would wear this mask so no one would know. I met Chum Chum in third grade, and he thought the mask was for fun. So, he decided to join me." Fanboy said. "The happy-prankster image you see is just a cover up. I don't want to act all emo in front of everyone cause that will cause questions."
I bowed my head. "I am so sorry, Fanboy. I never knew."
He chuckled. "It's alright. It's just when you said those, it caused bad memories to surface. My dad died in a car accident courtesy of drunk driving, and well, I never got slapped again. But the memory is still there."
We sat in silence for a few minutes, before I plucked the courage to ask one question.
"Can you remove your mask?"
He looked at me, alarmed.
"No...no...I want to see the real you. Not the prankster Fanboy. The real Fanboy." I explained. "I promise not to laugh."
He shot me a look of hesitation. "Are you sure?"
I nodded. "You have to take that infernal thing off once in a while, right?"
"Yeah, but it's usually in the shower." He explained. "No one, not even Chum Chum knows what I look like."
I nodded. "It's alright, you don't have to..."
"But I will if you really want." He said, cutting me off.
I snapped my head to look at him. "Really?"
"Yeah...sure."
He took the edge of his mask and slowly lifted it up. I watched intently. Slowly, a greed-eyed, fair-skinned, black-haired boy stared back at me. His eyes were a shade of emerald-green, sparkling with the light. His hair was pure black, bangs swept to the side. His skin was fair, and his teeth was perfect. He looked the epitome of perfection.
"I-I know I'm not attractive. But you wanted to see without my mask." He explained, when I didn't say anything.
"N-no...it may sound weird, but you look handsome." I said. "Not that I'm gay or anything."
Fanboy chuckled.
"Listen, Fanboy..."
"Ian."
"What?"
"My real name's Ian." He said. My mouth was hanging open. "What? You thought "Fanboy" was my real name?"
He was grinning with those perfect teeth of his. What happened to those buck teeth he sported before?
"N-n-no!" I immediately replied. "That's absurd."
"Yeah, sure." He said chuckling.
I couldn't help but let a little snort of laughter escape. But the laughter died down. "Look...Ian, in all seriousness, I'm sorry."
"Hey, it's cool." He said, scooting closer to me. He took my hand in his, and stared into my honey eyes. I just about drowned in his.
"But there's something else." Ian said. "It's not because of my childhood, but when you said those things to me, I was hurt, because...well, because I kind of like you."
My mind went blank. "Wha..?"
"I. Like. You. Kyle." He said, emphasizing every syllable. "Maybe even love you." He added, inching closer to me. My eyes dropped to his perfect mouth, coming closer to mine.
My heart was racing. "I-I like you too..."
And with that, he closed the remaining gap between us. The kiss was sweet, and not rushed. He pulled away slowly.
"Wow." He said, breathing.
"Yeah." I agreed. Our foreheads touched as we stared in each other's eyes.
"So...does this mean I can call you Ian from now on?" I asked.
"Mmmm...no." He said. "Well, not in public at least."
I laughed, and so did he.
And I felt like this was the start of something beautiful...now that I know what's behind the mask.
A/N: Okay...so the thought of Fanboy having a real human name was sort of cute. I decided to Keep it Short and Simple, that's why "Ian" was my first choice. I hope I didn't overdo it too much, though. Any reviews are acceptable, but please just be honest with me. I want to improve on my writing, so honest reviews and opinions, even those that hurt are accepted.
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