Mismatched || Lookism Fanfic

Chapter 04: Call Me by my Name

Mismatched

Chapter 04: Call Me by my Name

*****

Alex is as beautiful as the first time Zack saw him.

("Hey! Were you the ones who took my sister's Limited Edition Unicorn Pastel Squishy OctoPop? If yes, please hand it over.")

Zack first met him when he was seven-years-old, he stood there, suddenly interfering with Zack's mission of beating up an older kid for pulling Mira's beautiful hair. The bully was well known in their elementary school for starting late in school, the one that parents look at with pity in their eyes and a shake of their heads, because apparently, he also doesn't have parents anymore. He, Simon or whatever, is much older than everyone in their grade, but that still doesn't excuse his shitty attitude and lord over them just because he was born a few years earlier than them.

Zack was going to beat him down of course, he won't get away with messing with Mira's hair!

But then Alex came, suddenly standing in front of him with two girls taller than him in tow.

It confused and irritated Zack of course and he yelled that as much with Mira and Johan trying to stop him. But what he got was a brief smile for his trouble and one of the girls' giving him a mean stink eye.

At first, Zack thought he was a girl at that time, with his coloring differing from the usual black and brown hair, he stood out like a sore thumb with his pale colored hair and not-so-black eyes. Honestly, he looked more like those western dolls he saw in the ads on TV, just with short hair and way prettier.

("I'm telling you Oppa, it's him! He was the one who took Jin's toy and made her cry!")

The term of address of one of the tall girls – the mean looking one – had confused him, because surely, they were mistaken.

Because someone who is prettier than Mira and his Mom couldn't possibly be a boy.

(But he was. He asked around the school with Mira and Johan because the fair haired kid was interesting. Turns out, he was indeed a boy at the same grade as them but was in the special science section, meaning he was pretty and smart.)

("Dad, can boys be prettier than girls?" "And what brought this on, son?" "I just saw some boy the other day, and he was even prettier than Mira! It was weird!" "Even prettier than Mom?" "Yes." "Well that is weir–Ow! Honey, put that ladle away!" "Then stop inserting stupidity into our son's brain! And oh yes, don't listen to your stupid Dad, Darling, boys can be prettier than girls too." "Huh, okay.")

Zack later learns that Alex's face was not the only beautiful thing about him. Though really, he should've known by the first time he saw him.

("Hey, you're that other kid on the playground, right? The one who tried to pick a fight with Simon. You were really cool, you were trying to protect your friend right? By the way, I'm Kong Si-Woo or just Alex, want to be friends?")

Alex's most beautiful feature—

("You made my precious little sister cry." Alex stands his ground even though the other boy was older, taller and stronger than him.

"And so what midget?" The bully's face pulled into an ugly expression.

"I don't like seeing her cry. You should apologize and give her back what you stole."

Simon swung the colorful octopus plush toy around, dangling it above the blonde's head. "And what if I don't want to? What are you gonna do abou—"