13 reasons why Zalex is my OTP and probably will be until the day I die
13. They have mirroring physical (dis)abilities - injuries in opposite legs - and they both helped and supported each other with their rehabilitation.
12. They are completely trusting and comfortable with each other to the point where they agree (on screen) that they can talk to each other about anything. And they certainly do on the show, all the way up to their j***ing off habits.
11. Zach saved Alex’s life at least twice (the rooftop and the rowboat) although arguably, both times he was also an indirect reason for Alex being in danger to begin with (!). Alex potentially saved Zach once or at least tried to get him off the path of alcoholism.
10. Zach will jump in to defend Alex every time Alex gets in trouble or in a fight. And Alex is constantly getting himself into trouble and fights. (oops; sorry/not sorry, Zach). Except with the Bryce situation, in which, Alex defends + avenges + protects Zach in the ultimate reversal of this dynamic.
9. They have the adorable thing where Zach does hot banter and makes cheesy jokes and Alex says sarcastic comments and rolls his eyes a lot.
8. There is a direct correlation between Zach’s decline (drinking, depression, nihilism, flunking out of school) and the diminished role of Alex in his life at the end of the series. Both of their mental health and self esteem suffer without the support and closeness of the other. The logical conclusion is that the opposite would be true if they were together.
7. There is never any possible question about who is top and who is bottom. I SAID THERE’S NO QUESTION.
6. Zach is happily willing to shoulder potential unpopularity at school for hanging out with and helping Alex (and opening himself to Monty & the football team teasing them for being boyfriends), which is literally the exact thing he was unwilling to do for Hannah, a girl who he supposedly had a strong emotional and sexual connection with.
5. They are the only main characters in the show who have a canonical love of, and ability in, playing musical instruments.
4. They committed two halves of the same crime. Therefore nobody else could possibly understand the guilt or remorse or burden or trauma of that act to the same extent; and therefore nobody could help them move on with their lives from it more than each other. And because it was a once in a lifetime event, they are effectively tied to one another deeper than they could to anyone else for life. They both realize right around the same time (camping trip / find your drink party) that because of their secret, it is virtually impossible to date or get romantically close to anyone who is outside of their immediate group. Alex realizes this with Winston at the camping trip (to which Zach then offers Alex can sleep in the same tent as him), and Zach has evidently been realizing this over time with Chloe (it gets kind of finalized at the party).
3. Slow dancing lesson in the bedroom. If that doesn’t make you feel anything, you’re dead inside or we weren’t watching the same show.
2. <3 <3 biracial couples. <3 <3 Asian / white gay couple. <3 <3 representation. (bonus plot twist: the Asian is the big athletic one and the white guy is the skinny one). Or: enough with the token white bread clone-a-gays already.
1. Under circumstances when most of the characters are seriously struggling with dark events in their lives (addiction, suicide, bullying, school shooting, sexual assault, tragedy, mental health, sexuality), they clearly are able to make each other feel alive - like literally full of life - like nobody else in the show, and hell, probably more than any two people normally do in real life - see: rooftop hijinks, rowboat caper, demolition spree in the principals office. Neither of them really let their walls down for other people - but they do for each other.
stormborns
izzy806
tangentwithtanner
titsay
