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There are certain momentous days Alec can recall down to every minute detail, and the day he got his rather long nickname from Magnus was one of them.
On the first day of Summer Break before their freshman year in high school began, Magnus broke his leg while attempting a back flip, and Alec, being the bestest best friend that he is, cancelled all the plans he had made to go out with their group of friends and chose to spend all his time with Magnus while he was stuck indoors.
On one random Tuesday, Alec made a quick run to the store near his house when Magnus began craving Pringles, and that was when Alec saw it.
A pack of 40 chocolate pudding cups (diet, but he could care less about that) on sale for $8.
And, much to his delight, he had a $10 bill and Pringles were only $1.80.
He did a quick mental calculation – factoring in that his parents and siblings weren’t home and wouldn’t return until much later in the day – and in the end, he walked out of the store with one tube of BBQ Texas Pringles and 40 chocolate flavoured diet pudding cups.
As it turned out, buying 40 pudding cups wasn’t Alec’s worst decision that day.
“I bet you can’t eat 30 of them in one go,” Magnus dared him, smirking as he munched on a Pringle.
Alec, never one to back down from a dare, raised a defiant eyebrow (it was actually both eyebrows, he hadn’t yet mastered the single one) and parked his butt on the couch next to Magnus before opening a cup of pudding.
“Watch me.”
And so, 35 pudding cups later, Alec was regretting his whole life and mentally cursing Magnus to Hell for laughing at him as he spewed his guts hunched over the toilet.
“I still won the bet,” Alec said, flushing the toilet and grabbing some mouthwash.
“Whatever you say, Diet Pudding Cup Boy,” Magnus winked, and that was the moment his horrible nickname was birthed.
***
College sucks balls, and not even in the pleasant way.
Alec’s practically dead on his feet as he drags himself up the flight of stairs to his dorm room that he shares with Magnus.
He flops down face first on his bed as soon as he gets in, grumbling a response to Magnus when he’s greeted.
“What’s got you all sour?” Magnus asks.
Alec mumbles unintelligibly into his pillow, then rolls over when Magnus protests that he can’t hear was he’s bitching about. “You remember that bet I placed with Aline about the pop quiz? Well, I lost, and now I have to go to that stupid frat party tonight with those stupid dude bros and I don’t even like people.”
Magnus, the bastard, has the never to laugh at him. He walks over to Alec’s bed and flops down right on top of him. “You like me though, right?” Grunting in response, Alec pushes Magnus off of him and gets up to go to the bathroom. “No need to be so enthusiastic, Puddin’.”
Alec rolls his eyes, hating that stupid nickname even more now that it’s shortened and hating his life and himself for never being able to back away from a bet. He should have learnt his lesson 7 years ago when he ate 35 chocolate pudding cups.
“Don’t worry, Alexander. I’ll go with you. I love me some dude bros,” Magnus grins when Alec returns from the bathroom, shucking off his clothes on the way to change into whatever Magnus picks for him, as usual.
Snorting at Magnus’ comment, Alec raises an eyebrow (yes, singular brow, he finally mastered it) and mocks, “dude bros like Jace?”
“Oh fuck no.” Face scrunched in displeasure, Magnus begins rummaging through their joint closet to pick out both of their outfits for the party. Alec learnt very early on that when it came to fashion, it was best to just let Magnus decide and not argue (except for that one time Magnus tried to make him wear a pink boa – that time he could argue). “He’s such a dude bro.”
“Right?” Alec agrees, thankful that someone else sees it too. “Such a dude bro, my God.” He flops back onto his bed in his underwear, paying no attention to his almost nudity. Magnus has seen him in far worse states of undress.
Eventually, after Magnus is dressed himself, he throws a pair of black skinny jeans and a forest green button down at Alec’s head. He dresses himself quickly and then leans over Magnus’ shoulder while the latter fixes up his makeup, watching as he carefully puts on his eyeliner.
“Want some?” Magnus asks, holding the pencil up to him.
Alec mentally debates it, then decides on no, knowing how much that stuff smudges on him in heated environments.
He has no idea how Magnus manages to keep it all pristine looking; if he didn’t know any better, Alec would think Magnus had magical powers.
***
“Bottoms up, Puddin’,” Magnus grins and downs his shot, Alec following suit.
They’re at the dude bro frat house, and Alec is on his third shot of something that tastes like tequila, but he’s at a party funded by college students, so he’s not holding out much hope for it actually being tequila.
Aline had come up to him and Magnus as soon as they’d arrived, barely able to stand straight on her feet, stuck up both her middle fingers with a laugh and then fucked off to suck face with Helen.
Alec wasn’t going anywhere near that, not even with a ten-foot pole.
So, Magnus had taken the task of getting Alec drunk upon himself, and here they were, being the most unsociable people at the party (apart from Helen and Aline) by staying in the corner and hoarding all the good alcohol.
It was around their fifth shot that someone Alec didn’t recognise sauntered over.
“Magnus!” the newcomer greeted, and Alec watched as Magnus’ face lit up with surprise and joy.
“Imasu? Oh my God! What are you doing here?” Magnus hugs him, and Alec realises it’s the guy from Peru Magnus had met a couple of months ago at some bar.
“A friend of mine is dating one of the members of this house so I tagged along. I honestly forgot you went here!”
“Well it’s wonderful to see you,” Magnus grins. “This is Alexander, you remember I told you about him?”
“Yes, of course,” Imasu says, holding his hand out for Alec to shake. “The roommate and best friend.”
“That’d be me,” Alec smiles and shakes his hand. Not wanting to cockblock a possible hook up for Magnus, even though he’s wondering why Magnus would pick this guy, Alec decides to excuse himself. “I’m gonna go find Aline, see if I can pry her off Helen for a bit,” he says, then shoots a wink at Magnus behind Imasu’s back because he’s still a good friend, even if he doesn’t approve of Magnus’ choice.
He does, in fact, manage to separate the two love birds long enough for them to have a conversation.
“Where’s your better half?” Helen asks him, sitting on her girlfriend’s lap and twisting her hair around a finger.
“Talking to a potential hook up,” he responds, not catching the looks Helen and Aline give each other while he takes a sip of some water.
“And you’re okay with that?” Helen’s brow is furrowed, as if she’s a little shocked by what Alec had just said.
Alec frowns at her. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“No reason,” she shrugs it off, giving him a weird look and then starting up a conversation about her lecturer that walked into class with a hickey the size of Texas earlier this week.
Once Aline has deemed his punishment for losing the bet finished, Alec bolts out of the house as fast as he can, wanting nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep for the next 500 years.
He doesn’t even realise he’s left without saying goodbye to Magnus until he’s pushing open the door, so he quickly fishes out his phone from his pocket and hits the first number on speed dial.
“Alexander?” Magnus answers after a couple of rings, voice a little slurred but happy nonetheless.
“Magnus, I’m so sorry, I forgot to tell you I was leaving and I’m home now,” Alec apologises.
“It’s quite alright Darling, don’t worry about it. Are you heading to bed now?”
“Yeah, I’ll see you in the morning?” Alec asks, assuming Magnus is going home with Imasu for the night.
“Of course Puddin’, sweet dreams.”
“You too, Magnus.”
Alec hangs up and puts his phone in charge before getting ready for bed and promptly passing out.
***
Magnus walks home, feeling like he’s just got whiplash with the way the evening turned out.
He chooses the longer route that winds around the many buildings for student accommodation, needing the cool night air to help him think about what the fuck just happened.
He and Imasu chatted about their courses and hobbies, the usual friendly mingling before the hooking up part, and maybe Magnus was out of practice, having not dated or hooked up with anyone since freshman year but he thought it was going well and so he was just about to suggest heading to some place more private when he got a call from Alexander.
As soon as he hung up, the whole evening took a turn he couldn’t have expected in a million years.
“So how long have you been in love with Alec?” Imasu had asked, and Magnus was so goddamn flabbergasted that he choked on his drink and was two seconds away from passing out.
“I- in lo- the fuck?” he’d replied oh so eloquently. “I’m not in love with him...he’s my best friend.”
“That you call darling and puddin?” Imasu let out a short chuckle, completely washing over Magnus’ attempt at explaining that he calls everyone darling or the Pudding story by adding, “and even if it wasn’t the cute nicknames, it’s in the way you guys look at each other.”
“Um, no,” Magnus had said forcefully. “You’re reading this whole situation wrong.”
“I’m not, Magnus. Just think about it.” Imasu reached out a hand to place on his shoulder, giving him a gentle smile as if he felt sorry for Magnus not being able to see something that was there, even though there wasn’t. “Even when I met you for the first time, you talked more about Alec then you did youself, no best friends gush like that. If you hadn’t told me you were single, I would have instantly assumed you and Alec were together, and I’m pretty sure everyone else thinks that too.”
After that, Magnus hadn’t really had anything he could think of to say to clear the whole thing up, and he wasn’t even in the mood for a hook up, not with his mind whirring.
Did people really think that he and Alec were like, together together? How had he missed that?
He unlocks the door to the dorm and starts to fumble for the lamp switch, then jumps ten feet in the air when it turns on and Alec is right there in front of him with a fucking bat.
“Shit!” Alec exclaims, dropping the bat and letting out a relieved sigh. “I thought you were an intruder.”
“With a key?” Magnus mumbles, but the retort falls flat because he can’t concentrate with Alec there, in his Captain America boxers, hair dishevelled, and Imasu’s words in his mind.
Alec is his friend, right? He would have noticed if he fell in love with him, right?
“Magnus?” Alec asks, coming forward to cup Magnus’ cheeks with his hands. “What’s wrong? Are you okay? You’re kinda scaring me with that vacant look.”
“I’m fine,” Magnus insists, backing out of Alec’s hold, needing some space between them.
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. I just need to sleep.”
Alec frowns at him, but eventually nods and goes back to his bed, rolling himself up in the duvet because he gets cold easily and then sticking one leg out the end because he worries about getting stuck and overheating in the middle of the night.
Magnus just stares at him, wondering when he’d come to love every single one of Alec’s weird quirks, or knowing his weird routine’s just as much as he knows his own, if not better.
***
After that night, the thought won't leave Magnus' mind all week, constantly nagging at him anytime he's with Alec (and if he's honest with himself, when he's not with Alec too).
They meet up with Helen, Aline and Maia at Java on Thursday like they do every week since it’s the only day their schedules line up to have breakfast together.
Magnus hasn't ever picked up on it, but this time he pays attention as, like always, Alec says his and Magnus' order when the waitress comes over.
When the plates arrive, he watches as Alec takes the top two blueberry pancakes off the stack and puts them on the extra plate he asked for, then takes half of the eggs and all of the bacon from his plate and adds it to the extra plate before passing it to Magnus, going through the motions like second nature.
He realises with a start that it is second nature, because Alec knows everything about him, knows how he loves pancakes at Java but wants the bacon and eggs too, knows Magnus likes the top pancakes because they have the most butter and are the warmest…Alec knows it all.
With a jolt, Magnus comes back to himself when Alec snaps his fingers in front of his face.
"You're spacing out again. Eat up before the pancakes go cold. I don't wanna hear you bitching about how your day was ruined because your pancakes were consumed at the wrong temperature."
Magnus gulps and nods, dutifully digging into his breakfast and staying relatively silent for the rest of the meal, stealing quick glances at Alec when he can and wondering when the hell he fell in love with his best friend and why he didn't figure it out sooner.
***
Maryse video calls him like clockwork every Sunday and this week, he's just walking through the front door of his dorm building.
"Hi Sweetheart," she greets, then frowns at his surroundings. "Were you out?"
"Yeah," Alec says, jogging up the stairs because their elevator has been broken for fucking eons. He's panting by the second floor and makes a mental note to cut back on the Pop Tarts. "There's a new transfer student in my bio class and he asked for a tour of the campus, today was the only day I had free."
"He asked you out?" she asked, sounding so appalled by the idea that Alec felt a little offended.
"No, he asked for a tour," he corrects, then gives his Mom a funny look. "Why do you sound so disgusted by someone asking me out?"
"Sweetheart," she begins, sounding condescending and fond all at once as she rolls her eyes. "You know why."
No, Alec doesn't know why.
He's about to ask what the hell she's talking about as he takes a seat at the little table in his and Magnus' dorm room when Magnus himself walks out of the bathroom.
"Is that Mom?" he asks enthusiastically even though he already knows the answer (read: she calls like clockwork).
"Magnus?" Maryse calls out, and Magnus bounds over and leans over Alec's shoulder to look at the screen.
"Hi Mom!" he says happily, waving and whacking the side of Alec's face in the process.
"Ow," Alec grumbles, turning his head to glare at the side of Magnus' head.
"Sorry, Puddin'" he apologises, then dives into conversation with Maryse about his classes and Luke and Maryse' store. He even asks about the tomatoes in the garden, the weirdo.
At some point during their conversation, Alec got annoyed with Magnus shuffling behind him, switching which shoulder he was looming over when his legs got tired in whatever position and so he huffed, reached a hand out to snag Magnus' waist and pulled him onto his lap.
Alec was too busy listening to his Mom talking about Max setting fire to something in his Chemistry class to notice how Magnus stiffened a little, his breath hitching as he was pulled onto Alec's lap.
***
Magnus walks with him to his lecture and since they're a few minutes early, they stop outside and wait in the hallway.
"Do you want Chinese for dinner tonight?" Magnus asks, fiddling with his rings.
"We had Chinese two nights ago," Alec responds, lifting a hand to wave at Underhill as he walks down the hall.
Magnus turns to look at who he waved to. "Who's that?"
"Underhill, I dunno his first name. He's that transfer student I told you about," Alec answers, then frowns when Magnus doesn’t say anything, continuing fiddling with his rings. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Magnus says, looking up and giving Alec a smile that he doesn't believe is one hundred percent truthful.
Underhill comes over then and introduces himself to Magnus, who mumbles a greeting back and then begins to excuse himself.
Alec grabs his arm before he can leave and pulls him closer to ask, more quietly, "Are you sure everything's okay? You've been spacing out quite a bit and you seem off."
"I’m fine, Puddin’,” Magnus says, patting at Alec’s cheek, though Alec doesn’t notice how his touch lingers this time. “Go to your class before you’re late, I’ll see you at dinner.”
He walks away before Alec can say anything else, so he watches him go, brows furrowed until Underhill steps up beside him and gives him a small smile.
“So that’s Magnus,” he says, tugging on Alec’s arm and shuffling into the lecture hall.
“Yeah,” Alec answers even though it wasn’t a question. “How did you know about him?” he asks then, taking his seat on the second row.
“You mentioned him a couple times in the past week, and everyone told me about your deal.” Underhill shrugs, sitting down next to Alec and opening his notebook as if he didn’t just confuse the shit out of Alec.
“What deal?” he asks, brows furrowed in bewilderment.
“You know, that you’re dating. A few people thought I wanted to ask you out when I asked for that tour but I only wanted to make friends, anyway, they told me not to ‘cause you’re with him.”
“I...what? Alec splutters, completely dumbfounded. “Dating? Since when?”
“Um,” Underhill pauses, looking confused himself now. “Since you got here, I guess? Everyone says you’re together...are you...not together?”
“No,” Alec exasperates. “Why does everyone think that?” He turns side to side in his seat, as if looking at everyone in the lecture hall will give him an answer that actually makes sense.
“I guess you guys just act like a couple,” he replies, shrugging, then waves a hand in the general direction of the door where Magnus was. “I mean he calls you “Puddin’”, that’s a very couple-y thing to do, and to be completely honest, when you talk about him, you sound in love.”
Alec blanches, wondering what the fuck is going on right now, because surely not everyone thinks that he and Magnus are together.
That’s just insane.
He just sits there, mouth agape while Underhill looks at him cautiously until the lecturer comes in and begins the class.
Alec barely pays attention, too caught up in his thoughts about what was just revealed to him.
Sure, he loves Magnus. They’ve been best friends since they were in diapers, they’ve grown up together, they were each other’s first kiss (for practicing reasons), but he’s not in love with him, no way.
Yeah, Magnus has really pretty eyes and he’s super kind, and yeah he always has Alec’s back and never fails to cheer him up when he’s down, and sure, Magnus smells really good and has fancy hair, and Alec has checked out his ass on occasion, and it’s a really nice ass...but in love?
Pfft, no.
***
Okay, but the thing is, the idea won’t fucking leave.
Alec hasn’t been able to think about anything else all day, and when lunch rolls around, he runs across campus to the bio building where he knows Aline and Maia have just finished their lectures for the day.
Lucky for him, both of them are sitting on the steps of the entrance and as soon as he spots Aline drinking from a bottle of water, he snatches it out of her hands and gulps down all of it.
“Dude, what the fuck?” Aline exclaims, looking at him like he’s lost his mind, and in all honesty, Alec thinks he has.
“Does everybody think Magnus and I are dating?” he blurts out without preamble, still panting to try and catch his breath from all the running.
He really needs to exercise more.
Maia looks at him like he’s stupid. “Yes,” she says simply, Aline nodding beside her and staring forlornly at her empty bottle.
“Why?” Alec exasperates, gesticulating wildly with his arms because how did he miss this?
“Because he’s in love with you and you’re in love with him,” Maia deadpans.
“But I’m not,” Alec argues, not sure if it’s true now if even his best friends think so.
“But you are,” Aline retorts, seemingly over her water being stolen. She huffs when Alec stares at her blankly, then stands up, Maia following her lead, and loops her arm through his, beginning to walk back to the dorms. “Neither of you have dated anyone since freshman year, and even then it was like a one week hook-up on both parts. You’re together almost always, and when you’re not, the only thing you guys talk about is each other.”
“That’s not tru-” Alec begins, then cuts himself off when he gives it more thought and realises he that he and Magnus haven’t actually dated anyone else and he does talk about Magnus a lot, but Magnus is just an amazing guy, there’s nothing wrong with talking about your best friend all the time.
“Exactly,” Maia says smugly when she sees what he’s just figured out. “Also, you guys have no boundaries and you act like you’ve been married for years.”
“Yeah,” Aline nods, seemingly agreeing with Maia. “You hate sharing food, but you do it with him without even thinking about it. You hate when people are too touchy with you, but you let Magnus touch you all the time. You scowl at everyone when they call you by your full name but Magnus gets a free pass, hell, you even cuddle at night sometimes and don’t you try to deny it,” she points a finger at him when he opens his mouth to retort. “I saw you with my own eyes, and so did Helen and Isabelle. You two were full on cuddling in bed.”
Alec hangs his head low, mumbling, “I get cold at night and Magnus is always really warm...and he smells so nice.”
Maia rolls her eyes and slaps him upside the dead. “You’re in love with him, you dummy.”
Alec can’t think of anything to say against that.
***
Surprisingly, he doesn’t have some massive epiphany; there isn’t some signifying moment where everything clicks in place.
Later that evening, he’s just sat with Magnus at their small dining table, watching Brooklyn 99 while they eat Chinese takeout (again) when Magnus spills some noodles on his t-shirt (which is actually Alec’s).
Alec laughs at him and after a half-hearted glare, Magnus joins in too, eyes bright with joy and mirth.
He’s so beautiful, Alec thinks, followed by I’m in love with him.
***
After that night, Alec doesn’t know why he didn’t realise it before, because now it’s all he can think about.
Magnus smiles at him? Wow, there are hearts in his eyes.
Magnus calls him Alexander or Puddin’? Alec just melts then and there.
Magnus just exists? Alec is hopelessly in love.
It’s easy, he thinks, being in love with Magnus.
What isn’t easy, however, is finding a way to tell him, because Alec is absolutely terrified that Magnus doesn’t feel the same way, despite the fact that everyone keeps telling him he does.
It all comes to head at Java on their weekly breakfast run, of all places.
Alec has just placed his and Magnus’ order when the biggest dude bro of them all walks into the cafe: Jonathan.
They’ve had a somewhat sour history, what with the whole Jonathan hating Jace’s guts and Jace being Alec’s brother, and since Magnus is Alec’s best friend (newly found out love of his life), Jonathan hates Magnus on principle.
He’s also a class A homophobe, so there’s that too.
And a prime example of his douchey, homophobic dude bro-ness is how he saunters over to Alec’s table with his posse, grins salaciously at Maia and then pins Alec and Magnus with a disgusted expression.
“What are you doing here, fags? This is no place for you.”
He barely gets the chance to open his mouth and dish out what would have been the most sarcastic burn of the century because Magnus is up out of his seat in a flash and is punching Jonathan squarely in the face.
Alec totally doesn’t find it hot.
There’s a sickening crunching sound and Jonathan falls back, staring at Magnus with wide eyes and a bloody nose while Magnus himself is looking down at his fist like he doesn’t even recognize it.
“Holy shit,” Maia whispers next to him, then grins and lets out the most rambunctious laugh Alec’s ever heard.
The thing is, Magnus never retorts to violence. He hates it. So to see him punch someone for saying something that both he and Alec have heard multiple times is something very new for him.
Magnus seems to come back to himself at the sound of Maia’s laughter and sets Jonathan with a glare of his own.
Again, Alec does not find it hot.
“I’m only going to say this once, so listen carefully,” he begins, voice cold as ice. “I am done with your homophobic bullshit, so take your Mommy and Daddy issues elsewhere where someone actually gives a shit. You come near me or Alexander or my friends again, I won’t hesitate to do more than give you a bloody nose.”
Jonathan looks like he’s about to argue, maybe put up a fight, but Alec can tell when he realises that Magnus is no joke (his muscles have muscles) and he could probably beat him to a bloody pulp if he wanted. So without a word, he huffs and leaves, his posse following behind like the brainless idiots they are.
The other three people in the cafe erupt into cheers, grinning widely at Magnus as he takes his seat again.
“Where the fuck did that come from?” Aline asks, eyes bright with amusement. “That was amazing!”
Magnus looks at Alec, staring at him intensely for a few seconds before looking back at the girls. “I’ve just had enough of it,” he answers simply.
All of them can hear the lie.
Alec decides to put on his big boy pants in that moment.
Magnus just displayed some big dick energy; it was now Alec’s turn.
He ignores Aline, Helen and Maia’s inquisitive but also knowing glances when he stands up and grabs Magnus’ hand, dragging him outside away from the prying eyes of the cafe and his overly invested friends.
(Though if Alec is being honest, they’re overly invested because he’s been an oblivious idiot for most of his life.)
“Magnus,” Alec begins, staring into Magnus’ eyes and hoping he’ll have the courage to say what he wants to say and not brain fart all over it. “Did you do that...did you punch him because you’re my...bro?”
So, Alec was totally going to brain fart over this.
“And bros have each other’s backs,” he continues, figuring if he’s started his word-vomit he may as well finish it. “Or did you do it for me? I mean, you obviously did it for me, but did you do it for me as a bro or as a, um, more than bro?”
Somewhere in New York, Izzy is cringing with second-hand embarrassment and she doesn’t even know why.
Magnus just stares at him, his mouth hanging open like even he can’t comprehend the utter ridiculousness that’s coming out of Alec’s mouth right now.
For whatever Godforsaken reason, Alec takes that as his cue to continue.
“What I’m trying to say is, are we in a, um...relationship, or a brolationship?”
Magnus gulps, still looking at Alec like he’s gone insane, but he takes a step forward anyway and says, “If you want to date...that’s cool with me.”
“Oh,” Alec says, somehow surprised by the answer. He then nods and averts his gaze downwards to take Magnus’ hand into his own before sheepishly adding, “Okay, I’d like to, um, kiss you now then. Please.”
Magnus’ fingers, warm and soft, gently tilt his chin up so they’re eye to eye again and he leans in, pressing the softest of kisses to Alec’s lips.
That seems to be the green light for both of them because in the next second they’re making out like horny teenagers on a sidewalk, and Alec’s pretty sure he can hear Aline, Helen and Maia cheering from inside the cafe.
Alec’s hands are cupping Magnus’ cheeks, his tongue dancing around with Magnus’ tasting coffee and cinnamon, and he lets out a little moan because it feels so good. Magnus smells even better up this close as well; Alec thinks he’s addicted already.
He pulls away for breath, only noticing then that Magnus’ hand had somehow found its way to his ass when they were otherwise occupied.
Alec figures that since none of that felt weird to him, it cements the fact that he’s totally in love with Magnus and has been for the past however many years, he’s just been too stupid to notice it.
“I love you,” he says, because there’s no time like the present. And then, because he’s a complete and utter idiot he adds, “and not like in an ‘I love you like a bro’ way but an ‘I love you’ as in I’m in love with you, in a totally non bro way.”
“I love you too, Alexander,” Magnus says, smiling at him like Alec’s just given him the world. “But I swear, if you say the word ‘bro’ one more time I’m going to dump you ass so hard.”
Alec dutifully keeps his mouth shut and nods in understanding.
“Right, now that that’s all out of the way,” Magnus begins, “let’s go inside. I want my blueberry pancakes and bacon.” He tugs on Alec’s hand, still clasped firmly in his, and leads him back to the front door with a tilt of his head. “C’mon, Puddin’.”
Alec smiles, thinking that fourteen year old him wasn’t a total idiot for deciding that eating 35 diet chocolate pudding cups was a good idea because that nickname is definitely growing on him now.
That said, he does regret it just a little when Magnus decides to tell everyone how it came to be at their wedding three years later, even going as far as to give Alec a pudding cup as part of his wedding present, though they do find an innovative way to use it that night in bed so Alec concludes that it wasn’t a bad idea at all.