"It's the same password YOU helped me create when I was ten."

Max to fake!Alec in Password

Been meaning to do this 'origin' story for a while, but kept getting distracted by other stories and real life issues.

So how did Alec come up with that awesome password for Max's new laptop?

Let's find out.

Enjoy.

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Ten year old Max is sitting at the kitchen table. He taps a pencil on his closed math textbook. There's Clave representatives visiting the Institute today. His fathers thought it would be best that Max come home after school rather than go there.

Which is fine with Max, but his laptop crashed yesterday and now that his homework is done, he's bored. Once the representatives leave, Alec is taking the broken laptop to Staples, to see if they can repair it, otherwise he'll get Max a new one.

Max sighs as he continues to tap the pencil on the textbook.

Magnus went to Bay Ridge to deliver a potion. He waited until Max came home before leaving. He didn't want his son entering an empty and unwarded loft.

Max rolls his eyes as he switches the pencil to his other hand then resumes tapping.

He tries to remember what he used to do to pass the time, before he got his laptop. He giggles when it becomes obvious. Max grabs his spiral notebook and turns to a blank page.

He recalls standing at a blackboard in an Institute classroom, a month ago, and doing what he has loved to do since he was able to hold a crayon in his hand.

Draw runes. At the time, he drew 178.

Now, Max is up to 185.

With a happy sigh, Max starts with the Abundance rune.

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Max is finishing the Promise rune, when the door opens and Alec walks in holding a bag from Staples. He winks at his son, "Got you a new laptop, blueberry."

Max drops the pencil on top of the notebook, then stands and runs to his father. He hugs Alec, "Thank you, Daddy."

"You are welcome. The Staples associate was able to transfer all your stuff." He kisses the top of Max's head. They walk to the kitchen table.

Max sits down and watches as Alec takes a box out the bag. Alec removes the laptop from the box. He connects the power cord to the laptop and plugs it into the Keurig's outlet. He puts the box and bag on a chair, as he sits next to Max and powers on the laptop, "Okay, I think it may be a good idea to put a password on this laptop."

"Why?"

"Just in case you leave it somewhere. You're getting older now and you don't want anyone nosing around your business. All my laptops and tablets have passwords."

Max nods, "Okay."

"So, what do you want as a password?"

Max smiles, "Daddy"

Alec laughs, "Try again."

"Hmm Daddy and Poppa?"

Alec shakes his head, "Something that's more complicated."

Max's eyes sparkle, "Daddy and Poppa and me."

Alec laughs, "Tell you what", he puts the laptop in front of Max, "you check to make sure every thing is there, and I'll figure out a password for you. Okay?"

Max giggles, "Okay, Daddy." He hands Alec his notebook and pencil.

Alec smiles as he looks at the page, "Maybe when you're older, I'll have you teach a runes class."

"That would be awesome."

Alec laughs as he turns to a blank page in the notebook and starts writing passwords. Max looks through his laptop.

After a few minutes, Alec puts the pencil down, "Got it." He rips off the bottom of the page.

Max giggles as he passes the laptop back to his father. Alec types for a few minutes, then turns the laptop to face his son.

Max's eyes widen as he looks at the laptop's screen. It's completely black. In the center, in large white letters is:

Password?

Alec smiles as he hands Max the piece of paper, "Type this in, then hit 'enter'.

Max giggles and his eyes sparkle, as he looks at his new password. He kisses his father's cheek, "Thank you, Daddy." He carefully types:

d4ddy-&-p0pp4-&-m4x

then hits 'enter'. He giggles when

Hello Max

appears on the screen for a few minutes, then is replaced with the screensaver. Max's icons slowly pop into place.

Alec laughs, "You're welcome, blueberry." He rips out the rest of the page from the notebook and tears it into tiny pieces. He stands, walks over to the garbage and throws the pieces away. As he walks back to the table, he points to the piece of paper in Max's hand, "Once you have it memorized, put that in a safe place, or you can destroy it."

Max nods, "Okay."

"You have to put the password in when you power on the laptop. As long as you don't turn it off, you won't have to reenter it."

Max nods, "Got it."

"Don't tell anyone the password."

"Not even Poppa?"

Alec laughs, "Poppa has no idea what to do with a laptop, so telling him the password isn't going to help him one tiny bit."

Max giggles, "Poor Poppa."

"Now what did I do?" Magnus walks to the kitchen table as a portal closes behind him.

Max stands and runs over to him, "Daddy got me a new laptop and this is the password." He shows his father the piece of paper.

Magnus glances at it, "Is that in code?"

Alec shakes his head, "I told you." He stands and walks over to the Keurig machine. He fills a mug with coffee, then leans against the counter as he drinks.

Magnus rolls his eyes at his husband, "That didn't answer my question, Alexander."

Max giggles, "No, it's not code, Poppa. Passwords are supposed to be hard for someone to figure out. See, the fours take the place of 'a' and the zero is instead of an 'o'."

"So?"

"So, if someone tried to get into my laptop, they wouldn't be able to figure out my password."

"That's good, right?"

Alec laughs as Max nods, "That's very good, Poppa."

"You came up with this?"

"Daddy did."

"I see."

"You want to hold on to this paper?"

"Blueberry, why would I want to do that?"

"In case you want to use my laptop, Poppa." Alec snorts.

Magnus glares at his husband, "Alexander, do you want to sleep in the Institute tonight?"

Alec smiles, "Magnus, do you want to sleep alone tonight?"

Magnus sniffs, "Whatever." He smiles at their son, "Blueberry, enjoy your new laptop. I don't need to know the password, but thank you for thinking of me."

Max hugs Magnus, "You're welcome, Poppa."

Magnus kisses the top of Max's head, "Unlike some rude people around here, who will not be mentioned Alexander."

Alec smiles, "I can easily take my rude self back to the Institute."

"Yes, tomorrow morning."

Alec raises an eyebrow, "I thought I was sleeping there."

"Well, you thought wrong."

Alec laughs. He puts the empty mug on the kitchen table as he walks over to Magnus and Max. He puts his arms around his husband and son, then kisses Magnus, "Like I would get any sleep in a bed by myself."

Magnus rests his forehead against Alec's, "Same here."

Max leans his head against Alec's shoulder, "My fathers are so in love."

Alec sighs, "It wasn't easy."

Magnus holds Alec tight, "No, it wasn't."

Max looks from one father to the other, "Oh?"

Alec kisses his nose, "Ancient history, blueberry."

Magnus smiles, "Exactly. Hungry?"

Max eyes his new laptop then nods, "I guess."

Alec smiles, "By the time we get back, your laptop should be fully charged and ready to go."

Magnus nods, "Okay. I'm in the mood for hamburgers."

"Sounds good. Blueberry?"

Max giggles, "I love the Apollo's curly fries."

Magnus laughs as he holds Alec's hand then opens a portal with a flick of his other hand, "To the Apollo. Max, after you."

Max giggles as he walks through the portal. Magnus and Alec follow him.

the end

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Just a quick little fluffy scene.

There's a picture of the Promise rune at nancyloumm and malec_4ever.

I think I'm ready to finish Guardian Warlocks. Wish me luck.

As always, I love you, my dear reader.