The Academy In My Head

A Perfectly Good Blackmail Opportunity

A/N: The lyrics in italics are NOT mine... Mentally, I call this North & Mulan, part 2... ;)

Luke crept silently along the hallway, pausing when he heard the floorboards creak. He didn't want to alert anyone that he was there.

The shower turned on.

He smiled and stayed silent as he continued on his way. He reached up and silently opened the bathroom door. 'YES! North didn't lock the door...' He thought, triumphantly as he slipped in, pulled out his phone and waited, crouched down so that he wouldn't be spotted.

Not like he had to worry, really.

North had the shower door completely shut and Luke thanked his lucky stars for the etched designs on it because he certainly didn't want to watch his brother take a shower.

Oh no, he was here for audio purposes.

No video.

Just blackmail sound recordings.

If he played his cards right, he could broker a ceasefire on all attacks that were waged on his candy stash.

North hated sugar for some reason and despite a warning from Uncle that getting rid of Luke's stash would have repercussions... well... Luke's stash had gone missing for three weeks in a row and today, he'd had enough when he found his precious chocolates opened and ground into the dirt outside the back door.

He was angry. Who does that? Either eat the candy yourself or just throw it away.

There was no need to destroy the chocolates so cruelly and put them in a very visible spot where Luke would be sure to find them.

That was just mean.

A blood thirsty hunger for revenge fueled his soul tonight.

And he would have it or blackmail by the end of the night.

A scowl creased his face and he tapped at his phone, getting it set up for recording as soon as he could be assured that it wouldn't just be the shower running that he ended up to record. His eyes lit up as an opening hum of sorts could be heard from the shower. He pressed record on the phone and held it out, making sure to keep the camera pointing downward at the carpet while it recorded.

"Let's get down to business... to defeat, the Huns!" Luke stifled a laugh at the grunt and hand clap that accompanied the song.

"Did they send me daughters, when I asked... for Sons?

You're the saddest bunch I ever met..." More humming had Luke biting his lip to maintain control.

"Mister, I'll make a man out of you..." North sang the words with such conviction that it just really made Luke want to laugh.

He sat as still as possible, still recording the vocal performance of his brother, until he realized that the water was being cranked off and he scrambled to shut off the recording without dropping his phone before he slipped out of the bathroom and managed to get the door to latch behind him.

He wasted no time in escaping down to the kitchen.

He was annoyed to find himself humming the song as he worked on putting a few things together for dinner.

He needed to stop, or North would figure out that something was up. He wasn't going to use the recording for revenge tonight. Oh no, it was far better to pretend that nothing was happening at all and to bide his time. He'd get him back at the right moment. He moved over to the radio on the counter and flipped it on, finding a decent radio station to listen to as he fixed dinner for the two of them.

"Oh, hey, North." He smiled at his brother as the other boy walked into the kitchen, hair still wet from his shower.

"Hey." North grunted and crossed his arms to peer at what Luke was making for dinner. Apparently, the pasta with sauce, salad and garlic bread met with his approval because he uncrossed his arms and looked at Luke. "Need help?" he asked.

Luke was surprised at the lack of grunting with the offer, but he shrugged. "Sure. Can you finish the salad and wrap the garlic bread in foil, so it can go into the oven to heat up?"

North nodded silently and moved over to the counter to complete the tasks that Luke asked him to handle.

"Thanks." Luke said.

North shrugged his shoulders in a quick movement. "No problem." He finally said, applying his knife to the lettuce that had been pulled out for the salad.

Luke pressed his lips together tightly at a sharp look from North after he unconsciously started to whistle the song while they worked, and he quickly shifted gears into "Whistle While You Work" from Snow White instead.

Whew, that was close, he thought, and he made sure to stick to basic classics from the Disney vault as they finished up the meal prep.

(Fade)