"What was it like?" Sherlock asked gleefully. "What happened?"

"It was actually really great." Mycroft said, for the benefit of the adults in the room. "Do you want to come help me with my homework?"

"Sure!" Sherlock tagged so closely behind Mycroft as they went upstairs that Mycroft was sure his shoes would be scuffed.

"How bad was it, really?" Sherlock asked as Mycroft opened his binders.

"It was completely boring." Mycroft sighed. "What's the opposite of subtraction?"

"Addition." Sherlock's eyes narrowed. "You can take other classes, right?"

"Excellent." Mycroft turned to the next problem. It wasn't like he actually needed the knowledge. "And I can't take better classes. That's how school works."

"That's stupid." Sherlock lay down on the carpeted floor. "You're so smart."

"You're smart too." Mycroft reassured his brother, trying to sound reassuring. Even to himself his voice sounded weak.

Sherlock turned his head to smile at his brother. "I really can read."

Mycroft grinned. "I know."

"You knew all of the time." Sherlock accused.

Mycroft sighed. "Yes."

But now Sherlock didn't seem to be hiding anymore. At least from his brother.

Sherlock sat up again. "Why are you allowed to be smart?"

"What?"

"Why is Mummy happy that you're smart, but won't let me read anything?"

"She doesn't let you read?" This was new.

"She just says I should stop pretending." Sherlock grimaced. "She says that school will teach me how to read and write, and I should only be playing fun games because I'm so little."

That didn't make any sense. Why would Mummy say all that to Sherlock if she expected him not to understand him? Well, unless Sherlock was eavesdropping, which the Holmes brothers weren't exactly strangers to.

"Listen, Sherlock." Mycroft sighed. "I'm going to figure this out. I promise. I'll always figure everything out. The rest of the world are idiots and we're the only smart ones. I can always think of something. You and me both."

Sherlock giggled. "I'm smart like you, then?"

"You'll probably be smarter than me." Mycroft grinned. "Here, why don't you do the rest of my homework?"

Sherlock grimaced at the papers. "Can't we go play something?"

"Sure." Mycroft smiled. "What do you want to play?"

"Explorers." Sherlock grinned. "I was out in the garden today and I saw a dead fish. And there were spider webs under the porch. And a birds nest in the apple tree."

"Shall we read about them first?"

"No." Sherlock shook his head. "That would be boring. We need to go out and see things and touch them and smell them. That way we get the information first-hand." He grinned with his new knowledge.

"Okay!" Mycroft pushed himself off the floor. "Allons-y!"

Sherlock laughed happily and the two boys ran out of the room and out of the house, leaving homework and problems out of mind, at least for the moment.

A/N

Record word count last chapter. Now I'm back to the normal 400ish.

I hope y'all are still enjoying it.

I am still continuously feeling like there's no plot.

Maybe I'm fated to just write kid!fluff...