Fanfic prompt? What about a little drabble in which Sherlock discovers the repetitive joy that is children's programming? Somehow I don't think little Sherly had the joys of Dora. (submitted by philosophykitten)
"I'm home!" John called. No answer. Typical. Sherlock was probably in his mind palace again. He sighed, considering going back out. He quickly shook off the idea. There was nothing fun to do anyway. Might as well put up with Sherlock and maybe watch something on the telly.
"MY GOD, YOU ARE AN ABSOLUTE IDIOT." He heard Sherlock yell from another room.
I haven't even put my coat up yet John thought to himself, sighing. What had he done this time?
Maybe it wasn't him at all. It was probably Lestrade or Anderson. Or Mycroft. Sherlock thought a lot of people were idiots after all. It wasn't always him.
"Why is the monkey even there? He isn't doing anything!" Sherlock shouted.
That definitely peaked John's interest. He was always wary of what he was to find when he turned the corner. He wouldn't be surprised if Sherlock had stolen a monkey from the zoo and it was currently in their flat. He had come home to stranger stuff. That was the 'perk' of living with someone like Sherlock. It was always interesting.
Finally, John decided that he had to see what was going on, and he walked into the living room. He couldn't believe what he saw.
"Why the hell are you watching cartoons?" John asked, incredulous.
"It was on." Sherlock said.
However, it was obvious Sherlock had become invested in the show. He was sitting on the floor cross-legged, a few feet away from the TV. His latest experiment had been left abandoned and was currently boiling over. John fought the urge to laugh.
"How long have you been watching Dora?" John asked.
"What time is it?"
"Five."
Sherlock did a quick calculation. "Two hours."
"Most children don't even watch Dora for that long. Didn't you ever watch these shows as a kid?" John asked, incredulous.
"Mother and Father wouldn't let me watch telly very often. I eventually just gave up asking." Sherlock said, not taking his eyes off the screen.
John felt anger tear through him. The more he heard about Sherlock's parents, the more he wanted to meet them, just so he could hurt them. Every child needed at least a little exposure to cartoons. It helped with your imagination and most children's shows were educational. Cartoons were basically John's entire childhood. He couldn't believe that Sherlock had completely missed out on cartoons. Well I can fix that he thought to himself.
John sat down next to Sherlock. "What's on next?" he asked.
"Charlie and Lola."
"Oh, that cartoon is nice. It's about two british children, a little sister and an older brother. Lola has a huge imagination and Charlie basically helps her through her childhood."
The two men settled in for a night of cartoons, one which neither would ever forget.