Mycroft kept his nose in his book and pointedly ignored the small feet peeking out on the floor beneath the pages. He had a term paper to finish and he wanted it complete so he could resume studying the material he truly cared about. The feet shuffled slightly and Mycroft sighed. Sherlock wasn't going to go away. He didn't ask what Sherlock wanted because he already knew. Sherlock was bored.
"Myc," Sherlock said.
"Read," Mycroft suggested.
"Don't feel like it."
"That microscope I gave you," Mycroft suggested.
"There's only so much you can look at with a maximum magnification of 50," Sherlock replied. Sherlock had a point there. He'd lost interest with the gift within a week and he'd been much younger than Sherlock when he got it.
"The tadpoles in the creek have legs now," Mycroft said hopefully. Sherlock glared at him as if offended by the suggestion.
"Please Myc, please," Sherlock said.
"You just want attention. You aren't truly bored."
"You're never home anymore. One game," Sherlock said.
Mycroft put his book aside and shuffled his notes together into a neat pile. His hands went to his lap where they clasped one another.
"I can't come how all the time. I'm very busy," he finally said.
"You aren't busy now," Sherlock grinned and Mycroft sighed. Sherlock gave a whoop of excitement and Mycroft knew he'd been beaten. Beaten by his own heart and the soft spot he held for his only brother. God help them both.
"I was busy until you interrupted. What shall we play? Chess? Othello?" Mycroft asked.
Sherlock ran to the game closet and came back with the one thing Mycroft had hoped they wouldn't end up playing.
"Fine. But I go first," Mycroft said. Sherlock shrugged.
There was reason Mycroft detested this game and only one. Sherlock always won.
And sure enough it was his turn to take out the brain and the buzzer sounded jarringly.
Sherlock took out what may have been a femur with no difficulty. When the game ended Sherlock had three more points than he did. He hadn't won a single game since Sherlock had gotten Operation on his last birthday.
"And now I have to study."
"You can study later. Let's go look at the tadpoles," Sherlock said.
Mycroft put his books and notes on the side table.
"Let's," he said.