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Sherlock had never thought in a thousand years that someone as lovely and accepting as John would want to date them. They thought that they were undesirable and untouchable, even. then there was John, sitting in front of him, shoving his face with tacos one by one in his gullet like they weren't even spicy. "John," Sherlock said, picking at his one taco he hadn't been able to eat yet. He was too nervous to eat. It was time that he told John his feelings. Not only for the boy, but about his gender identity.
He'd never told anyone, outside of Mycroft who simply (annoyingly,) guessed. John's eyes shifted from his taco to Sherlock's and they seemed to crackle with a smile as his chubby (full) cheeks were still stuffed with his previous taco. "Mmn?" He managed, and Sherlock assumed it was a full-mouth version of 'what.'
"John, please finish eating. I want to talk to you." John swallowed the contents in his mouth and dropped the following taco (Sherlock had been counting and John was on his eleventh one by now. It was nearly revolting.) "john, I know we haven't really talked about this, and I know it's our first date, but I really wanted to talk to you about this." They looked up at John, a little fearful. John was quite, looking at them curiously and very interested in what Sherlock had to say. Often, it was Sherlock who was doing the talking, since they tended to babble and John just sat there and listened, being the boy Sherlock really needed. "You know how in class we were talking about gender and how some people don't really identify with a specific gender at all?" sherlock scratched the back of his head and took a breath, "well, that's me. I'm non-binary." The last bit stumbled out fast and almost sounded like one word. "Sorry," they slowed down. "I'm a little nervous. I'm non-binary. I mean, I still like boys more than any other gender but I don't really see myself as a boy. So, I feel more comfortable with a non-binary gender." They bit their lip and tried to not deduce the look on John's face. "What I mean to ask is if this changes things between us. Because I'd like you to start using my preferred pronouns...."
"Sherlock,:" John leaned forward, his eyes soft and loving. "I told you when you first told me that you were gay that it was all fine, and I meant it. However you identify yourself isn't really any of my business. I care about you, so of course I'll use whatever pronouns you want. What are your pronouns?"
"They and them." Sherlock answered simply, stunned that John had answered this way.
"Alright. Just one more question," John asked, pushing his taco aside and grabbing for Sherlock's much larger hands. Even as teenagers they had large hands. John wet his lips, "does this mean you don't want to have sex with me?" A laugh came out of Sherlock, loud and soulful. His eyes opened as he slowly looked back at John, engulfing the small hands in theirs. His John. His ever loving, patient, pansexual John.
"My dear Watson," Sherlock's voice was low and sexy, sending vibrations right into John's very heart. "I never have sex on the first date."