#me dissecting wilson like frogs in biology class

[halfsizehellboy]

i still can't stop thinking

wilson is better at masking but that just makes unmasking time more insane. they'll be at home and he'll walk by house in the kitchen and bite him and then walk away. i think that'd be how house finds out wilsons autistic too (why'd you bite me?? idk felt like it) and subsequently the oh he loves me moment. wilson does actually say it sometimes but house doesn't and just bites him back. neither of them are particularly words of affection but they can recognize when the other un-says it. house has made fun (a bit) of wilson's ability to switch on and off the mask, and how much it changes how he presents himself. wilson probably read a lot of psychology books to master his body language, tone, and facial expression equation and is very good at acting (to neurotypicals).

house is the opposite: he doesn't do much to alter his presentation at all, usually only for the bit or if he's trying to be an ass. house has very little mask i think. he's blunt all the time, and he covers it up with being a general dick so no one notices.

he's hyperobservant which is SO sensory processing. his brain notices everything whether he wants it to or not, so he just adapted. his sensory issues are kinda hard to pick out in the show, and probably fucked anyways because of his leg and all the vicodin and other substances he ingests regularly. we know he doesn't like cold water, but that's also trauma response. he always wears a t-shirt under his button downs, so he clearly hasn't found safe button downs. he also hates the lab coats with burning passion. i wonder how jeans are safe clothes if he doesn't like the coats but i have chalked it up to drugs, leg, and jeans are relatively easy to soften up.

i think most of wilson's sensory issues are visually and auditorily based but that's just going off of his office and some shots of his apartment. seriously, who makes pizza in near darkness unless they hate their kitchen lights? they have to invest in numerous lamps because house likes to read and his eyesight is kinda shit. house jokes about wilson being a cave creature. wilson jokes about adopting the fellows, especially masters (who they both dx'd within five minutes of each other, and collided on their way to bust into the other's office. they still fight over who got it first).

while wilson is hypoempathetic he's hyperexpressive, as many people have pointed out his silly facial expressions and mannerisms. he's trying to make up for the imbalance of feelings inside of him by over doing it on the outside (also it's RSL's stage acting coming through, which is so interesting to me). house does the opposite (displays no feelings, feels very much) but he's not as good at it, and mostly he just tries to copy wilson. people dont notice because house is usually stimming and wilson is not stimming visibly. wilsons a big fan of rotating things in his mind and internal echolalia.

i will think of more later probably for house but anyways. holds them in my mouth and shakes my head vigorously

i love when autistics date each other and have nearly opposite sensory/support needs because it's hilarious. House does not recognize emotions well and struggles with connection, but obviously feels deeply and easily despite adamantly denying it. Wilson is, get this, hypoempathetic like house but sensory-seeks the empathetic feelings; which is why he's good at breaking news. he enjoys playing emotion!! he likes acting!! and i think acts of service and gift-giving is just love language, and he just doesn't differentiate platonic and romantic attraction easily (multiple ex-wives yet devoted to house, and love languages are extended to patients and especially ones he's friends with).

wilson likes old movies, and many of the things house does, but unlike house he's not shown to listen to loud music constantly; he doesn't like or need the auditory stimulation. he doesn't stim as much as house, but that could be also that he doesn't stim the way house does. he doesn't need that much external processing, while house plays with toys and rubber bands and his cane. i think wilson just moves a lot, wiggling his fingers or the like. personally i think he'd bite things a lot but he's spent a long time coasting through as normal and he has a reputation to uphold. House is never safe, though. something something sensory needs and distraction pain are the perfect excuse.

wilson needs just his long self-care routine to not change, and a couple other constants like house and his office. i think he likes to be efficient. house thrives on the consistency of a created chaos, mainly i think he's au-dhd and thats why, he cant have things the exact same too long without going bonkers. his office and his apartment are controlled spaces that stay the same, and other things can be wild for stimulation. They have enrichment time in their enclosure(s) with their bets and manipulation games. wilsons office is a better darkroom for quiet time. i cant stop thinking about this