House was sprawled in his usual chair, one leg propped up on the coffee table, remote in hand as he flipped through the channels absentmindedly. His thoughts kept drifting, though, circling around the same subject, his kid. The fact that they were transitioning had thrown him for a loop, but the one thing that seemed to stand out more than anything else was how proud he felt. They'd come out to him, his kid, with all the courage in the world. Sure, House had a tendency to push people away, to act like an insufferable ass, but deep down he knew this was something important. Something that, in its own way, made him feel... well, vulnerable. He hated that feeling, but it was there nonetheless. Still, every time his mind would wander, he would catch himself slipping up and saying "Alex" instead of the new name. The name they had chosen for themselves. He'd immediately regret it, always muttering a quick "Sorry" under his breath, hoping it wasn't doing too much damage. They hadn't said anything about it directly, but House wasn't dumb. He knew the words mattered.

The more he tried to understand, the more frustrated he felt at how little he knew. He'd picked up a few books on transgender issues and tried to get through them between medical journals. He was an expert in so many things, but parenting wasn't one of them, especially parenting a transgender kid. A part of him resented that. He was a doctor, a genius even, and yet when it came to the emotions of the people closest to him, he was out of his depth. His mind, sharp as it was, had no easy answers for this. There were nights where he'd just sit there, staring at the pages, trying to make sense of all the terminology, the emotions, the barriers. He knew it wasn't just about making sure the right name was used; it was about creating a safe space, a space where his kid could be who they were without judgment, without the baggage of others' ignorance weighing them down. But how did he do that without sounding like an idiot? He hated the awkwardness of it, the way it sometimes felt like he was walking on eggshells.

And then there was Helen, his ex-girlfriend, the one who still managed to push all his buttons. She never hesitated to voice her disdain about the whole situation, and it stung more than House liked to admit. Every time she came over, her tone was sharp, dismissive. She called their child 'Alex' without fail, every time. And she didn't just stop there. She outright said that they were a sinner, that they were "following the devil" by making the decision to transition. Those words cut into House like a knife, but he didn't show it. He never did. Instead, he'd let out a sardonic comment, something to lighten the mood and shift the conversation away from Helen's vitriol. Still, it made his blood boil. There was a part of him that wanted to lash out, to tear into her for being so narrow-minded, but that wouldn't help anyone, would it? It wouldn't help his kid. It wouldn't help him. It would just escalate things. So instead, House would sit back, watching her rage, pretending to be unaffected, but inside he was seething.