My partner has a hygiene issue and I have no idea how to bring it up in a sensitive way other than just straight up telling him, but I can't do that or he'll be devastated. Help with script pls.
My boyfriend (also autistic) doesn't wash his face or clean his teeth until early afternoon, and it's gross. I can't even sit next to him without smelling his rank breath.
Like a lot of people, he wakes up with crusty eyes and dry lips and foul smelling breath. I've tried encouraging him to wash his face and clean his teeth with me in the mornings (because I have the same issues but am aware of it lol so I deal with it as soon as I get up) but he just won't. I've tried telling him in a joking way that his breath stinks but of course that doesn't work because he thinks I'm kidding. Whenever he tries to kiss me before he's brushed his teeth I say "no, you haven't brushed your teeth yet" but he doesn't seem to get the hint with that so I am at a total loss here. He has demand avoidance too, so I have to be extra careful how I go about this.
I'm not sure how to actually talk about it because he's very sensitive and would take great offense if I just told him it's grossing me out. He had a partner in the past tell him he was gross (I assume for the same reason since he's amazing in every other way, but it also sounded like she never told him *why* she thought he was gross so that's entirely unhelpful) and he never really got over it and is extra sensitive to things like this, so I have no idea how to approach it without hurting him. I'm also just terrible at wording things when I can't be straightforward and say exactly what I mean lol so a script of sorts would be incredibly helpful, if any of you can work out how to word it. Thank you!