post-hannibal-arrest will who develops a habit of lip biting
it started as just biting down on them as a stim, then nibbling on them, then pulling the skin off with his teeth. the sensations it provided felt familiar in a time when he had just quit his life cold turkey.
eventually he would find himself waking up from antler prodded nightmares with his lips battered, swollen, and raw. the worst dreams left him bloodied, having bitten so hard the flesh tore open. he'd lick his lips and savor the twinges of pain and the taste of home. he'd reprimand himself for the flickers of excitement he felt. the warm hug of comfort and the cold suffocation of shame fight one another. neither win, they never do.
he finally made himself stop once he met molly and she politely suggested that he should make the effort to quit such a painful habit. he stops not due to her care, but because he feared continuing would make her think harder about who would develop such a habit.
as much as molly felt safe, he wasn't sure if she would ever feel familiar in the way that a busted lip does.