Full Summary: "You should take everything people say here with a pinch of salt."

Highschool AU where Hannibal is the (slightly) creepy new home economics teacher who may or may not be a serial killer and cannibal, Will is the slightly better looking version of a crazy cat woman (only with dogs) who's recently gone back to work after his nervous breakdown and Principle Jack Crawford is still trying to work out how this became his life.

And that's before you add the real adult drama.

Warnings: None yet!

The school was large, filled to the brim with the rushing of students and overflowing with the apparently never ending stream of noises. There was no stillness, no part that did not seem untouched by the maddening rush youth could contain, everyone having something urgent to tell someone else.

Still, it was just as he remembered, nothing seemingly having changed. The walls were the same cold white, the floor (black) was barely visible between the rushing feet and the lockers were the same lifeless silver as though the last bit of cleaning they had encountered was the accidental brushing of clothing against them. Every little moment from entering seemed vital to the colourful masses of teenagers, none of them willing to slow down, none of them listening to anything but the sounds of their own echoing voices.

In the corner of his eye (at the very edge of his peripheral vision) he could see someone's books slamming into and spreading on the ground with the first burst of silence he had noticed yet. A moment of stillness as the girl remained frozen, looking at them through masses of straight brown hair, unable to even look up at the three jocks laughing as they walked away.

Papers fluttered like shards of glass onto the ground around the girl, heavy in their lightness and some falling fast enough that they seemed weighed down by something.

Forming a new carpet at her feet the white pages mockingly looked up at her, seeming all the cleaner under the intensity of the lights. The effect didn't seem to last, shoes already moving over the corners of some and the middles of others as the crowd took no notice, too busy with their own little lives to take any interest in those running parallel to them. It was those attitudes that were more likely to follow them into adulthood rather than any positive ones.

But like anything else in the place she did not remain frozen for long, someone bashing into her and causing her to stumble forwards and back into movement. She moved slower than the others as she knelt to pick the books back up, eyes downcast and probably unfocused, careful that she didn't misaim her fingers- it would be easy enough for anyone to accidentally step on them if she didn't pay attention. Her lips parted, letting out a painfully long sigh before muttering to herself something that he read as 'oh joy'. Another painfully slow moment slipped past before he moved, his own long fingers picking up one of the books that had been accidentally kicked out of her way, looking over the title with as much disinterest as he could manage.

When she noticed him holding it out to her though, he was reminded of yet another reason why he really hadn't missed the place.

"Mr Graham! I didn't know you were coming back." Her voice was light, almost bubbly as she smiled, gratefully taking the book from his outstretched hand. The moment it was gone his hand dropped again, resting near his body as though he was completely avoiding any form of contact there was. If it had been possible he would have likely avoided anyone even acknowledging his existence yet he had bills to pay and teaching was something he could cope with... most of the time anyway.

Will's eyes moved over the other books Abigail had been picking up, knowing he'd been teaching her long enough that she'd take no offence at his inability to maintain any form of eye contact. He was autistic, not stupid, he was well aware how every single person who'd walked past him so far had carefully avoided bumping into him as though he was made of glass. His first day back and the label of 'mad freak' was back stronger than ever. Not that he could blame them, they were right, but it was still frustrating. So as he spoke his voice was perfectly level. "Well, I was going to return sooner or later." Again, the more sarcastic part of his mind snapped at him congratulations for coming across like some form ice-human. "You should hurry; you wouldn't want to be late for your first lesson of the day."

Saying nothing else he stepped away from her, noting how her lips had curved as though seeing that he was very much himself again was a good thing. Then again, she had always been an odd girl so questioning it too much would likely not be the best idea.

Three months. He'd been off work for three months due to the Incident (capitalized even in his head) and coming back made him feel like he was suddenly back at the very edge of his sanity, remembering all too well how badly things had gotten when he had last been there.

Resisting the urge to run his fingers through his hair Will settled for focusing on the little details of his surroundings, counting exactly how many steps he had taken and trying to predict how many more until he could finally slip into his classroom. At least there it was his territory, it was a space he could understand and that he couldn't be cornered in. The closest to a safe space he had left and God only knew how he suddenly needed to feel as though he had some form of control left in his miserable little life.

It didn't take a genius to realise the silence that followed him around as he passed masses of student was not one of respect and the whispers that followed were not on an unrelated matter. At least if there was one good thing about how he was, Will could genuinely say that as long as he could just silently disappear home to his dogs at the end of the day it didn't matter much to him.

He'd never set himself up for disappointment with the hope he'd ever escape the labels his very personality drew up.

There were no such things as secrets in high school even for the teachers, everyone was well aware of that.

Lips pressed into an easy thin line he pressed his hand to the door of his classroom, ignoring the burst of pain the action triggered. Will had barely resisted the urge to wash his hands for what was probably the hundredth time that morning, well aware that scrubbing the skin off his hands was not the best way to prove to everyone he was indeed sane enough to go back to work. Then again, perhaps if he did keep scrubbing at the reddening skin he might wash himself and the label of crazy away.

(Accepting a label and liking it were two very different things. A bit like sanity and insanity, often easy to mistake for each other, confusing even the one living them.)

The door opened with barely more than a squeak and he slipped in as soundlessly as any human could manage, glad that the still off lights proved he was the first one there. Letting the door shut behind him he only paused briefly to flicker the light on before wondering to his desk, eyes moving over the newly rearranged tables. Shaped in a several bunches of four by who had taken over when he was gone it was evident the students would be used to doing group work by such a point. That also meant it was very likely Alana Bloom who had taken over his classes, which was somewhat of a relief seeing that she would at least know how to give the necessary information. It could have been a lot worse.

With barely more than a refrained sigh he put his bag onto his desk and he set to putting the students' desk back in the formation he preferred, knowing that when they were all put to face the front of the room there was no way to get away with not doing what they should. Will was good at noticing when students were angled wrong, angled to look at a bright little screen on their laps rather than the actually screen they should be looking at.

At least his insanity was equivalent to his intelligence so that whilst he had absolutely no social life and no people skills, no idea how to be social in general, he was clever enough that an employer could know what he did say would be good information.

That was okay, he tried to convince himself. People like him weren't normal enough to get lonely; he'd never been able to let anyone close enough to miss them. It was simply some form of subconscious reaction to the stimuli of being back, it would soon pass.

It would all be fine as long as he didn't let his mask crack again.

His breakdown had been humiliating and whilst lingering on the details would never do him any good, all Will had to do was get back in step with the repetitive school year, all he had to do was make sure that any emotions that wanted to bubble past the surface only have came out when he was alone. Trusting someone had been how he had gotten himself into this mess in the first place.

Trusting was stupid when everyone was willing to betray you in a heartbeat to get a story sold.

The desk was heavier than he remembered, Will grateful he was there early enough to actually get everything done before his class started unhappily pouring into the room from the door, ready to get annoyed the moment they saw that he was indeed back. Perhaps he'd even put them in alphabetical order just to ensure they would hate him a little more. It would certainly make him feel better for the briefest of moments.

Momentary satisfaction. That was okay if only once in a while.

He made a slight disgusted noise as his fingers traced over a piece of gum under the next desk he moved, grateful he'd remembered to pack his hand sanitizer and annoyed he hadn't brought bleach too. So much for not getting obsessive over little details again- he'd long since stopped looking at eyes because he found them distracting, he couldn't let hands start affecting him too.

(At least everyone knew better than every making contact with him. Handshakes were as out of line as someone intentionally touching his arm. It was his choice, it was what he wanted.)

It was as the final desk was shoved to where he wanted it that the first students came in, in the form of Abigail and the dark haired girl she always seemed attached to. Will instantly had to remember how alike her mother said friend looked- he remembered her from one of the few who had a major issue with him coming back to work so soon after all that had happened.

Instead of saying anything he returned to the front of the classroom, standing rather than sitting as he waited for more to join them. As boredom increased he resigned himself to listening to the all too loud conversations starting by those who were there.

"No, seriously though, you haven't seen him Abby. The new one is literally a killer." The girl's voice was a pitch higher than what Will would ever consider anything but grating, fake enthusiasm falling from her overly painted lips.

"Figuratively." Will's voice was dry, cutting through the silent room like a knife would warm butter. When the girls turned to look at him he didn't need to look at them for it to be clear it was their conversation he was adding to. "I'm certain Miss Hobbs would look far less taken aback if you stated figuratively. If you do, however, mean literally then perhaps it is a police officer you should be telling."

The odd chuckle from those he assumed were going to pass their English exams to a higher level and Will silenced even that noise by simply standing up straight, getting ready as though putting on a performance worthy of an Oscar. Perhaps it was though. It did often feel as though he had long since started to act out some form of horrific part in a tragedy that he simply could not get away from.

"Alright, as you can tell I am indeed back rather than locked up with other insane individuals as your facebooks are covered in 'sources' that say I am." He gave them a dry curve of his lips that looked more like annoyance than anything. "And as per usual my rules to this room apply. If I see a phone it will come stay with me on the desk up here, if you then get a text I may even read it out loud…"

Letting the words keep going in their usual uninterested manner Will resisted the urge to focus too much on the odd moving lips, not needing to be a good lip-reader to know exactly what was being said.

And the freak is back.

...

Rumour was something that thrived in any enclosed environment, especially when there was even the slightest bit of truth to it. It was, as such, always best to take whatever you heard with a pinch of salt in the matters of 'she said's and 'he said's.

Rumours about Will were certainly plentiful, everyone knew most of them including the parents. But still no matter how little truth there were in many of them they survived like some form of a virus. Will himself knew most of them from the few times he had frequented the teacher's area, soon stopping completely because it was easier to just think of children saying the things that were repeated by older (wiser) lips.

Lunch as such was not a time he ever did much in. He'd never been especially good at remembering to eat and it wasn't as though even when he forgot to bring himself food into work he ever did anything about it. Leaving his classroom would mean having to face people and that was something he didn't feel up to. He'd could talk at them because that was easy. Being around them outside of that simply made him feel completely uncomfortable.

Putting the many textbooks in alphabetical order though? He could cope with that. Books had no interest in him and even if they had he knew almost every page to the point he'd know exactly the right thing to say to get them to leave him alone.

As long as he knew what to expect there was only very little that would throw him off balance long enough for any form of a reaction to actually leave him.

One of the things that was almost surprising enough to let him slipup came in the form of an older blonde man entering his classroom about half way through lunch, steps somehow even quieter than Will's tended to be.

Swallowing back the curious urge to turn around to get more of a look at the newcomer Will continued what he had been doing, curls slipping over his lowered face and glasses slipping a little lower on his nose as he put one of the more damaged copies between two that would keep it together. Unlike people the whole books would aid the broken one rather than breaking it further.

The silence was only filled by the newcomer walking further into the room until he was leaning against Will's desk, clearly having heard enough to know interrupting him or going into his personal space was never going to be a good idea.

The bubble of non-penetrable-metaphorical-space around Will was there for a good reason and he was content to let it be.

"I haven't had the opportunity to meet you yet so I thought I'd come and introduce myself." The man offered a smile so dangerously close to seeming honest that Will forced himself to look away, looking back at where he'd been focusing on rearranging the books rather than at the visitor. "I've heard a lot about you." The man added and Will paused, probably not even realising how his shoulders had sunk slightly.

Of course.

Had he really hoped the new teacher wouldn't want to know if the rumours about the insane psychology teacher were true? They were only human and it wasn't all that often there was someone as completely broken as he was wondering outside a mental institution.

Making himself talk Will didn't move a muscle, tone probably colder than intended. "We'll make this quick, shall we? Yes, no, so the bosses think and yes."

To his surprise the man had the audacity to chuckle, tone showing how he was still smirking, hands resting against the desk he was leaning against and sharp eyes still purely on the younger man. "Do I get to ask to what you are replying? It seems as though you have me at a disadvantage here seeing that you know what I wish to ask before I do."

Getting the distinct feeling he was being mocked Will's teeth briefly moved over his bottom lip, using the brief discomfort to ground himself. "Yes I'm the one who had the breakdown. No I have not been put in a 'loony bin' as my students still incorrectly put it. Am I sane enough to teach again? So the bosses think but then again they gave me this job in the first place so maybe they need looking to and yes, I am autistic and still teaching. Those tend to be the most frequently asked questions these days so if you have anything more creative to ask me you are more than welcome to ask simply to spice up my life."

The blonde man's laugh was deep and short, surprise only slightly changing the tone. Not the response Will had seen coming but having not met the man before he had no idea how to read him correctly yet. "Actually I heard more along the lines of 'young, brilliant and likes dogs' but I guess that's good to know too." He tilted his head as if it would aid him in understanding Will with more ease. "My questions were going to be more along the lines of if you always spend your lunches not eating and working?"

Just because his tone was amused didn't mean it wasn't honest, making even Will turn to see who on earth had wondered into his classroom. He didn't recognise the man, a surprise seeing how small the area actually was. He tried not to over analyse the quality of his suit, dark blue tie standing out against the pure white shirt and his features were oddly pleasant looking whilst been very well guarded. Not a hair seemed out of place and he was certain that the other's hands were probably as well maintained as the rest of him.

"You must the new teacher that is already catching up with me on the rumour mills." Will greeted briefly, giving a nod rather than anything else as he moved to look on a different shelf for the missing textbook. "And yes, I always spend my lunches not eating and working. Most have given up commenting on it." He paused again. "What did you say you taught?"

It turned out the amusement hadn't left the other's tone in the slightest. "Home economics. I show my students how to cook and then sit back and watch the world burn." Joking. It really had been a long time since anyone had bothered trying to joke with Will. "And yes, yes I am. My name has already caused half my students to believe I am a cannibalistic serial killer feeding my kills to them." He rolled his eyes as though it was such a normal rumour to come across.

"How would your name cause a rumour such as that one? It seems rather out of portion." Will had already realised that he had absolutely no idea what the other teacher was actually called, unable to stop himself from asking the question that had genuinely struck up some form of curiosity. It was sad how much he'd missed being talked to as though he was just another normal (whole) human being.

He immediately scolded himself for such a thought because there was no way it was going to last. Chances were the moment he gave the answers the other wanted he'd avoid Will just like almost everyone else did.

A freak was no matter how much one could deny it, by definition, nothing like others.

"Hannibal- kids have been playing rhyming games with it since I was a child and they never seem to come up with anything more interesting." Hannibal said what seemed good naturedly, his own curiosity only growing as he watched the strange young man before him. "Hannibal Lecter if you wanted to know. And you are Graham I assume? I don't believe I am aware of your first name if it's not wrong to ask."

Again Will had to pause, wondering if Hannibal was actually for real or if he'd missed his calling in dramatic arts. "Graham will do. Few call me anything else and what they do tend not to be in baby books." Never letting the other quite out of sight he tried to get back to what he had been doing, hating whoever had disorganised his books with an increasing still hollow annoyance.

Hannibal nodded, settling for not being given an answer yet. He had plenty of time to wonder back and try to get to know the strange man another time- especially seeing how he already doubted Will was the type to ever really leave his classroom. "Well, Graham, it's good to have finally met you. If you do decide to eat you are always invited to come visit me in my oven of a classroom. I do always tend to forget I'm cooking for one and pack far more than I ever intend to eat." Hannibal still denied there was anything wrong with being paranoid as to what exactly he did eat. "Plus interesting company is always welcome."

Will gave an almost inaudible, dry chuckle before he could stop himself. "There are plenty of other teachers, Mr Lecter. I'm certain you'll find someone else to keep you company." Did he really look like such a stray that already the new teacher wanted to feed him to appease some form of misplaced guilt? Suddenly he realised how many of his dogs must have felt when he had first found them and tried to take them in. A moment later he reminded himself he wasn't some stray dog desperate for a home, he was just a very messed up little human who needed just one good night sleep.

"The offer remains if you change your mind." Hannibal said simply, smile still strong as he pushed himself up, briefly tidying his still immaculate suit before stepping towards the door. "Oh, and it's Doctor Lecter actually." He told Will with a last flash of an amused smirk. "I'll see you soon Mr Graham. Remember to take everything you hear of me with a pinch of salt." Even if it meant having to wonder back himself to seek out the other he would see the other again. Without another word he slipped back out of the room.

Blinking back his confusion Will stared at the door, not quite certain yet if he'd remembered to take his medication. At least that would explain what on earth had just happened.

Maybe it wasn't going to be quite such a repetitive school year after all.