Main Hannibal Fan Fiction page | new stories page | Will/Hannibal slash page | other pairings page | gen stories page

Title: Better Than You
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Hannibal Lecter/Will Graham
Fandom: Hannibal
Rating: PG-13
Table: Uncle Walt challenge, tv_universe
Prompt: "I'm doing this because I want to do it better." -- Walt Disney
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Hannibal Lecter or Will Graham, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***


"Why are you doing this, Will?"

Hannibal was looking up at him, an almost pleading look on his ratlike features. Will couldn't help but smile; this time, the tables were turned.

This time, he was the one who held all the cards. He could make Hannibal Lecter squirm -- and he had every intention of doing just that. He wasn't going to throw away this opportunity to be the one in control, the one with the power.

"Why am I doing this?" Will shrugged, holding the gun steady. His finger was on the trigger; the gun was cocked and loaded, primed and ready.

All he had to do was pull the trigger.

And he intended to do just that. He wasn't going to let this hideous monster get away with all that he had done; he was going to expose Hannibal Lecter for what he really was, make sure that the whole world knew just what a repulsive pervert this thing was.

"I'm doing this because I can." His finger tightened fractionally on the trigger; he could see Hannibal wince. "Because it's about time I took control."

He looked down at the other man, kneeling on the floor with his hands raised. "Admit that you framed me. Admit that you're the Chesapeake Ripper," he all but sneered.

Hannibal nodded slowly, his gaze finally meeting Will's. "Yes, Will, I am the Chesapeake Ripper," he said, his voice oddly steady. "You've known that for quite a while, haven't you? I believe that you may have known it even before you were incarcerated."

Will nodded, a small smile curving his lips.

"Maybe I did," he conceded. "But it's taken me until now to be able to prove it. Conclusive proof, Hannibal. You're done. Over. Finished."

He raised the gun again, taking an absurd joy in the way that Hannibal squeezed his eyes closed. So, the bastard could mete out death, but he couldn't look his own impending doom in the eye and take it like a man, Will thought disgustedly. Hypocrite.

He kept raising the gun before he fired; the bullet embedded itself harmlessly in the wall behind Hannibal, a second one doing the same.

Hannibal's eyes flew open, wide and startled.

Then Jack Crawford and his men burst through the door, wielding more guns. Hannibal was hauled to his feet, his hands pulled behind his back and handcuffed as Will stood there, watching. The smile on his face never wavered; his revenge had finally been achieved.

He stepped up to Hannibal, face to face with the other man, though the effect was a bit spoiled by his being a few inches shorter. Still, he got his point across.

"Why am I doing this?" he repeated, his voice low and silky. "Because I wanted to prove that I'm better at manipulation than you are. Point, set, and match. I win."

With that, he turned and walked away, the smile still on his face.

***