Chequerboard

SUMMARY: Black and red, two opposing colours forever intertwined across a bloodied chequerboard. For you see, Ciel isn't the only one who enjoys playing games.

GENRE: Romance
RATED: PG-13 / T
CONTENT WARNING: Brief/Mild Sexual Innuendo
PAIRING(S): Grell/Sebastian

COPYRIGHT NOTE: I don't own Kuroshitsuji / Black Butler
STORY TAKES PLACE IN: Generally anytime during the series

COMMENTS: My first true-blue "drabble," 500 words (according to my Word count), not including the titles, quote, or A/Ns. None other than Toboso-sensei's below-mentioned comments inspired this SebaGrell comparison/contrast character study. I do hope you enjoy!

People say a ruby shines red no matter what colour light you shine on it.

It absorbs any kind of light, changes it to red, and sparkles.

A "red" that asserts itself, no matter how its environment changes. A colour that is different from black, completely dissimilar.

– Yana Toboso, from the Yen Press English translation of Black Butler manga volume III

Chequerboard
Aiselne P.N.

Black—the dark, handsome, and masculine devil.
Red—the bright, beautiful, and feminine reaper.

He was the demon who robbed souls like a cunning thief in the night.
She was the god who retrieved fallen souls like a faithful valkyrie.

He seduced in whispers, inconspicuous, lurking in the deepest shadows.
She passionately blazed the earth, conspicuous, living for the spotlight.

His actions were swift, subtle as the knives he used to silence his victims.
Her actions were vicious, garish as the raucous chainsaw she wielded.

He followed the rules, a dog fettered by chains.
She shattered the rules, a fire never to be tamed.

He donned professional attire: low-heeled shoes, the back of his tailcoat resembling a crow.
She donned fashionable attire: high-heeled boots, the back of her coat billowing like a dress.

His hair was cut just above broad shoulders, matching fingernails coloured ebony.
Her hair was grown longer, a flowing river, matching fingernails coloured blood.

His pale lips were always curled in a ghost of a smile.
Her painted lips always flashed a wide grin of serrated teeth.

His very appearance made the opposite sex weak in the knees.
Her very appearance defied all notions of the alleged weaker sex.

He rarely missed a beat, ever composed.
She moved to the beat of her own drum, ever aroused.

He never made mistakes, never allowed trivialities to hinder his objectives.
She tended to make mistakes, distracted by a face near prettier than her own.

His name meant venerable, garnering great wisdom and respect.
Her name meant deviant, brazenly shattering norms, heedless of losing respect.

He wanted nothing to do with her.
She wanted every inch of him.

Love meant nothing to Sebastian but it meant everything to Grell.

The more he pushed away, the more readily she bounced back. Sebastian's hits and slaps were Grell's hugs and kisses. The less he thought of her, the more she desired him. Grell knew exactly what she wanted, whereas Sebastian could not begin to comprehend her. Death and devil were not meant to be one, and there was a good chance they would never see eye-to-eye as all star-crossed loves do.

So they perpetuated their game across a bloodied chequerboard. She was queen and he was king, just as Grell wanted it. If played correctly, the king would eventually take his queen, their bloody, heated battle pushing her very limits. And when her fire erupted Grell could consume the demon in return. Once Sebastian tasted her forbidden fruit he was sure to crave nobody else. Then she would be the winner. Grell promised herself victory. Someday.

Black or red, neither one stopped until they got their way.

Until then, let Sebas-chan secrete his heart whilst Grell spoke hers. Even separation would prove fleeting. Because the devil and grim reaper were now bound by this board game, teetering between hell, heaven, and the unfathomable in-between.

Black and red. Yang and yin.

Though completely dissimilar, Sebastian and Grell were forever intertwined, completing each other.

The End

A/N: One can't deny that Sebastian and Grell are Kuroshitsuji's iconic counterparts, regardless if you see their relationship as platonic or romantic. Opposites attract~!

Thanks very much for reading! What did you think of my first-ever drabble? I'd love to know your thoughts via review.