sunsetandshadows

[sunsetandshadows]

There is infact a skaden server if you wanted to chat with us more, ask questions, or just see us get insane in real time!

[sunsetandshadows]

Happy Halloween with sunset killer and caden!

[sunsetandshadows]

Some quick paintings

[sunsetandshadows]

it's caden's birthday today

thought i'd tell you guys because i'm being very not normal about it

[sunsetandshadows]

Moment of Respite

A brief moment of solidarity during a mission, set out on a pier. Takes place in the assassin AU; also posted on AO3.

Caden stared into the gentle, rolling, rippling water, at the brackish brownish-green tone.  He swung his legs like a child in a seat too tall for them and shivered slightly against the wind.  The breeze toyed with his hair, playful, invisible hands lifting and curling raven strands around their fingers.  Thin, twisting strands of smoke danced in the air, and he held the bitter taste in his lungs as he took another drag before exhaling through his nose.  The grey cloud curled before his face, then faded into the pale sky, leaving nothing but its stinging scent.

Apparently Jakob was from just across the river.  Was he across from the Harrison household right now?  Was he looking at Jakob’s great-nieces and nephews now, playing in their yard without a care in the world?  Or maybe his family packed up and moved when Jakob died.  Maybe they weren’t there at all.  Despite keeping tabs on Jakob’s old friends, Caden could never really bring himself to look into his family.  He read his sisters’ names in his obituary; that was enough.

He supposed it didn’t matter.  They weren’t Jakob.  It was better if he forgot they existed.  He’d already forgotten their names; maybe one day their very existences would slip his mind.

Maybe.

Sunny stepped lightly, but the old wood of the pier gave him away immediately, creaking even under his expert movements.  Caden recognised the sound right away — years of memorising footsteps paid off, he supposed.  Sunny stopped a respectable distance away, and for a while, they stayed that way, Sunny’s eyes locked onto the back of Caden’s head, neither speaking up.  He took another breath of smoke, trying not to make it too clear how on-edge Sunny’s gaze set him.

Finally, Sunny’s voice, soft yet clear even over the gentle lapping of waves at water-stained pilings, called out.

“Dinner’s ready.”

Caden nodded.  “Thanks.  I’ll be right up.  Don’t uh… don’t wait for me.”

He half-expected Sunny to turn and leave, but there were no retreating footsteps.  Instead, after a beat, he stepped closer, creaking over rickety wooden boards, to stand behind Caden.  He stood there, gazing out at the land across the water, before sitting down with a huff, dangling his legs over the edge of the boards.

Caden side-eyed him, looking him up and down.  His skin looked livelier in the late-afternoon sun, eyes watching the horizon with that laser focus he so often had.

“Calm down, guard dog, nothing’s gonna jump outta the water,” Caden said, leaning back on one hand and taking a long drag of his cigarette.  Sunny cast him an unamused glance.

“I’m aware.”

They lapsed once again into silence, the waves far below them speaking in their place.  Caden was half tempted to just head back up to the house, the solitary moment broken now that Sunny had joined him — but now, a new sort of moment had formed, tender and fragile, so rare between them.  It was as if one small movement could throw them back into the chaos that all of this had started with.  Maybe that was preferable to this unfamiliar serenity; at least that was befitting of who Caden was now.  This…

This was too much like a different time, one he’d left behind long ago.

He lifted his cigarette to his lips again, hoping to lose that train of thought in the nicotine clouding his broken throat.  Almost instinctively, he turned towards Sunny to blow the smoke into his face, then second-guessed himself and turned away.  The smoke instead escaped into the air beside him, drifting away like a contaminated cloud.

“Thanks,” Sunny drawled, his voice tinged with the slightest bit of sarcasm.

“I could do it if I wanted to,” Caden warned, looking back at him.

“I know.  You do it plenty.”

A playful, unapologetic sorry faded on Caden’s lips.  Instead, he chuckled as his eyes trailed back out to the opposite shore with no real response.  That line of discussion died out quickly as well.

“Y’know,” he said offhandedly, looking down at the river below, “I knew someone who was from around here.”

“From the water?”  In Sunny’s voice, there was a hint of surprise at his openness, though Caden knew he was trying to cover it with a deadpan joke.  Caden rolled his eyes and lifted his cigarette to his lips.

“You know what I mean, asshole,” he teased around the cigarette.  He shoved Sunny slightly; Sunny barely budged, but he smiled, and that was enough.

“I know, I know.”  Sunny raised a hand, signalling for Caden not to touch him again.  Caden pulled away quicker than he meant to, not willing to provoke Sunny any further.  “So they were from the island?”

“Nah.  They lived just across the river.”  He indicated the opposite shore with a hand, the cigarette clamped between his index and middle fingers still burning against the evening sky.

“Were you friends?” Sunny probed, already knowing the answer but carrying on the small talk nonetheless, as if to fill the silence.  Caden glanced at him, wondering if he knew who they were talking about.

If only you knew.

“Not really,” he finally said, lying through his teeth.  “You know I don’t have many friends.”

“Yes, yes, you’re very independent,” Sunny bantered back.  After a moment, he continued, almost offhandedly, “Don’t know why I asked.”

“You should’ve known.”  Caden grinned and Sunny rolled his eyes.  The wind picked up briefly, sweeping a few strands of hair into Sunny’s face, making him sputter slightly as he combed it back.  Caden fought the urge to laugh; his throat ached as he choked down the sound.

As the wind died out again, slowing to a gentle breeze, Caden looked back out to the horizon, where the sun was sinking lower towards the distant hills.  He took another drag of his cigarette, which was now almost completely burned out.  Brows furrowing, he crushed it against the aged wood plan beside him, the embers dying out with a final brief flicker.

“Sunset soon,” he muttered, more to himself than to Sunny.  There was a brief glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye as Sunny curiously tilted his head at him.  After a moment of deliberation, he returned the gaze, despite how Sunny’s eyes had his stomach twisting fiercely.  Briefly, Sunny’s tongue ran along his upper lip, and Caden tracked the movement nervously.  Dinner was waiting back at the house, right?  How hungry was he now?

Sunny broke their informal staring contest first, looking back to the setting sun.  Had his skin taken on a more vivid tone, or was it just a trick of the light?  Inky strands of hair rode the light river breeze; in this light, he was an otherworldly sort of striking, both human and ethereal, the sun playing nicely on his face.  Like this, he looked almost like someone from a movie, or perhaps the protagonist of a novel.

Or the subject of a painting.

Caden choked on nothingness at the comparison and looked away.  He stared at the horizon, squinting in the warm light of the sunset, eyes narrowed against the sun’s harsh rays.

“We should probably head up,” he finally said, turning to look back at Sunny.  “Don’t want dinner to get c—”

Colours.  Thousands of colours erupted from Sunny’s form, a kaleidoscope of dazzling hues that almost made him look like he was glowing.  Colours Caden had never seen before, colours he didn’t believe were even meant to be seen by the human eye.  It reminded him of a stained glass window when the sun shone through it just right, yet somehow infinitely more mesmerising.  His partner was still gazing into the sunset, head turned away from him, the breeze still combing through his hair and ruffling his thin jacket.  He was still undoubtedly serene, even handsome if Caden allowed himself to think that.  But it was the rainbow, the infinite hues filling Caden’s vision, that captivated him, more brilliant and more enchanting than the warm sunset beyond them.  Reds and blues and golds, every possible mixture of the three, all vivid and brilliant beyond Caden’s wildest dreams.

The Sunset Killer.  That’s what “they” called him, right?  One of the many names Sunny had been given.  Suddenly, it made sense why he’d introduced himself that way, or why anyone had called him that in the first place.  It was as if he were the sunset itself, manifesting on this pier beside him this chilly spring evening; as if he’d vanish with the sun the moment it disappeared below the horizon.

Caden felt the urge to shrink away from him, almost overwhelmed by the colours that had burst into being beside him.  But more puzzling was the desire to reach out and touch him, wondering if he was even real.  As if his hand would simply swipe through Sunny if they made contact, like a child trying to catch a ray of light slipping through their window.

He did neither, instead opting to stare like a fool until Sunny inevitably felt his gaze and turned back to him.  His eyes were as keen as ever, perhaps even moreso with the colours reflecting off of them, leaving specks and gems within their irises.

Caden broke the silence first.

“W… wow.”

Smooth.

Sunny looked like he wanted to laugh.  Instead, he offered a simple half-smile that looked almost pitying.  “You’ve never seen me like this, have you?”

“I haven’t,” Caden admitted, voice raw.  “It’s…”

Incredible.  Captivating.  Beautiful.  Phenomenal.  Fascinating.

“Colourful.”

“Very perceptive.”  The flat delivery struck Caden harder than it usually did.  Sunny could be so obnoxiously charming sometimes — even when he didn’t mean to be.

“I mean.  It’s true.”  Caden waved a hand absently towards Sunny.  “You should see yourself.  So does this happen every sunset?”

Sunny nodded in affirmation.  “Since I…”  He went quiet for a moment and Caden realised he’d hit something sensitive in his unflappable, unbothered roommate.  The silence didn’t last long, however, before Sunny continued, “Since I came back.”

“Well, I wouldn’t’ve expected you to have been like that when you were a person,” Caden responded, trying to gloss over the sudden moment of vulnerability.  “What, do you think I was like this before I died?”

“Shut up.”  There was no venom in Sunny’s words, especially with the small smile curving his lips.

“Never.”  Caden playfully stuck out his tongue, then laughed.  “C’mon, you know you love it.”

“I really don’t,” Sunny insisted.  “I really, really don’t.”

“But you stick around.”

Sunny took hold of the back of Caden’s jacket and pulled him closer, gentler than Caden had come to expect from him, eyes intent as he leaned in.  The colours surrounding him had begun to fade as the sunset began to end, dusk now taking hold of the river.

“I stick around because somebody couldn’t stay put,” he reminded him.  “I wouldn’t have to be constantly holding your leash if you’d just stayed in line.”

And does Mother hold your leash because you can’t stay in line, Sunset Killer?  Does she know how much you hate her?  Do you know how much I used to hate you?  Does she believe she’s forced you into submission the way you’ve done to me?  Declawed you the way I’ve been defanged?

A caged dog will bite if given the chance, Sunny.  The day you finally snap is the day we will both be free.  From each other, and from her.

“Well, you don’t have to worry about that anymore.”  Caden feigned innocence to hide the bitterness in his thoughts.  “I’m stuck here now.”

“Sure.”  Sunny sounded unconvinced.  He released Caden and leaned away again, though his hand remained resting against his back.  “No going back now, though.  We’re stuck together.”

“I know, I know.”  Caden raised his hands in mock surrender.  “I’m used to it by now.  Can we get dinner now?  We’ve kept the others waiting long enough.”

Sunny was silent, mulling something over in his mind.  Caden furrowed his brows as he watched Sunny watching him, acutely aware of the hand still against his back, just between his shoulderblades.  From anyone else, it would be a comforting gesture, but from Sunny, it was anything but — especially with the small half-smirk that had begun to form on his lips.

“Sure.  But first…”

Dread began to form in the pit of Caden’s stomach.  “What’re you—”

And Sunny’s laughter was filled with mirth as he shoved Caden from the pier and into the river below.

[sunsetandshadows]

Did a silly chart<3

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What's their fucking problem?

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Finally, some fucking art

[sunsetandshadows]

Dropping some sketches here just because i can (and also it might be the reason i finally paint them)

No i will not apologize for the affection. Yes they hate each other and would rarely ever be nice but uhm i made one of them and am insane enough. Let me be silly. (Also the assassins at lets me do that wahoo silly guys<3 (literally awful people))

[sunsetandshadows]

They aren't staring lovingly into each other eyes, they accidentally looked at each other and whoever looks away first is a pathetic human

[sunsetandshadows]

A Quick Painting of Temptations

[sunsetandshadows]

Do you think they'll get along now?

[sunsetandshadows]

As the sun sinks below the horizon, the shadows lengthen and grow, before they engulf the world in darkness. The night plays and teases, its inky black coating the earth. It plays tricks on the mind, makes you wonder what could be hiding around you.

The shadows spend their hours frivolous and gleeful, free from the sun's watchful gaze. Until morning comes again and the sun peeks back over the horizon, and the shadows flee once more, burned by its light. The sun chases them across the sky, its rays scaring them into hiding.

Perhaps that is why sunrise and sunset are the most beautiful times of all. When the shadows and the sun meet, the world explodes into colour, and we watch them meld around us. Until the battle ends and the shadows either slink away into hiding or evade the sun's onslaught for long enough.

Though they fight eternally, neither will ever have the upper hand, and one cannot exist without the other. They form a cycle of day and night, a cycle we all know, and a cycle they can never break. A cycle they never want to break.

[sunsetandshadows]

Caden curls his legs up under himself, perched comfortably atop his seat. Sunny watches him, alert and wide awake despite his seemingly-relaxed position, and Caden is forcibly reminded once again how much this man wants to tear him limb from limb. Willing the thought out of his mind, he heaves a sigh.

"What actually happened?"

Sunny blinks. "Hm?"

"With Raymond. You took out his eye but didn't kill him. What did you do?" After a pause, he adds, quieter this time, "What did he do?"

With a groan, Sunny sits up and stretches. There's a pop, and a thought crosses Caden's mind at how human Sunny can be at times. If he hadn't just watched him chew up a glass eye without flinching not even two hours ago, he'd believe he was just another person. Another guest. Another sheep unaware of Caden's true nature.

"You were right," he admits after a moment. Caden's eyebrows shoot up, and Sunny casts a glare at him that would make anyone else wither. "About him being dangerous, I mean. He's... he's something, alright."

Caden almost laughs at that. Something is certainly one way to describe Raymond Grey.

"Did you bite him?" he asks with a grin. The phantom pain of Sunny's teeth sinks into his throat, but he ignores it. Sunny wrinkles his nose.

"I did. He tastes like shit. A lot worse than anyone else like him." He mimics gagging and Caden actually does laugh. The sound crackles in his throat. Sunny's face remains as stony as ever, aside from the small pull at the corner of his lips, forming a vague, barely-there half-smirk.

We could've been friends.

Caden grits his teeth and steels himself against the thought. It kills his laughter immediately.

"So, what's next?" he asks instead. "You've met Raymond, you've gotten a taste, you know what we're running from now. Is there a game plan?"

Sunny just shrugs. "I'll do what I can. I never thought I'd say this, but... I think Myla's safer with you." His expression hardens. It's clear he doesn't like what he's saying, but he has to say it anyway. "Better in your care than his. At least I can keep an eye on you."

"Agreed." Caden's mood sours at the implied insult, but he nods bitterly. This is just how it is with them.

"He reminds me of Mother," Sunny says offhandedly. "Might start calling him Father."

Caden startles at the mention of Mother. He knows of her, but he's not familiar. The few times they've met, she's left him with a knot in his stomach and a disgusting taste in his mouth — not unlike when he's spoken to Raymond. He knows very little about the mysterious "Mother" that holds Sunny's leash, but he's seen her effect on him. And that alone is enough to make him dread her existence.

Carefully, he pushes further. "How so?"

Sunny looks away with a sigh. Caden's eyes stray to Sunny's hands, curled tightly in the blanket draped over his legs. Myla had brought it to him when he'd made himself at home on the couch, insisting that he needed something to curl up under. He'd relented to make her happy. Another bit of that annoying, pitiful softness that Sunny sometimes exhibits. Caden's stomach twists.

"He's powerful," Sunny finally explains without much elabouration. His hands shake ever-so-slightly and Caden pretends not to notice. He knows when not to pry, and he lets the subject drop immediately.

"Well, you bit him and took out his eye. That's more than Myla and I have ever been able to do." Sunny looks at him and Caden shrugs, hoping not to seem too impressed. "I told you before, you're the only person I've ever met who's as dangerous as he is. Don't be too surprised."

Caden stands and stretches. He pops his neck, used to the bolts of pain that shoot from his scar. He can feel Sunny's eyes on where that hideous reminder of his death lays hidden under the neck of his sweater. He pretends it doesn't bother him.

"Stay as long as you need," he finally offers. "We owe you that much at least." He can't help the twinge of irritation that seeps into his voice. Stop helping me. I can't keep paying you back.

Sunny shifts but doesn't lie back down. Caden eyes him warily, as if at any moment, he could spring off of the couch, pin him to the ground, and claw his eyes out. There's no malice in Sunny's gaze, though. He looks alert, yet tired.

"You mean that?" There's something hopeful in his voice that makes Caden ache. We could've been friends.

Trying to seem unbothered by the way Sunny seems so capable of worming his way under his skin, he shrugs nonchalantly.

"I keep my promises, Sunny."

[sunsetandshadows]

A sketch dump as i actually get to painting the small doodles of them. So sorry for the poor perspective practice lmao(the last image is some sketches im painting)

[sunsetandshadows]

The First Letter

Hey.  Been a while, huh?

I kinda miss you.  It's weird.  When I see you, I want nothing more than for you to leave me alone.  But then I escape your endless pursuit and I want to see you again.  You're the one constant in my life; even Myla, dedicated as she is, can be fickle.  But I can always trust that you will want to hunt me to the end of the earth, rip me open and leave me bruised and bleeding in hopes that this time, I'll die for real.

I'm not gonna seek you out, of course.  I'm not stupid enough to go looking for the man who wants nothing more than to see me in a puddle of my own black blood.  But a guy can yearn, right?

Yearn.  That's a funny word.  Yearn.  It implies a longing.  And maybe I do long to see you again.  Sue me.  You're easy to read, to be honest.  I can always tell what you're thinking when you're looking at me — you're thinking about how much you want me dead.  I don't have to pry, don't have to put up with endless societal niceties to know what it is that drives you.  I know exactly what you want: me bleeding out in a ditch.

I like that.  I like the consistency.  The dedication.  The sheer drive to "get me gone".  It's cool.

God, I sound lame.  Calling my mortal enemy "cool" and telling him how much I miss him.  I must sound like an absolute tool right now.  But whatever, it's on paper now.  I'm writing with a pen, too, so I can't really erase anything.

Anyway, this should be the first letter you receive from me.  But it won't be the last.  If I'm lucky, I'll stay hidden long enough to send you many more.  I know you'll get this.  Don't bother to write back; I'm probably not gonna get any responses.  Can't take anything back to my hideout anyway.  Safety reasons.  I'm sure you understand.  =)

Miss you!

~ Caden

[sunsetandshadows]

The moment the cool twilight air touches Caden's face, he fumbles around in his pocket before finding a familiar pack. He brings out the small container and opens it up, tugging out a cigarette and flicking it between his fingers. As an afterthought, he glances over to Sunny and holds the pack towards him with a barely-there smile.

"You smoke?"

Sunny hadn't been looking and startles at Caden's voice. His eyes land on the pack, trepidation written on his face. The moment hangs suspended, Sunny not looking away and Caden not withdrawing his hand. After some time that stretches into eternity, Sunny hesitantly pulls a cigarette from the pack.

"I don't, but... just this once."

Caden barks a soft laugh.

"That's what we all say."

The bitter implications don't go unnoticed, but Sunny doesn't press. Caden returns the pack to his pocket and instead brings out a plain, smooth black lighter. Clamping his selected cigarette between his teeth, shielding the small flame from the early-night breeze, he lights the stick and takes a deep breath. The nicotine bites at his tongue and soothes his crushed windpipe, and he holds the bitter smoke in his lungs before letting out a long breath through his nose. He watches it curl in the air with a placid smile, then holds the lighter towards Sunny. Sunny accepts it and lights his own after a couple tries, imitating the practiced way Caden had done it earlier. Watching Sunny do something he's never done before is oddly charming, Caden thinks. His partner in crime is so experienced, so unrelenting... it's nice to know he's not an expert at everything.

Caden takes back the lighter and places it snugly back into his pocket, then takes another drag. Beside him, Sunny exhales smoke as well, holding back a cough. Caden smirks.

"You get used to it."

Something flashes on Sunny's face. Disgust? Worry? Caden can't tell. He's always been hard to read.

Caden watches Sunny, watches their smoke disappear into the twilight sky. They'll never know peace, but this is pretty damn close.