Wavering - ShenanigansSsSs - Hollow Knight (Video Games) [Archive of Our Own] (2024)

Sheo’s hut was peaceful in a way Hornet would never get used to. It was so secluded, no random pests could even get near the hut, let alone inside. With the Infection gone, that made things even quieter.

It wasn’t so quiet now, though. The Knight, or Ghost, as they’d identified themself, was slapping paint on a canvas using their nail. It made both a racket, and a mess. Still, it was welcome compared to the utter silence and stillness of the Hollow Knight.

They only answered to their title, or Vessel. It left a bad taste in Hornet’s mouth, but she said nothing. It was ultimately up to her sibling to decide what they wanted, now, and she was hardly the right person to protest when they defaulted to their title.

It was hard to think of them as a bug. They didn’t help the matter at all, unfortunately. They only acted when told, to the point where Hornet was surprised they didn’t have to be ordered to breathe.

They had been handed a paint brush and told to paint whatever they wanted, but that had ultimately left them staring at their blank canvas for hours. Hornet had gone out to hunt, practiced a song on her nail-strings, and searched for pigments at Sheo’s request, and when she’d returned, the Hollow Knight’s canvas was still empty.

It was becoming unbearable to watch. Their hand trembled, not with fear, but with pain. It had taken an embarrassingly long time for Hornet to figure out that their remaining arm, too, had been irreparably damaged by the Radiance killing them from the inside out. Still, they refused any help, simply clutching the paintbrush tighter when Sheo offered.

The artist was out now, along with his partner. The two apparently trusted Ghost enough to leave them alone in their house, along with two bugs who were arguably stranger than them. Hornet didn’t like being in someone else’s home, not when she didn’t know every exit and hiding spot.

She put up with it for her siblings. By the gods, they deserved something nice and peaceful. Something fun. Ghost certainly took advantage of the opportunity, as they were practically vandalizing the little hut with how much paint they were flinging. The Hollow Knight, though…

Hornet looked up at her taller sibling, and sighed. “You might start with a line,” she said, watching carefully for a reaction. They didn’t flinch, but she saw their grip on the paint brush tighten.

“…If you do not know what to paint,” Hornet clarified. “I am no artist, but when the Hive Queen taught me to write, I began with simple strokes.”

The Hollow Knight did not turn to look at Hornet, but they seemed to be thinking. Hornet felt silly for it, but when they finally moved, she nearly held her breath. She watched intently as the Hollow Knight shakily lowered their brush, barely managing to dip it in the jar of black paint sitting nearby.

Their line was barely a line. It stuttered, jumping and restarting at first, then it splattered when the Hollow Knight tried to steady their hand. It was the farthest thing from perfect, but it was something. Hornet let out the smallest of sighs, just happy to see her sibling do something other than stand there.

Her relief didn’t last long, as the Hollow Knight began to try again. Their second line was worse, skewing into the first until they joined into one. The third was just as bad, as was the fourth. The shaking only worsened, and before Hornet knew it, the Hollow Knight’s shoulders were heaving.

“Vessel—“ She didn’t get to finish her sentence before the Hollow Knight reached out and clawed a massive tear into the canvas. Again, they struck, knocking the paint over in their frenzy. Hornet stood, alarmed, but she froze when she saw black streaks running down her sibling’s face.

They were crying. She hadn’t even known they could cry. Their tears were black as void, and even dissolved in the air like the corrosive fluid below Hallownest. Despite herself, Hornet took a step back, instinctively reaching for her nail.

It was Ghost who rushed over, their own painting forgotten. They leaped up, using the wings they’d inherited from their father to reach the Hollow Knight’s shoulders. Their tiny arms wrapped around their sibling’s neck in a hug, their forehead making contact with the Hollow Knight’s chin.

Hornet knew the vessels had their own ways of communicating. She would never be privy to it, and though it stung, she accepted that she didn’t deserve to understand their odd internal language. She stood back and watched her siblings hold each other, fighting back the messy tangle of guilt and jealousy that wrestled in her stomach.

Quietly, she moved, refusing to stay idle. She gathered up the torn canvas, cleaning as much as she could. The black paint would stain the floor. She would have to tell Sheo and the Nailsmith what happened, and the Hollow Knight would bow and await a punishment that would never come.

She didn’t want to see that. She couldn’t bear it. With a deep sigh, Hornet turned to see that Ghost had been set down, and the Hollow Knight was sitting next to them, their head hung low. They were still shaking, but their tears had slowed, and that was enough to make Hornet relax slightly.

“…I am sorry,” she said quietly. The Hollow Knight didn’t look up at her. “I should not have said anything. I did not realize…”

Ghost stared at Hornet blankly. Their dark stare was as unnerving as ever, but they were much better at showing expressions than the Hollow Knight, if only through their body language. They shook their head, dropping their shoulders. It was not Hornet’s place, then.

The Hollow Knight shuddered, then slumped forward before finally standing up. Silently, they resumed their default position— awaiting orders, completely still, taking up as little space as possible. Hornet’s heart cracked.

Frantically, she tried to think of something, anything. Looking around the room, her eyes landed on an unused lump of clay sitting on the table. She swiped it, then dashed over to her siblings, offering it to the Hollow Knight.

“Would you like to try something different?” She felt like a child, hoping so strongly for her sibling to engage with her. She waited with bated breath, hoping she wouldn’t have to order the Hollow Knight to try.

She had no idea how to break them out of their shell. Hells, she didn’t even know how to break out of her own. Neither of them were built for peace, or for freedom. How could Hornet help her sibling when she didn’t understand how to help herself?

Incredibly, after a few moments, a cold hand reached out and took the clay from Hornet. She nearly laughed with relieved joy as the Hollow Knight moved to the table, sitting before it as best as they could with their impressive height.

Ghost joined them, abandoning their splatter painting to dry. They looked at Hornet briefly, then nodded. She blinked, surprised. She hadn’t expected to be included. She hadn’t even wanted it earlier, but now, it was actually welcome.

Silently, she accepted the invitation. She knew she would not succeed, but her sibling needed this. Despite it all, she would do anything for them. She could only hope that someday, they would learn that too.