Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Warnings: misgendering but it's unintentional and part of the plot I promise

Radio Riot knew something was bothering Ultra-Violet from the moment it started. He could pick up on all the teen's signs. She was never fully focused on her work, always frowning harder the more she tried to force herself to concentrate. At first, Riot had thought nothing of it. The days were getting warmer, and the longer the group went without needing to go on a mission besides their supply runs, the more they were cooped up in the diner and trying to avoid the heat. That didn't stop the green-haired Killjoy from keeping a closer eye on Violet, however. He was paranoid, worried something would happen to the younger teen while he wasn't looking. Most of the time Violet would come to him when something was wrong or bothering her, and Riot didn't want to push. He had only known Ultra-Violet for almost a year but had grown overly protective of the young Killjoy, her shy yet tough personality and tech skills reminding Riot a lot of his own younger sister. It was an often painful reminder, seeing his baby sister in another person, but it was a bittersweet reminder she was still around him, even if she was no longer physically there.

Soon enough, Riot was picking up on the much smaller things Violet began doing. It was something he had seen a few times before, the frowns whenever someone used a feminine term for Violet, the anxious pulling at her long brown hair as if wishing it was shorter, the constant pulling at her shirts. Riot hadn't experienced gender dysphoria himself, but he knew enough about it from being with the Misfits. Adrenaline Rat and Kid Crimson were outside the gender binary, and both had been willing to answer Riot's questions about what it was like. He was curious, and had just wanted to know more about his friends. However, he wasn't even sure how to approach Violet and ask if she was okay. What if he was intruding? What if he made her uncomfortable?
And so Riot simply stuck with silently watching Violet, keeping an eye on the Killjoy from further away.

The opportunity to talk presented itself a few days later when Riot walked in on Violet in the diner's bathroom; scissors in one hand, a lock of brown hair in the other and a very concentrated yet emotional look on the Killjoy's face.

"Violet? What are you doing?" Riot interrupted, causing the younger teen to jump at his sudden presence.

"I don't-" Violet stumbled, dropping the scissors into the sink and letting go of her hair, a defeated look on her face. "I don't know!"

"Woah, woah" Riot smiled lightly, trying to ease Violet as he gently moved toward her. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know" Violet repeated, moving her hands and nervously playing with the hem of her purple shirt. "Everything just feels so- wrong"

Riot frowned before sitting crossed-legged on the floor and patting the tile in front of him. "Sit"

Violet sighed, a confused look on her face but sat down in front of Riot regardless, gently rocking back and forth. It was as if there were a permanent frown on the Killjoy's face, eyes flickering in every direction except Riot's.

"Do you wanna talk about it? Y'know you can tell me anything abeja" Riot softly smiled, hoping to ease Violet's stream of anxiety.

Instead, she tilted her head at Riot. "Abeja?" The word fell uncertainly from the teen's lips, as if testing the sound in her mouth.

Riot huffed sheepishly, lips parting in a bashful smile. "It means bee in Spanish. Abejorro means bumblebee. I just- I thought it was fitting" He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

The wide smile that appeared on Violet's face was the first time Riot had seen her smile properly in days. "I love it!"

"Good! I don't plan on changing it. Now, you wanna tell me what's up? You've been acting off all week" Riot said softly.

As quick as it had arrived, Violet's smile fell again, being replaced with her pursing her lips and looking away from Riot again, anxiously fiddling with the fingers of her prosthetic arm.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don’t want to, though!" Riot quickly added. "I just wanna make sure you're okay"

"I don't really know what's wrong, though" Violet muttered, pulling and twisting at the hem of her shirt again. "I just, I don't understand why I feel wrong. When…when you guys call me a girl or call me your little sister it just, I don't know! I don't like it. And my hair is too long and my clothes are too tight-" Violet rambled.

"Woah, woah! It's okay, Vi" Riot held out his hands up with a smile, placing one of them on Violet's shoulder.

"It is..?" The younger teen asked hesitantly.

"Course! What you're experiencing is called gender dysphoria, I think" Riot replied.

"Gender dysphoria?" Violet repeated, tilting her head. She didn't know there was a word for such a thing, or that it was even acceptable to be feeling this way in the first place.

"It's like…" Riot stopped, chewing on his lip as he gathered the correct words. "You don't feel comfortable being referred to as a girl because you're not one. Using feminine pronouns makes you dysphoric. Right?" He tried to explain, Violet slowly nodding along in slight understanding.

"Do you feel like a girl?" Riot asked.

Violet's head shook from side to side, long brown hair flickering with the movements. "Is that- is it wrong?"

"No, no! Course not kid. Not feeling like the gender you were assigned at birth isn't wrong at all. It's all about what you feel. If you don't feel like a girl, then you're not one" Riot explained. The teen chewed on the inside of his cheek, debating if he should bring up Addy and Crimson and talk about his experiences with the two of them.

"Y'know Show Pony?" Riot asked instead.

Violet nodded. "Course"

"Y'know how they use they them pronouns? That's cuz they didn't feel like the gender they were assigned at birth. So they're nonbinary" Riot explained.

"Nonbinary…" Violet repeated, a smile growing on the Killjoy's face at the way it sounded. Violet knew Show Pony used different pronouns, ones the young teen had never heard someone else use before. But Violet simply never really questioned it, no one actively mentioned it and Violet didn't want to come across as rude or disrespectful.

"So, if I said 'This is Violet. He's my little brother', how does that feel?" Riot asked, the comforting smile remaining on his face.

Violet's face immediately brightened, eyes widening as if coming to a realisation. "I like that!"

"How about, 'this is Violet, they're my sibling'" Riot continued, smiling wider with Violet.

The younger Killjoy nodded happily. "I like both of those!"

"So, which one makes you feel more comfortable? 'This is Violet, she's my sister' or-" Violet frowned at the first one, sending a pang of hurt through their chest.

"Or, 'This is Violet, he's my sibling'" Riot finished.

"Definitely the second one" Violet replied with a confident nod.

"So, do you wanna use he and they pronouns? See how they fit?" Riot asked, tilting his head.

Violet nodded, eyes furrowing as they thought about it. "Yeah! Is…is that okay? What would the others say?" Violet frowned again, fingers going back to pulling at the hem of their shirt the more they overthought.

Riot shook his head, placing his hands on Violet's shoulders. "For one, of course it's okay. You're allowed to be yourself out here, it's what being a Killjoy means. You're a Killjoy no matter what anyone else says. And two, I know they'll accept you. Have you met them? I don't think they even know the definition of gender roles" Riot joked, smiling when he managed to get a laugh out of Violet.

"They won't hate me?" He asked nervously, his voice small.

Riot leant forward, planting a gentle kiss on the top of Violet's head. "Never in a million years would they hate you. There's literally nothing you can do to make them hate you. Now, if you want, of course, I can go grab Ghoulie and we can help you with this" Riot pulled a hand away, ruffling Violet's hair instead.

Their face instantly brightened. "You'd help lace it up?"

"Course! I'm not the best stylist but I've had my practice" Riot chuckled. He neglected to mention he used to help his sister style her hair every morning, spending hours learning how to braid and cut her hair to the way she wanted it. "I'd need another person to help me though"

"You promise Ghoulie won't be mad?" Violet asked.

Riot held out his pinkie. "I pinkie promise, abeja. You know how seriously I take my pinkie promises. And if he is, then I'll just give him a good punch to make him come to his senses" He laughed.

Violet smiled shyly, wrapping his pinkie finger around Riot's and laughing when the older boy shook them around to 'seal the deal'.

"Right, you stay here, I'll grab Ghoul" Riot ruffled Violet's hair again before pushing himself up off the floor and leaving the bathroom in search of the other younger Killjoy.

It didn't take very long to find him, the teen was sprawled across one of the booths, one leg propped up on the table, the other bent on the plush seating. A comic was clasped in his hands along with a concentrated look on his face as he tried to focus on the words.

"Oi, Ghoul. Wanna come help me with somethin'?" Riot called over, sliding into the seat opposite Ghoul.

Said Killjoy sat up, finally sitting on the seat normally and placing his open comic down on the table. "Depends what it is. Last time you said that I took the blame for one of yours and Kobra's stunts" Ghoul raised an eyebrow, huffing playfully as he crossed his arms.

"You need to get over that, it was ages ago" Riot teased back.

"It was two days ago!" Ghoul retorted.

"Yeah exactly, ages ago! Anyway, it's not about that. It's about Violet"

"Violet? Why, is she okay?" Ghoul's expression suddenly turned concerned, pushing away his comic to finally give Riot his full attention.

"Violet's fine, don't worry. It's- man how do I even explain this? Vi's like, experimenting with their gender. They don't feel like a girl so we're gonna use new pronouns for him" Riot fiddled with his hands, picking at the skin around his nails as he tried to explain in the least confusing way possible.

"Oh. Oh! That's rad, proud of 'em. So, what pronouns are we using?" Ghoul smiled and Riot felt an invisible weight lift off his shoulder's at Ghoul's calm reaction. Riot knew he'd be chill about it, this was Fun Ghoul we were talking about. But he supposed a darker part of him was worried Ghoul was going to turn around and be a dick about it, and Riot would have to punch him, and he really didn't feel like punching Fun Ghoul.

"He him and they them. He's in the bathroom right now, I said I'd come get you so we could help cut his hair" Riot replied.

Ghoul nodded along. "Rad. I'll help, I'm great at cutting hair. Oh! There's some a box of probably not expired dye in the back, d'you think he'd wanna dye it too?"

Riot couldn't help the swell of happiness in his stomach at the fact Ghoul switched pronouns so easily, he knew it'd make Violet incredibly happy knowing Ghoul accepted them just like that.

"We can bring in some colours an' ask, I think I know what box you're talking about. I can go grab it while you go talk to him?" Riot offered.

Ghoul nodded, pushing himself out of the booth and saluting to Riot before making his way into the bathroom. Riot watched him leave before standing and walking toward the back storage room, whistling a small tune to himself as he walked. He pushed open the back room door, it slowly closing behind him and encasing him in darkness before he quickly reached over and flicked on the light. The bulb hummed as it flickered on, Riot watched it for a moment, waiting for the bulb to settle down and actually stay on. He breathed a sigh of relief when it did, finally moving further into the room and beginning to dig and push around the boxes, trying to find the one labelled hair dye. Though, if Ghoul was the one to label the box, Riot wouldn't be surprised if 'dye' had been spelt 'die', knowing how Ghoul would find that absolutely hilarious.

When Riot finally found the box, he scoffed to himself with a smile as he proved himself correct; Ghoul really did label the box "hair die", along with a poorly drawn angry smiley face in dark green. However, as Riot picked up the box, a shiver went down his spine, and the sudden feeling of being watched loomed over him. The teen frowned, shaking out his shoulders in hopes of getting rid of the feeling, but the sense still remained. Riot traced the feeling into a darker corner of the storage room, frowning harder at the shadows that seemed to grow larger and more threatening. Not wanting to find out why he suddenly felt like he was being watched, Riot simply turned around and hurried out the door, quickly flicking the light off. The feeling immediately dispersed as the door closed behind him, but Riot didn't dwell on it, instead making his way back to the bathroom to find Fun Ghoul and Ultra-Violet.

Chapter Text

The two teens were sitting on the floor when Riot came in, happily chatting away. Riot chose not to comment on Violet's slightly red eyes and cheeks. He was smiling and giggling along with whatever bullshit escaped Ghoul's mouth, so he figured whatever made the young Killjoy upset, Ghoul had immediately fixed it.

"There you are! C'mon Vee, let’s take a look at what colours you want your hair" Ghoul exclaimed as Riot sat down with the two, placing the box in the middle of their little circle.

"You could be blond like Kobes?" Riot suggested, pulling out a bottle of blond hair dye.

Violet pursed their lips and shook their head. "Maybe something darker"

"You could go black like me?" Ghoul pitched in.

Again, Violet shook his head. "Something colourful, but not too bright" He replied. "Not like Ri or Pois"

Riot and Ghoul nodded, continuing to push around random bottles of dye, some of which weren't even hair dye. Most of the labels on the other bottles had been taken off, and others were just old bottles of nothing. As much as Riot wanted to experiment with whatever the mysterious substances were, that was a plan for another day. Today was about Violet and making him more comfortable.

"Oh!" Riot exclaimed, pulling out an almost completely full bottle of hair dye. "What about…uh" Riot stopped, chewing on the inside of his cheek as he stared at the bottle. The label was completely scuffed off, leaving just the colour of the bottle, but Riot's head turned up a blank at the name.

"Fuckin- morado" He finished eventually, the English word escaping him.

"Purple?" Violet offered helpfully.

"Purple!" Riot repeated confidently.

The smile on Violet's face and the slight twinkle in their eyes told the other two Killjoy's what Violet's choice was.

"Purple it is" Ghoul laughed, shoving the box away to the side. "Let's cut your hair first and then we'll dye it!"

Violet happily stayed sat on the floor as Riot and Ghoul moved behind them, each with a pair of scissors in hand.

"Is there any specific style you want?" Riot asked, twisting around Violet's hair in his hand, thinking of the different cuts he could give it.

"No, just shorter! But not too short. Not like Kobra" Violet replied, gripping their legs and shifting around every so often. "But not as long as yours, Ri. Maybe a little in-between?"

"I think we can work with that" Riot tilted his head at Ghoul, who smiled wildly and nodded.

"Wait, wait, wait, before we start-" Riot stopped, quickly standing up and bolting out the bathroom door; leaving two confused and slightly concerned Killjoy's in his wake.

Riot was back seconds later, the diner's radio in hand. "We need music!" He announced, placing the radio on the toilet lid and nodding his head to the song.

Violet and Ghoul laughed as Riot sat back down next to Ghoul and picked his scissors back up. "Right, c'mon Ghoulie let's do this"

And so, they did. The two older Killjoy's spent what felt like hours sitting on the bathroom floor, trimming and chopping at Violet's hair and occasionally playfully arguing about what parts they should be styling. There were several breaks in between trims so the three of them could stand and stretch, and maybe the occasional dance break too. Neither Riot nor Ghoul were worried about another Killjoy walking in on them, as Party Poison, Kobra Kid, Jet Star and the Girl had all gone to a trading post together, simply leaving Riot, Ghoul and Violet at the diner alone. Which Kobra argued was a stupid idea, based on all the previous times Riot and Ghoul had been left home alone together. He had claimed he wouldn't be surprised if he came back to something on fire, but he would still be pissed. The two younger teens had learnt first-hand, multiple times, of Kobra's wrath when they were left alone and left something broken or burnt.

That never stopped them from doing it again when they got the chance, though.

"Ghoul! ¡Idiota! ¿Por qué hiciste eso?" Riot hissed, though there was a smile on his face as he shoved Ghoul out of the way.

"Uh-" Ghoul stammered. "Yes?" He replied, unsure of what Riot actually said.

Riot rolled his eyes at Ghoul, but the smile remained on his face as he went to fix the error on Violet's hair Ghoul hadn't noticed he'd made.

Ghoul watched as Riot fixed the mistake, lips parting in a soft 'O' shape, chuckling sheepishly and muttering "Whoops"

"Whoops? What did you do?" Violet asked, reaching behind their head to touch at the clump of hair Riot had begun to fiddle with.

"Nothing" Riot quickly replied, playfully slapping Violet's hands away from his head. "We're almost done Vee, then we can get to the fun part"

Violet let out a huff at Riot's lack of a proper answer, crossing his arms and pouting, causing the two older boys to laugh at him.

"Ghoul let me just-" Riot playfully pushed Ghoul out of the way, the other teen falling back with a dramatic gasp and clench of his heart. "Let me handle this last bit, then you can do most of the dye" Riot compromised, giggling at Ghoul's dramatics while continuing to snip at Violet's hair.

"Fine, fine" Ghoul huffed, crossing his arms and pouting just as Violet had been doing before. Riot shook his head with a smile.

"You’re a child" Riot rolled his eyes, the smile remaining on his face as he went back to attempting to layer Violet's hair. While he wasn't insecure about his ability to style hair, it had been a while since he had to actually think about how to do it. He never styled his own hair, often hoping for the best; and the last person's hair he properly styled was his sisters. And that was a few years ago. Not to mention the fact he was half blind now, he'd have to be extra careful with Violet's hair; and 'careful' was not a word he was used to.

"I know! I'm literally one of the youngest Killjoy's!" Ghoul argued, sticking his tongue out at Riot.

"No excuses! You're a child" Riot repeated, smirking at Ghoul for a second before turning back to Violet's hair.

Ghoul huffed again at Riot's confusing and poor argument but remained silent, instead watching Riot finish the last of Violet's hair, wriggling his feet to the beat of the song crackling through the radio.

It wasn't long until Riot was finally finished trimming Violet's hair, sitting back with a grin as he looked at his work. And Ghoul's work too, he supposed. It was a lot messier than he had intended, but the layering made it look intentional, so that's simply what he stuck with. He thought maybe Violet would like the wild untameable look compared to how neat and pin-straight it used to be all the time. They certainly looked a lot different, and Riot instantly felt this hairstyle suited the young teen more.

"There! Wanna take a look, kid?" Riot asked, standing up from where he was knelt and stretching out his stiff limbs.

Violet quickly stood up, ignoring the piles of brown hair that covered the bathroom tiles and stared at themselves in the mirror. He didn't say anything for a moment, only staring at his reflection with wide eyes. Riot chewed on the inside of his cheek, suddenly feeling less confident in his hair-cutting abilities. He watched as Violet's lips parted softly, as if he were going to say something, but instead, all he did was gently stroke the brown strands; as if shocked the style was his.

"So, what do ya think?" Ghoul asked, standing up next to Riot as he watched Violet curiously. "You like it? Roadkill and I did a pretty rad job, I think" He grinned, nudging Riot; who playfully nudged him back.

"I…" Violet spoke, a wide grin appearing on their face, and Riot's heart softened at the fact he hadn't seen Violet smile that wide before. It reached their cheeks, their eyes creasing with their smile.

"I love it!" Violet squealed, hands happily running up and down the layers, letting the soft hair fall from the ends of his fingers and back onto his head, bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement.

"We ain't done yet either, Ghostie" Ghoul chuckled, reaching over and fluffing up Violet's hair, the latter pouting his lips at the older boy.

"Hey, it's easier to mess with now" Ghoul smirked, using his other hand to begin messing with Violet's hair, laughing as Violet squeaked and giggled along with him.

Riot simply watched the two with a soft smile, not wanting to interrupt their moment. He leant on the wall, crossing his arms and simply enjoying the domestic moment with the two younger teens. He watched as Ghoul attempted to stick Violet's hair up in little horns as Violet burst into laughter at the way they looked in the mirror. They hadn't even dyed it yet, and yet he already seemed much more comfortable in himself. It warmed Riot's entire body at the genuine joy Ultra-Violet and Fun Ghoul were experiencing, he treasured moments like these dearly, wanting to capture the wide toothy smiles and sounds of laughter in a Digital moment forever. Maybe he'd draw the scene later, he'd have to ask Jet Star for some spare paper- but it'd be a nice way of capturing the moment. Maybe next time he went on a supply run, he'd ask Tommy Chow Mein if he had seen or knew where to find a camera, it was definitely a long shot but Tommy knew almost everyone and everything in the Zones, it surely wouldn't hurt to ask.

"We still gotta dye it, y'know" Riot chuckled, eventually speaking up and breaking the peaceful moment. Violet lit up, eyes practically sparkling as he sat back down on the floor, crossing his legs and happily tapping his legs in excitement as he waited for Ghoul and Riot to hurry up.

Ghoul and Riot sat down behind Violet, grinning at each other as they prepared to dye the younger Killjoy's hair. Ghoul picked up the bottle of purple dye, squinting at what seemed like the instructions before shrugging and opening the bottle, squirting some of the dye into his hand and slapping it into Violet's hair with a laugh. Riot laughed along with him while Violet squirmed at the sudden feeling of purple goo in their hair.

"That's probably not the way you're supposed to do it" Violet spoke up as Ghoul rubbed the dye into his hair.

"The instructions are scrubbed off" Ghoul replied with a shrug. Riot followed, dumping out some of the dye into his hands; though definitely not as much as Ghoul, and scrubbing it into the other side of Violet's hair.

"How do you have dyed hair and yet are so bad at dying hair?" Ghoul snorted, teasingly bumping his shoulder into Riot's; who did the same in return.

"Nah, I was born with green hair" Riot said so confidently and suddenly, it was almost believable. Almost.

"What?! No you were not!" Violet gaped with a giggle. Riot grinned wider, showing off his gap tooth as he spread the purple throughout Violet's hair.

"I totally was! Came out with a full head of green hair!" Riot continued the dramatics, the utter serious confidence in his voice making him seem so sure of himself.

"Did you come out with those terrible roots too?" Ghoul teased, causing Riot to gasp in mock offence. The older of the three suddenly leant over, smearing some of the purple dye onto Ghoul's cheek, causing him to suddenly gasp too.

Ghoul froze for a moment while Riot hovered his arm over his mouth to hide the snorts and snickers at Ghoul's face. Violet turned around to see why the two of them had stopped their attacks on his hair, only to begin giggling at the offended look on Ghoul's face.

"Hey Riot what's motherfucker in Spanish?" Ghoul asked unprompted.

"Language!" Riot replied, pointing at Violet. "There are children present!"

"But it's hijo de puta"

"You're a hijo de puta" Ghoul butchered the pronunciation entirely, causing Riot to snort out a laugh before gasping dramatically, placing a hand over his heart; only to smear purple hair dye on his shirt.

"Aw man"

This only made Violet laugh harder, covering his mouth to poorly muffle the sounds. Riot and Ghoul shared a look, a mutual happiness in making Violet laugh so hard.

"You guys are so silly" He giggled, shaking his head.

"I think you mean fuckin' hilarious" Riot grinned.

"Language hijo de puta!" Ghoul gasped.

Riot only shook his head with a chuckle, nudging Ghoul again as he continued scrubbing the dye into Violet's hair. The three Killjoy's laughter died down to soft giggles as Riot and Ghoul finished covering Violet's hair in the purple dye. It wasn't exactly like they could follow any directions on how long to keep the dye in for and when to wash it, so the three of them simply went by 'the vibes', as Riot had put it.

Ghoul and Riot washed the dye off their hands, wincing when some of the purple stained their fingers. Ghoul groaned as he realised the dye Riot had smeared on his face was going to stain his cheek for a while, which only caused Riot to snort and laugh harder. Riot swept up the stray brown hairs littering the tiled floor, poorly singing along to the songs that blasted from the radio while Ghoul attempted to scrub the purple off his cheek, Violet still sat crossed-legged on the ground, swaying and smiling to the music. Somewhere along the clean up, the three boys heard the diner doors open, Party Poison loudly announcing they were back from the supply run.

Chapter Text

Riot grinned at the sound of his boyfriend's voice, setting down his cleaning supplies. "You two stay here, I'll be back!", and without giving Violet or Ghoul much choice or say, Riot ran out of the bathroom and into the main diner, smiling widely at Party Poison, Kobra Kid, Jet Star, and the Girl, who was sat happily on Jet's shoulders.

"Hey guys!" Riot stopped in front of the three Killjoys, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he watched them set their backpacks on a booth table. Poison and Jet gave their own greetings in reply, Kobra only sending a nod in Riot's direction while the Girl waved sleepily.

"How'd the supply run go?" He asked, walking over to Poison and giving the teen a soft kiss on the cheek, wrapping his hand around their waist.

"Pretty successful, managed to trade a shit ton of stuff" Poison grinned, returning Riot's gesture and giving the boy a soft kiss, wrapping their arm over his shoulder.

"We're gonna be good for at least a few weeks now" Jet added, a wide smile on his face as he gently lifted the Girl off his shoulders, placing her down on one of the booth tables. She kicked her legs lightly, watching her older brothers with a small smile.

"Is that hair dye?" Jet asked, eyes narrowing at the purple stain on Riot's shirt.

Riot chuckled sheepishly, pulling his hand away from Poison's waist and waving his purple-stained hands at the three Killjoy's. "Maybe"

"You better not have made a mess in the bathroom" Kobra spoke up, leaning against one of the booths and crossing his arms, tilting his head ever so slightly at Riot.

"I'm cleaning it!" Riot defended himself with a huff.

"Well. That bathroom is gonna be unusable now. Time to get used to pissin' outside" Kobra replied bluntly, which only made the three others laugh, Riot covering his mouth to muffle the snort that escaped his nose.

"Such a drama queen Kobes" Riot rolled his eyes with a smirk once the laughter died down.

"So if I go in there right now-" Kobra pushed himself off the booth, beginning to move toward the bathroom door.

"No!" Riot quickly stepped in front of him, his purple hands out to stop Kobra. "It's a surprise!"

Riot could see Kobra's eyes narrowing from behind his sunglasses, a single eyebrow raising. "A surprise?" He repeated sceptically.

"You're not gonna blow it up with Ghoul again are you?" Jet said tiredly, crossing his arms. "I'm still recovering from the last time"

"I'm not blowing anything up this time! And Ghoul's helpin' me with somethin' important. You guys will see soon!" Riot huffed. "No trust in me" He pouted.

Poison laughed, ruffling his boyfriend's hair with a smirk. "I trust ya love. But only sometimes" They teased, sending Riot a wink when he gaped at them in mock betrayal.

"You're all so mean to me" Riot palmed Poison's face, pushing them away from him and sticking his tongue out.

"I trust you, Ree!" The Girl spoke up, grinning at Riot as she continued kicking her feet back and forth.

"See!" Riot grinned back, walking over and ruffling the Girl's frizzy hair. "Kid, you're my only friend"

The Girl squealed happily, grinning a wide toothy smile at Riot. He scooped her into his arms, giving her a tight hug and holding her to his hip. "You wanna see what me and Ghoulie are doing?" He mock whispered, clearly just putting on a show of trying to keep quiet.

The Girl nodded happily, bouncing in Riot's arms in excitement.

"How come she gets to see but we don’t?!" Poison gasped in offence, a smile on his own face at the shared excitement between Riot and the Kid.

"Because she's my little anarchist and I'm obviously her favourite" Riot stuck his tongue out at the other three Killjoy's. The Girl let out a cheer at being called Riot's little anarchist, throwing her arms in the air and causing Riot to laugh.

Kobra rolled his eyes, while Jet shook his head. And Poison, ever the drama queen, clutched his chest like a wounded soldier. Riot only laughed, leaning over to kiss Poison's cheek before walking back into the bathroom with the Girl still on his hip.

"I'm back!" Riot called as the bathroom door shut behind him. Both he and the Girl tilted their heads at the sight of Violet leaning over their makeshift bathtub with Ghoul rinsing the leftover dye out of their hair.

"Ree what are they doing?" The Girl asked over the hiss of water.

"We're makin' Vee's hair different!" Riot explained, placing the Girl back down on the ground. She continued watching Violet and Ghoul with a tilted head, a curious glint in her baby eyes.

"Hey kiddo!" Ghoul called, turning around briefly to grin at the Girl before going back to washing Violet's hair. "We're almost done! You were takin' too long Ri, so I just started cleaning Vi's hair"

Riot grinned and nodded even though Ghoul couldn't see, sitting down on the tiled floor; the Girl following and crawling onto his lap. Riot wrapped his arms around the Girl, gently resting his chin on her curly head, revelling in the little giggle she let out. The two of them watched Ghoul gently rinsing the dye out of Violet's hair, careful to keep the water from getting into their eyes. Violet's prosthetic arm had been taken off, left leaning up against a cupboard door; preventing it from getting wet. After a few more minutes of rinsing and scrubbing, Ghoul grabbed a towel and wrapped Violet's hair in it, gently helping them stand back up properly.

"Why are Ghoulie and Ree doing your hair, Vee?" The Girl tilted her head as Violet and Ghoul sat down in front of her and Riot, the four of them sitting on the tiled floors together as Ghoul gently rubbed Violet's hair dry.

Violet looked between Riot and Ghoul, a silent plea to help explain their new gender discovery. The words tumbled around in Violet's mouth, but he couldn't find the right order to put them in.

"Well," Riot started, moving his head and looking down at the Girl, who looked up at him curiously. "You know how Pones is non-binary, and goes by they and them?" He explained gently, using Show Pony as an example again just as he had when explaining to Violet.

The Girl still looked confused, but nodded her head regardless.

"Well, Vee Vee is also non-binary. He's gonna go by he and they, like Pois does. He's your big brother now" Riot continued, his tone soft but stern; a voice he donned whenever he was talking about something serious with one of the younger Killjoys, so they knew he was being genuine.

Violet held his breath, waiting to see the Kid's reaction. Ghoul seemed relaxed, but his drying of Violet's hair had gone to gentle almost comforting strokes, as if silently telling them it'd be okay.

"Does that mean I'm the only girl in the diner now?" The Girl asked, her eyes furrowing as she stared up at Riot.

The oldest of them all nodded with a laugh. "Sorry kiddo, looks like you are" He teased, only laughing more when the Girl huffed in annoyance, a baby pout on her lips.

She turned to Violet, her pout turning into a grin, while Violet's face remained confused and slightly concerned; unsure if the Girl's reaction was a positive one. Riot's laugh had implied it was, but Violet still couldn't tell. The Girl pushed herself out of Riot's lap, moving over and sitting in front of Violet, her little hand reaching up and running through the wet purple strands.

"I think this hair is good," She said, a confident grin on her face. "I'm glad I get another big brother"

Violet's face softened, his hunched form visibly relaxing with the Girl's words. He let out a shaky laugh, instinctively going to fidget with their hands, only to realise their prosthetic was still propped up against the cupboard door. He settled for smiling at the Girl, his other hand tracing along the fabric of his patched jeans.

Riot's heart swelled with pride for the two of them. He knew none of the Killjoy's were going to have a negative reaction, he was sure none of them even gave a single shit about gender roles and binaries, but he knew Violet was paranoid he wouldn’t be accepted anyway. Which was fair enough, Violet was still young, and had grown up in the Centre City, anything outside of the one-way black and white things he had been taught were completely new to him, and often scary. They had spent so long repressing themselves, forced into tunnel thinking before suddenly being thrown into a world that was completely different from how he was raised. He was learning new things every day with the help of the Killjoy's that adopted him. But Riot knew he was going to be there every step of the way, and if Violet needed to hold his hand through anything, Riot wouldn't have to think twice.

Ghoul finished towel drying Violet's hair so it wasn't dripping down their neck, wrapping the fabric around Violet's shoulders so any left-over drips would hit the towel instead of their skin. With the heat from the desert constantly invading each room in the diner, it didn't take very long for Violet's hair to mostly dry off. They reached over, grabbing their prosthetic from its place against the cupboard door and securing it back onto their other arm with ease. Riot was amazed each time he watched Violet take their arm on and off, the way they did it so easily was fascinating even though he had seen them do it countless times.

"You wanna take a look, abeja?" Riot asked with a head tilt. He thought he and Ghoul did a pretty good job at evenly spreading the dye out, it covered most of Violet's hair. There were a few darker strands where the dye hadn't taken to the hair properly, but Riot just thought that added to the rugged Killjoy look. Violet's hair now matched their name, the dye had been a lot brighter than the bottle had made it seem, and Riot hoped Violet was okay with the colour.

Violet excitedly pushed himself off the ground, hopping to stand in front of the cracked mirror while Riot, Ghoul and the Girl watched them from the floor. Violet's eyes practically sparkled at their new look, a wide contagious grin on their face as their hands ran through the still slightly damp purple strands. He bounced on his feet as he stared at his reflection, still in shock this haircut was his.

Riot stood up, his more dishevelled appearance appearing in the reflection next to Violet, a softer grin of his own on his face. Violet suddenly turned and jumped Riot, wrapping their arms around his back and burying their face in his chest. Riot let out a small grunt at the sudden pressure, but gladly hugged Violet back, his arms wrapped around them protectively.

"Thank you" Violet's voice was muffled against Riot's shirt, but the older boy could still hear the gratitude in their voice. He chuckled, the noise reverberating through his chest and into Violet's ear. He rubbed Violet's back comfortingly, leaning down and planting a gentle kiss on top of their damp head.

"Hey, I helped too!" Ghoul huffed from his position on the floor, the Girl having moved to sit on his lap instead. Violet pulled away from the hug, sending Riot another grin before sitting back down on the floor next to Ghoul, giving him a side hug, burying their cheek into his shoulder.

From her position, the Girl moved her arms so she was in the hug too, her small arms only reaching Violet's shoulder. Riot leaned against the wall, watching the three of them hug, a gentle grin on his face. It really was like having a younger sibling again, except this time he had three, and he'd still go to the ends of the desert and further to protect them. Seeing those wide grins on their faces, the way they pressed closer together like it was their last hug, only made Riot want to storm Battery City himself and wipe out BLI alone just so they could have more moments like this. He could feel his skin burn with love for the three Killjoys, and he reached up to trace his finger over the scarred skin on his face just to give himself something to do with his hands.

He couldn't help but see the Misfits in the three of them. For a moment it wasn't the Girl, Ultra-Violet and Fun Ghoul sitting in front of him, for a moment it was Star Cadet, Kid Crimson, and Adrenaline Rat. And he supposed that'd make himself Buzzkill, in his scenario. He wasn't sure if he should take that as a compliment to himself or not.

Riot shook his head, clenching his eyes shut and pushing away the mental image of his former gang, trying to focus on the now. If he lingered in the past too long he'd never be present for now.

"What do you say we go introduce you to the others, Vi?" Riot spoke up, causing the three of them to look up at him. "They're all in the diner waiting. They think Ghoul an' I are blowing up the bathroom again"

Ghoul laughed at the thought, shaking his head. Riot watched a glimmer of fear spark in Violet's dark eyes, and Ghoul's hold on them grew a little tighter. A silent act of protection. A wobble of a smile appeared on Violet's face at Riot trying to ease the sudden tension that had flooded into their shoulders and for a moment Riot thought he was going to ask to stay in the bathroom for a little longer, but instead, they looked back up at Riot and gave a hesitant nod.

"That's my boy" Riot grinned, his voice soft as he held out his hand to pull Violet up.

The younger teen beamed at the phrase, reaching their prosthetic arm up and taking Riot's hand to pull themselves back up, the cool metal making his warm palm tingle. As he pulled Violet up, he bent down and picked the Girl up, hoisting her into his arms just like he had done previously. She giggled at the movement, immediately getting comfortable in Riot's arms once more.

"What, nothing for me?" Ghoul huffed as he pushed himself up, pouting at Riot.

"Oh I'm so sorry for not giving you the royal treatment you deserve, Ghoulie" Riot rolled his eyes, his grin widening.

"You should be!" Ghoul huffed, his pout only growing, sticking his bottom lip out like an overgrown baby.

Riot rolled his eyes, heading out of the bathroom and leaving Violet and Ghoul behind him. He could hear Ghoul giving the younger Killjoy a pep talk as the door closed behind him and he made his way back into the diner where the other Killjoy's were waiting for him.

Chapter Text

"Is your little surprise done, love?" Poison asked, tilting their head at Riot as they watched him walk in, the Girl still on his hip.

"Yep!" Riot grinned, placing the Girl down on the ground. She giggled and immediately ran over to Jet Star, who was sat in a booth going through the supplies from their run. Riot watched her climb into the seat opposite, standing up on the plush leather and looking over the goodies they'd managed to snag.

"So can we come in an' see?" Kobra asked, raising an eyebrow. "I want to see what kinda mess you and Ghoul made" There was a hint of a smirk on his face as he leaned against the booth next to Jet, his arms crossed. Despite his sunglasses, Riot could practically feel the look Kobra was giving him burning into his skin.

"Actually, we're gonna bring the surprise to you!" A mischievous grin grew on Riot's face, and he laughed as Jet put his head in his hands and muttered an "Oh Witch please."

Riot clasped his hands behind his back, swinging on the balls of his feet, unable to contain his excitement.

"Presenting!" He yelled out dramatically, throwing his arms out, and twirling his hands in the air.

Poison laughed, watching his boyfriend with an amused grin. Jet watched through the cracks in his fingers, morbid curiosity making him want to see what kind of mess Riot had made this time; while Kobra simply watched with his unchanging face.

"The new and improved but still our very lovable-!" Riot took a step to the side, throwing out his arms and presenting an empty hallway.

"Ultra-Violet!"

For a moment, no one came out. The hallway remained empty and Riot could vaguely hear muttering on the other side of the wall. He chuckled, shaking his head. The other three Killjoy's watched him fumble, all with their own amused expressions. Jet had uncovered his face, now watching Riot with his eyes furrowed, less concerned and now more confused.

"Presenting!" Riot tried again, shimmying his hands in front of the doorway.

"Ultra-Violet!"

This time, Violet appeared from around the corner, one hand anxiously holding the other. His lips were pulled into an anxious smile, and Ghoul was standing behind him, his own arm wrapped protectively over Violet's shoulder. His hair had completely dried, leaving the now purple strands fluffy and bright around Violet's head. The parts Riot and Ghoul had missed, or hadn't put enough dye on were slightly more obvious now that the hair was dry, but Violet didn't seem bothered by that in the slightest. If anything, Violet looked more like himself. And despite the way their eyes were flickering between the rest of the Killjoys, and the way their hands flew to the necklace slung around their neck just to give their shaking hands something to play with; Violet already seemed happier with himself.

The Girl clapped her hands and cheered, causing the other Killjoy's to follow.

"Lookin' fuckin' shiny, kid!" Party Poison cheered. "The purple suits ya, goes with your name"

Violet could barely keep eye contact, but it was easy to tell they were beaming with the sudden affection. Their feet shuffled around in their spot, purple trainers scuffing across the diner's floors.

Kobra nodded his head in approval, his lips curling into a small smile. His face remained stoic as always, and to anyone else they'd think he had no opinion on the matter, that it didn't mean anything to him in the slightest. It had taken Violet a while to get used to Kobra's blank slate face and emotionless responses, for months thinking he hated them. After learning that's just how Kobra Kid was, they slowly grew used to it.

Jet Star had a bright smile on his face, his brown eyes practically sparkling at Violet's new look. "Ri and Ghoul didn't do a terrible job" He teased, causing both Riot and Ghoul to pout and defend themselves, claiming they did a rad job.

Riot moved closer to Violet, bending down slightly so the two were face to face. "You want to tell them, or do you want me to do it instead?" He asked softly, his tone taking a 180 from how dramatic and loud he'd been just a few minutes ago.

Violet shuffled awkwardly in place, lips curling as he chewed on the skin and let out a small hum. "Can-" He started, clearing his throat as his dark eyes flickered away from Riot. "Can you do it?"

"Of course kid" Riot smiled, ruffling Violet's hair and straightening back up, turning toward the other three Killjoy's.

"Guys, this is Ultra-Violet" Riot started.

"Yeah, we're aware, Roadkill" Kobra scoffed, a small smirk on his face.

"Let me finish, estúpido" Riot snapped back, sending Kobra a teasing grin of his own. Kobra only rolled his eyes, which Riot couldn't see but once you've known Kobra Kid long enough, you'll know when he's rolling his eyes at you from behind those sunglasses.

"He's our little sibling now" Riot finished, his words slow and emphasising as his eyes switched between the others, trying to gather their reactions as they slowly realised what he had said.

The three of them were silent for a moment, and Violet shuffled behind Riot slightly, taking their silence as disapproval.

"I was waitin' for that egg to crack" Poison was the first to speak, only to get elbowed in the side by Kobra.

Poison groaned, wrapping their arms around their stomach as they hunched forward. "The fuck man-?!"

Kobra sighed, exasperated and turned back to Violet, whose eyes were scrunched in confusion. Said blond pulled his sunglasses off from over his eyes, pushing them onto his head so Violet could take a look at his sudden softer features.

"Proud of you kid," He said simply. His tone was as straightforward as ever, but there was a hint of pride behind it, if you knew what to look for.

Violet's grin widened at Kobra's words, standing a little straighter.

"You still going by Violet?" Jet asked, pushing himself out of the booth and standing next to Kobra. All three teens seemed rather at ease with Riot's sudden declaration of Violet's gender discovery, and part of Violet was shocked at how calm they were, but the other half was simply just grateful Riot kept true to his promise; that everything was okay.

Riot tilted his head at Violet, the soft comforting smile never leaving his face. Violet stepped out from behind Riot, their posture straightening as they finally looked at the other Killjoy's for longer than a few seconds. Ghoul pulled his arm away, but remained close, standing on the other side of Violet; making it seem like he and Riot were Violet's bodyguards. Which wasn't entirely incorrect.

Violet nodded at Jet. "Violet is still good. It's- just the pronouns" He mumbled.

"Sounds good kid" Poison stepped forward, and for a moment Violet almost wanted to turn away. But all Poison did was bend down and ruffle Violet's hair.

"Welcome to the he they gang Vee!" They grinned almost teasingly before opening their arms out. "You want a hug?"

Violet barely hesitated before falling into Poison's hold, wrapping their arms around his back and pressing their face into his chest. Poison laughed, wrapping his arms back around Violet and rubbing his back lightly.

"Happy for you kid" Jet kneeled down on the ground next to the two Killjoy's. "This doesn't change anything about you, and we're proud of you for figuring yourself out."

Violet pulled himself out of Poison's arms to turn and hug Jet, who happily immediately hugged back, his lanky arms practically swaddling Violet's smaller form. Jet lifted his head, looking at the other Killjoy's watching them.

"Everyone get in here, family hug time" He demanded, opening his arms again and looking at the teenagers, plus the Girl, expectantly.

Riot, Ghoul, and the Girl all eagerly climbed down onto the ground, wrapping their arms around Violet and Jet, while Poison shuffled over, practically throwing himself over the pile of Killjoy's. The muffled sounds of Violet's laughter could be heard underneath them all, their body warming at the protection and love radiating off their family.

Kobra Kid stood to the side, his arms still crossed. "Hugging isn't really my thing…"

Jet's head snapped toward him, his eyes narrowed. "Kobra Kid."

Two simple words, low and demanding, and Kobra immediately sat down on the floor with the rest of them, wrapping his arms around the bundle of teenagers with a small sigh.

And so that's where they stayed for all of five minutes before Riot grew restless from the lack of movement and began shifting around, causing Ghoul to complain and tell him to stop moving, before they all suddenly unraveled and lay sprawled out across the diner floors, all a giggling mess besides Kobra Kid, who only had a smile on his face.

Violet could feel their face grow warmer, the feeling spreading throughout their body; vibrating into their heart and making their palms tingle. Being wrapped up and protected and loved by his older brothers and younger sister felt like this was where he was meant to be all along, and he wouldn't have it any other way.