Please enjoy!

OoOoOo

This wasn't the first time it had happened.

Since regaining his colors, Branch had good days and bad days. On days he spent with Poppy- singing, dancing, hugging, or just being together- he was a brilliant blue. Almost as bright as he had been before losing his colors. Those were the days he looked forward to, the days he felt unconditionally happy. His good days.

But of course, there were other days. When he could barely drag himself out of bed. When he wanted to hide under his covers and never face the world. When not even Poppy could quell the anxiety that made his heart race and his chest heavy. His bad days. They were far and in between, but they were still there.

His colors varied accordingly. But still, it had always been way more gradual than this. There was never so much variation between a good day and a bad day, usually it was just a matter of a subtly different hue.

But this? His hands were like three shades darker! That had never happened before. Branch had forgotten how much he hated that gray color. It was so ugly, ugly, ugly-

"Branch." Viva was there, her voice cutting through the fog. She was looking at him with gentle magenta eyes, the same eyes as Poppy. He couldn't stand to look at them, but he couldn't stand to look away either. "Hey, bud, are you still with me?" She didn't mention his color, he was thankful for that.

Branch swallowed. "Yeah," he answered roughly. "Sorry."

She gave him a kind smile. "Don't worry about it," she assured him. Rhonda suddenly halted to a stop, throwing Clay and Floyd forward. Viva just barely caught his arm in time.

"John Dory!" snapped Clay, agitated as he helped steady Floyd.

"It wasn't me, it was Rhonda!" the oldest pointed out. And it was true that Rhonda was whining, huddled down into the dirt and pawing at it.

Branch had a sinking suspicion. "She's lost the sent, hasn't she?" He wasn't looking at his hands anymore, but he was sure that they just got darker.

"Not exactly," assured John Dory. "It's just likely that whoever we're tailing took Poppy underground." He patted the armadillo bus. "She doesn't do well underground, so that's why she's spooked."

He considered the information. "Tell her to go straight forward," he decided. Unless there was a super elaborate underground bunker below them, the culprit probably hadn't stayed below the dirt. It had taken him years to cultivate a bunker with good air quality and ventilation. A troll wouldn't survive a week down there without it.

They would reach wherever Poppy's captor had come out if they kept on this path, he was sure of it.

His older brother grinned at him. "You bet!"

OoOoOo

"What's wrong, Branchifer?" asked Poppy as he slumped against her shoulder. "Didn't you have a nice time with your brothers?"

Branch grunted. "...It was fine," he replied. And that wasn't a lie; it had been fine. They had stayed at Bruce and Sons & One Daughter after hours, reminiscing and catching up.

The conversation had eventually evolved into what they had been doing for the last twenty years. John Dory had been exploring the world, Bruce had met Brandy on Vacay Island, obviously Clay had run Hole N' Fun with Viva, and Floyd had been at the height of his solo career before Velvet and Veneer had kidnapped him.

And what had Branch done? Hide away in his bunker, miserable and gray.

Of course, he couldn't tell his brothers that. So, he'd focused on rescuing the Snack Pack and saving all music. Those were great adventures; they were fun adventures.

Poppy frowned. "Branch," she said sternly.

He sighed. "Just... they lived their lives all these years," he admitted. "And that's great, I'm happy for them. But while they were doing that, I was down in my bunker. Hiding from the world. Gray. I feel..."

She gave him an understanding smile. "Resentful?" she guessed.

Branch's eyes went wide. "How'd you know?" Could she read him that easily?

Poppy kissed his cheek. "When I showed Viva around the village, she didn't look happy," she recalled. "When I asked her why, it took some prodding, but she told me that she wished she could have grown up here. I had a great childhood... Viva didn't. I think she realized that, the same way you're realizing it with your brothers."

Her words hit him right in his chest. "But... what do I do about it?"

She smiled at him. "Tell them how you feel," she answered. "They love you, they'll listen if you talk to them about it."

Branch shut his eyes. "But then, they'll know I was gray," he whispered. The shame of what he'd been- how he'd lived- was crushing. How could he admit that to his brothers?

"Maybe they should know," advised Poppy. And Muses, it just hit him how much she'd matured in the last year. Was this really the same girl who used to harass him with invitations?

"...Will you be there when I tell them?" Branch asked, suddenly feeling small.

"Of course, sweetie," promised Poppy.

OoOoOo

Branch hadn't realized he dosed off until Rhonda came to a screeching halt (again). He was braced by Floyd this time, and he was embarrassed to notice he had fallen asleep on his brother's shoulder. "Morning," greeted Floyd. His face held his usual nonchalance, but his eyes told a different story. He looked upset- no. He looked guilty.

And it probably had to do with his graying hands.

"How long was I asleep?" asked Branch, glancing at the window. It was nighttime. "Why didn't any of you wake me up?"

"A couple of hours," Floyd answered. "You haven't slept since Poppy was taken, we figured you needed the rest."

He wanted to snap at his brother- he didn't to sleep, he needed his girlfriend found and safe, dammit- but resisted the urge. It wouldn't help. All it would do was earn him more of those fucking looks from his brothers.

"Yo, JD," called Clay. He sounded... weird. "What's Rhonda doing?"

John Dory frowned thoughtfully. "The scent ends here," he told them.

Viva bit her lip. "Are you sure?" she asked, an odd look crossing her face. Branch was confused, what was the problem? But he took another look out the windows and realized the area was startlingly familiar.

It suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks; Rhonda had led them to Hole N' Fun.

OoOoOo

The plot thickens! I have a headcanon for everyone's ages if anyone's interested. I'm assuming Branch was 2-3 when Brozone broke up and 4 when Rosiepuff was eaten and the trolls escaped, so he was 24 in the first movie and 25 now. Poppy was likely 1 during the escape and 21 in the first movie and 22 now. I'm assuming that Floyd is around 8-10 years older than Branch, so he's like 33-35 now. Clay is probably 1-2 years older than Floyd, so he's about 34-36. I'm assuming that Viva is around Floyd and Clay's ages, so like 33-36. Bruce is probably 1-2 years older than Clay, so like 35-38. And John Dory is probably like 1-2 years older than Bruce, so 36-40.

It's so freaking hard to tell because Brozone got those deep ass man voices when they were teenagerssss. Anyway, I hope you liked it and please review!