Over the years, I've had my fair share of Fear x Disgust fanfic ideas, none of which were very original. However, I think I've finally come up with something that (as far as I know) hasn't been done before. Crossing my fingers that you all like it!

…

"Hey, is it just me, or has beanpole been acting weird lately?"

Despite Anger's slightly rude phrasing, Joy and Sadness couldn't help but nod in agreement. It would be one thing if he wasn't acting like himself, but in this case, Fear seemed to have turned into Fear 2.0. For the past week he'd been jumpier, his body and voice had been trembling more, and his fingernails had been chewed down to nothing but bloody nubs.

Currently, the purple emotion seemed to be staring at nothing in particular, his eyes wide as saucers, but the movement of his pupils indicated that his gaze was transfixed on...something.

"What do you think he's thinking about," Joy inquired, "There shouldn't be anything here in Headquarters that freaks him out that much, and we haven't had any recent nightmares, have we?"

"Trust me, we'd know if Riley had a nightmare while he was on Dream Duty," Anger commented, remembering the infamous "Dog-Bing Bong-Jangles" incident.

Sadness took note of Fear's eyes and stated, "I read somewhere once that the pupils expand by forty-five percent when you look at someone you love." The three emotions followed his gaze and finally found the source of his strange behavior.

The one emotion that didn't seem to notice or care.

Being the one that takes the longest to get ready every day, Disgust finally came out of her room, though she was still carrying a makeup compact and mascara brush. She was attempting to apply the cosmetic and still walk to the main room, keeping her gait as slow as she could to make sure she didn't mess up.

Joy stifled a snicker. It was no secret that Disgust had been the object of Fear's affection for going on ten years now, and she found it absolutely adorable how his actions had gone from shy to awestruck. How the verdant emotion still hadn't realized was beyond her.

Anger rolled his eyes. Sure, Disgust was pretty-she did care the most about her appearance, after all—but witnessing her current makeup routine, you would think she was obsessed. Seriously, why do girls leave their mouths hanging open when they put on mascara, he thought to himself. How the heck does he find that attractive? He at least knew better to keep his judgements to himself. To each their own, as they say.

Sadness's reaction to the situation, however, was one of concern. On the one hand, if Fear didn't tell Disgust how he felt, someone else might beat him to her, or he may simply never know if she feels the same way. On the other hand, if he did tell her and she rejected him, it would be rather awkward for everyone, given that they both work and live in the same environment.

Either way, the probability of heartbreak was about as high as Disgust's standards.

Finally satisfied with her reflection, Disgust put her compact in her locker and joined the others. "'Bout time you showed up," Anger remarked.

"Well, excuse me for wanting to look my best every day," she scoffed, flipping her hair, "You think, by some miracle, I could just wake up like this?"

Once again, she prompted him to roll his eyes. He hoped that Fear's crush wasn't just based on her appearance, because with that attitude, even having something pretty to look at wouldn't save that relationship.

Speaking of...

"Fear! C'mon, it's time to start the day," Joy called to the purple emotion, who was now staring at the space next to the couch that Disgust had been standing five seconds prior. He finally snapped out of his trance and approached his spot at the console. "Huh? Oh, right, Riley!" he stammered, "So, uh, what's on the docket for today?"

Anger took a glance at the day's issue of the Mind Reader. "NOTHING NEW" was the headline on the front cover. "Eh, looks like the same old, same old," he answered, "School, hockey practice, then back home we go."

"In that case, you guys can go ahead and do your own things for now," Joy announced, "I'll stay and man the controls and let you know when Riley needs you."

"Thank God," Disgust said, "I'm still not a hundred percent satisfied with this look. I may have to just wipe it all off and start over!"

She then noticed the disapproving stares she was getting from the others, and realized that maybe she shouldn't have reacted to an exemption from her job—in front of her boss, no less- with such enthusiasm. "Uh, I'll be in my room," she said sheepishly as she walked back up the ramp to the sleeping quarters.

"Anyway," Joy said to the remaining emotions, "Like I said, I'll keep an eye on the console for now, but stay on standby in case Riley needs to feel differently. Until then, Anger, unload the daydreams. Sadness, organize the ideas by worst to best, and you might want to throw the really bad ones out. And Fear..."

"Already on it," Fear exclaimed proudly, pulling out his notebook, "I've already made about twenty-seven points on today's Worst-Case Scenario list. And it's alphabetized! By the way, Misspelling a Four-Syllable Word and Dooming Ourselves to Eternal Humiliation is number fifteen."

"Well, then, I guess your work is done," Joy giggled, "But now, since you're not too busy," she extended her pinky and donned a British accent, "I'd just love a spot of tea." As he headed to the kitchen, she added, "Chamomile, please! And make sure there's enough for all of us! Wouldn't want to leave anyone out!"

Throughout the whole process of making the tea, Fear still hadn't gotten Disgust off of his mind (not that he wanted to, of course). Grabbing the kettle reminded him of how shiny her hair was in even the dimmest of lighting. Skimming through the tea bags and passing by a pack of Earl Grey, he remembered that it was her favorite. Maybe he would make a cup specially for her. Placing it all on the stove, he thought about how every guy in the Mind World always commented on how smokin' hot she was. He only wished he could tell her how he saw her. He looked right past her beauty and saw the good parts of her personality. He admired her honesty, her attentiveness, and the way she didn't think twice about speaking her mind. He wanted so badly to hold her close to him, look her dead in the eyes, and-

"Fear! Your hand!"

Once again snapping out of his daydreams, he looked down and saw that his hand was resting directly on top of the burner. Shrieking, he shook it in pain and stuck his index finger in his mouth. Then, realizing how stupid he probably looked, took it right back out and nervously laughed.

Sadness, who had been the one to warn him, approached his side and said knowingly, "You were thinking about her, weren't you?"

Fear sighed and gave her an embarrassed nod. "I know it's been years since I started feeling this way, but I don't think I'll ever be ready to tell her."

"Never say never, Fear," she said, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

They all soon started wondering just when Disgust was planning on gracing them with her presence once again. It was really rude of her to just run off like that and leave the rest of us to work, Joy thought. I mean, we see her every day. Is the way she looks that important to her?

…

Truthfully, Disgust had her mind on something more important.

As she observed her reflection in her bedroom mirror, she wasn't looking for blemishes or smudges in her makeup. She was more concerned about whether her skin tone had grown paler, or if she had any contusions or wounds on her body that should be cause for concern.

Once she felt semi-calm about her appearance, she opened up her dresser and pulled out a small medication bottle.

Fear wasn't the only one keeping a secret.