Spectrum

By Berry's Ambitions

Author's note: My first attempt at a fic for this new little fandom. I saw the movie for the first time a few weeks ago and fell in love with the characters, especially Fear. This particular idea wouldn't leave me alone, so… here it is. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inside Out.

He's not sure why he can't sleep, but he does know that if he doesn't get at least ten to eleven hours of it, he's going to be a dysfunctional wreck tomorrow and that will spell trouble for all of them.

Fear groans, sitting upright and cradling his chin in his hands. His thoughts are jumbled and his eyelids are heavy, yet unconsciousness continues to evade him. It's downright frustrating, especially since he can't pinpoint what it is that's keeping him up in the first place. Riley had a good day - a good week. They'd all ensured that. Everything is just as it should be, yet here he is, wide awake in the middle of the night with no explanation as to why.

He doesn't like this. Not one bit. It's frustrating.

With a huff, Fear rolls onto his side, hugging his knees to his chest and squeezing his eyes shut for what feels like the thousandth time. He's all but drifting off when the faint sound of music registers, jostling him out of whatever light slumber he'd finally found, and subsequently lost.

Music? What on earth? Why would music be playing at this ungodly hour?

Fear forces himself to sit up once more, rubbing his eyes and stifling a yawn. His first instinct is to awaken the others and investigate - just for precaution, of course - when it occurs to him that it's Joy shift on dream duty tonight. Surely if something was wrong, she would've told them, right?

Call it paranoia, but he still can't shake off the feeling that something is going on… or perhaps he's merely curious. Either way, Fear finds himself hobbling out of the doorway and towards the source of the ruckus.

As he draws closer, he comes to recognize the music as a pop song - the kind that's constantly playing on the radio, no matter what station or how sick the general population is of hearing it (that last part being an opinion of Anger's, not a fact, though Fear can't completely disagree with him). The kind that's played so many times that it actually seeps into your subconscious so there's no possible way to avoid it, whether in the waking world or the supposed sanctuary of your dreams.

It's actually quite terrifying.

Fear's so appalled by his own realization that it doesn't register that he's turned the corner until he happens to look up.

And freezes.

And stares.

But not at the monitor like he's supposed to. Like he planned to.

Instead, he finds his gaze lingering on none other than Joy. Her movements are perfectly synchronized to the beat, from the snapping of her fingers to the tapping of her toes to the gentle sway of her hips. Her eyes are closed, a blissful expression on her face as she dances, completely lost in the song that the rest of them had been tortured with so many times before.

But looking at her like that, it's almost like Fear has never heard it before in his life.

He continues to watch her in quiet awe, a sort of calamity having taken hold of his small form. Had he not been so engrossed in what's going on, such a thing would have shocked him - though not as much as it would have shocked everyone else.

Joy twirls with a giggle, and Fear's breath catches in his throat.

How… how had he never noticed the way that she glows?

That particular thought had entered his mind before he could shut it down, and it's quickly being followed by alarm bells that sound a lot like inappropriate and unprofessional. And yet, somehow they're followed by the most forbidden thought of all.

She's beautiful.

Then, just like that, Fear snaps out of his reverie. With a rattling gasp, he flatten his back to the wall, disappearing from what would have been Joy's line of sight and sinking to the floor, where he curls in on himself and remains perfectly still.

Except for his hands.

They can't stop shaking.