"Of course!" Toriel smiled in a way that told, no matter what, Frisk was staying for at least a few hours. She wasn't going to let her human child pass through her paws that quickly. "We'll see you later, Sans." The queen gave a small wave to the skeleton before she stood and gathered their empty plates.

Frisk pouted for a moment, not pleased that Sans had ditched her so fast. But she wasn't surprised. As lazy as Sans was, he was a busy guy. He couldn't stick around an old goat and human for too long, she reasoned. Still, she wished she hadn't made things so awkward. Those kinds of moments had been happening far too often lately.

Thinking of which...

"Mom, um...Can I talk to you for a minute?" Frisk stood and trailed after Tori into the kitchen. 

"What is on your mind, my child?" Toriel plopped the dishes in the sink to wash. "Does this have something to do with Sans?" She looked down at Frisk with a knowing eye, and laughed softly at the shocked expression she received as a response. 

"Well...Yeah." Frisk looked down at the floor. "I think there's something wrong between us. With...With [i]me[/i]." 

Toriel paused. Her paws lingered on the plate she was currently rinsing off. She stared ahead, looking like her soul had just stopped. A hint of fear played over her eyes. Something wrong? Oh, how Toriel dreaded those words. They brought back horrible memories. She couldn't lose another one. Not now.

She couldn't lose Frisk.

"Mom?"

The kitchen had gone silent, save for the water running from the tap. Frisk looked up at Tori with a mixed expression of concern and confusion. She wasn't entirely sure what she had said that caused her mother such distress. "Are you okay?" She put a hand on the queen's arm, hoping the touch would offer some comfort.

"Y-Yes, my child!" Toriel snapped back into action. She pulled the plates from the sink and set about drying them. Her movements were tense, like she still wasn't fully there. 

Frisk watched her for a moment. Maybe this wasn't the best time to bring this up. 

"What were you saying, Frisk? About you and Sans?" Toriel glanced at Frisk, seeming to be recovering. She offered the human a small smile, though it was shaky and nervous.

"Um...I think something's wrong."

Toriel tensed again, but carried on with a nod. "How so, my child?"

"Well, I...I don't know!" Frisk clenched her fists at her sides, sudden irritated as she realized that she couldn't really explain her emotions. Every word that could help her evaded her tongue's grasp. "We've been okay for so long. More than okay! He's like a big brother to me!" Frisk's sighed. "Or he was."

"Oh? Did something happen?"

"I don't think so. Nothing that I can remember, anyway." Frisk shrugged, and let her shoulders slouch in defeat. "I don't even know when it started. All I know is, sometimes, when I see him, I feel weird."

Toriel paused again. This time, a sly smile spread on her face. All the tension left her body. "Mm-hmm," she hummed as she put the dishes away.

"It's like...Like I can't even look at him without feeling awkward! My heart races, I sweat, I shake. It's gross and embarrassing, and I don't know how to stop it!" Frisk swiped the recently cleaned forks from the counter, and placed them in the silverware drawer. She closed it a little more firmly than she meant to. Flinching, Frisk rubbed at her face with an exhausted sigh.

Toriel turned to look at Frisk. "And it's only when you're around Sans?" There was a knowing tone to the older woman's statement, but Frisk didn't pick up on it.

"Yeah! And it's putting a huge strain on our friendship. You should have seen what happened last night, Mom! It was so bad that Sans had to leave the house in the middle of dinner!" She rubbed at her face again. "I felt so bad. I mean, it's better now. But still!"

Toriel hummed in understanding, now standing in front of Frisk. She held her paws at her front, keeping a patient and regal posture.

"When he's around, sometimes he's all I think about. I can't think of anything else, even if I try. I could...I could be on fire! I could literally be on fire, and still wouldn't be able to think about anything but Sans standing right in front of me!" Frisk gave an exasperated sigh. "Am I sick, Mom?" 

Toriel's only response was to laugh warmly.

Frisk looked up, confused and a little annoyed. This was serious!

"Oh, sweetheart," Toriel finally said. "You are not sick, my child. You are [i]lovesick[/i]." 

Frisk's heart skipped a beat. Alphys' words came rushing back to her. She was sure the scientist was just being a goofy romantic, but now she wasn't so certain. "But are you sure? I don't think..."

"I'm sure. Everyone in the Underground adores Sans. I foretold you feeling the same towards him, but I never imagined you actually falling for him." Toriel chuckled again.

"How do you know, Mom?"

"I was young once too, dear."

Frisk slouched. "What do I do? I can't just come out and tell him. What if he doesn't feel the same? Then our friendship really will be ruined." She felt paws grip her shoulders, and looked up at Tori.

"My child, your friendship with Sans is so much stronger than you give it credit for. Everything will be fine." Toriel brushed Frisk's cheek warmly, and the two smiled at each other. Once the human nodded at her words, Toriel straightened up and took her hand.

"Now, let's see if we can get lazy bone's attention." She began to pull Frisk towards the bathroom. "We're going to rattle his bones so bad, he won't ever be able to look away from you."

Frisk gave a sheepish smile as she allowed herself to be dragged into the bathroom. She had never seen this side of Toriel before. She wasn't sure whether to be terrified or excited. Maybe both.