Worry wound its way around Toriel's soul in a crushing knot as her friend's question echoed in her ears. With the nature of it, she felt she absolutely needed to reply and she cursed her mind for being so scrambled from the shock of it all. Sans was waiting for her to speak, keeping his gaze away but still gripping at her paw expectantly. Eventually she settled on meeting his question with her own, letting her concerns coat her words.

"Is… is that how you feel, my friend?" She asked, giving his hand a squeeze.

Sans stiffened but did not face her. His voice was still as smooth as ever when he spoke again.

"we're talking about you right now, remember?" He replied, and she saw him curl his free hand into a fist above his knee. "so does it?"

His persistence with the question told her he really wanted, perhaps needed to hear an answer from her. She bit her lip anxiously, wondering how to respond to him. Part of her wanted to keep pressing him for the reason behind his words, but she could tell he was already incredibly on edge. This had clearly not been an easy thing for him to ask. Reacting badly to it could damage his trust in her. So, she thought it over and at some point, the words came almost subconsciously.

"Well… I do not know exactly what you mean by "give up" but... I certainly have had times were the weight of my failures, and this immortality born from that failure, has instilled in me some… dark thoughts."

She swallowed, not sure how much she was willing to admit to on the subject at this point. Sans remained still as a statue, not even keeping up the act of breathing as he listened intently. She eventually worked up the nerve to keep going, voice growing heavy with heartache.

"Back when I was in the ruins, and even on occasionally hard days now…I would think to myself… look what you have done. Look how you failed all these children… Your own son, your adopted child and now all of these others. You could not save any of them. You are not cut out to be anyone's mother. You failed them and let them die. Now you will have all eternity to suffer for it."

She paused, aware of the fact she was now shivering slightly. Her words had gotten away with her there… She had not intended to be that honest. Now her emotions were choking her and her soul ached terribly. Beneath the pain though, something about admitting all that felt good, like those terrible words were no longer stuck in her head. They had also prompted Sans to finally look back at her, and his expression spoke volumes. Fierce guilt and sorrow shone in the wavering lights of his eyes, but it seemed he could not will himself to speak. So even as tears begun to sting her eyes, Toriel kept talking.

"Those thoughts were amplified in the crushing isolation of that place…" She croaked. "Being alone like that after suffering such loss is not healthy, any psychologist would tell you as much I am sure. I only had that empty house and my memories to occupy me. And each time one of the children left, each time I failed another one… I… I hate to say it. But there were points where in my despair… I did… b-briefly consider…"

She forced herself to stop, clamping her mouth shut so hard her fangs dug painfully into her lip. What was wrong with her? She couldn't admit to that. Stars, what would he think of her? She was supposed to be the strong one here. Why had she said all that? She was supposed to be helping him. Not displaying her ugly scars for him to feel guilty over. How could she hope to be the support he needed if she was teetering on the edge of breaking down herself? Damn it, she was usually better at handling this.

Her tone abruptly changed in an attempt to become more stable as she rushed to try and salvage the situation, hoping to cut off any shocked response from Sans.

"B-but I never lingered on such thoughts for t-too long." She insisted, even as her vision blurred and she felt the warmth of tears running into the fur on her cheeks.

"I a-always reminded myself that if there was even a chance I could s-save one of them someday. I h-had to be there to ensure that happened. Even if it felt hopeless, I h-had to be strong and keep trying… I had too. They deserved that chance t-to survive. Those ch-children d-did not have anyone else who would protect them… no one at least… u-until I met you of course."

She tried to meet his gaze again but her vision was too watery for her to see how he was taking her words. She cursed under her breath, sniffling and wiping at her eyes with her free paw. She mentally raged at herself for letting her emotions get so out of hand. As she fought to compose herself, she felt him slowly let go of her paw. In her current state, her mind saw it as a sign of disgust or disappointment on his part. Before those feelings could be truly realized though, she was surprised to feel him suddenly stand up on the couch in front of her and wrap his arms around her neck in a tight hug.

"t-tori i'm so sorry, please don't cry. i'm s-sorry, i shouldn've…" His words came out shaky and pained. It seemed that the odd trance he'd been in had been shattered by her tearful reaction.

Toriel blinked, taken aback for a moment before quickly returning the hug. She held him close and forced herself to speak past the lump in her throat.

"No, n-no it is okay…" She breathed, giving his back a rub. "I d-did promise that I would be open with you about these things as well, d-did I not? I am alright, my friend… I assure you. It has just b-been a while since I have really thought about it. I am alright…"

He gripped at her tighter, trembling lightly. She felt his phalanges curl into her dress and the fur at the back of her neck.

"i… d-don't why i asked all that…" He croaked, voice trembling as he did. "it was shitty of me. i'm sorry, i don't know w-what's wrong with me."

"Shhh…" She shushed him, before drawing in a deep breath to steady herself. "Sans, it is okay. These things are p-painful yes, but they are still important to talk about. Otherwise they can fester within our souls a-and make our suffering so much worse. I… I could not seem to control m-my words there, I suppose I probably n-needed to say it."

Sans didn't reply, only continued to shiver in their tight embrace. Toriel swallowed hard and fought back against the waterworks. With what she wished to say next, she needed to be as level-headed as she could manage. Her scarlet eyes stung as she eased them shut.

"And… I feel as though there is a r-reason you asked me that, is there not?"

The skeleton flinched at her question and she could feel his soul becoming racked with layers of pain and fear. That alone was more than enough of an answer, but he managed a verbal response eventually as well.

"t-tori… i… i j-just…" He choked out, the strength starting to go out of him.

Toriel began to feel tears falling onto her neck again, but this time they were not her own.

"i know i h-have to tell you, okay?" He continued in a broken, almost panicked tone. "i-it can't wait anymore. i've b-been avoiding it all this time and i just… you h-have to know or n-nothing else w-will make sense. i know that. i'm j-just-"

"Shhh…" Toriel shushed him again, gently pulling him down into her arms to hold him more properly against her chest. His legs gave out beneath him as she did so, leaving him sitting in her lap just as he had been so many other times that night. Her own overwhelming desire to comfort him helped stave off any further tears of her own. When she reopened her eyes, she found she could see far more clearly. The sight that met her however did little to soothe her aching soul.

She couldn't see her friend's face as he had huddled up as close to her as he could, but the sight of his small, shuddering form in her arms was more than enough to hurt her. The feeling of damp spots forming on her lower neck only made it worse. Still, she couldn't ignore what he had just said. She did her best to keep her voice steady as she spoke again.

"My friend, if there is something you feel you must tell me, you know I will be happy to listen." She soothed, running a paw gently up and down his back. "But first, try to relax a little, okay? Your soul is… very worked up right now. Just breathe, I am not going anywhere."

Sans went silent at her words and just continued to shake, bones rattling softly. Toriel could tell he was trying hard to fight against the tears escaping him, but they still came regardless. So it was that he wept in silence, unable to stop the tears but managing to keep himself quiet aside from the occasional shaky intake of breath. Shame started to mix in with the magic flowing from his already emotionally strained soul.

She wished he didn't feel so bad about crying in front of her, or crying at all for that matter. He had been acting the same way about it earlier after he'd woken from his nightmare. Surely, he must know that such a thing would never bother her. If she was being honest, Sans seemed like someone who needed to cry, and not like this, but really cry. He was so tightly wound up emotionally speaking, and had the situation not been as distressing as it was, he would have never allowed himself to even get to this point. It was like that with any of his emotions too.

She had noticed him keep himself from getting too excited or too happy over things. And his outburst of anger yesterday showed just how little he knew how to handle that. He didn't seem to ever allow himself to feel much beyond lazy, half-hearted amusement if he could help it. All that repression couldn't be good for him, and likely was part of the reason his nightmares and other issues were as bad as they were.

The fact he was crying like this at all though was a clear sign of just how serious whatever he wanted to talk about was. She couldn't guess what it was based on what she knew, but had a hunch it was what had been affecting him so badly throughout this. His words from the day before came back to her and she had to suppress a shudder.

as for um… what the patience essence gave me… well... i'll save that for a bit later. its uh… a bit of a doozy.

oh, uh, also… don't worry about what'cha said before… it'll make sense why i… y'know… we'll uh… we'll get to that part eventually… heh.

What could be so bad that it seemed to cause him far more pain than even his terrible childhood? What had that injection done to him? Back when she first worried over the signs of her friend's hidden despair, she never could have imagined she be able to get him to be this honest with her. Now though, she felt she was on the verge of finally knowing the key element that was causing her friend's suffering. The element that would finally explain all his odd comments over the years that seemed to make no sense.

She sniffed one last time from a few lingering tears and steeled herself as best she could as Sans slowly calmed in her arms. His trembling all but ceased after a few minutes and he managed to get the tears to stop as well. Still, he felt so very tense and his soul's flow of magic remained highly unsettled. It seemed to her that there was little hope of him truly relaxing until he got whatever he needed to speak of off of his chest at last.

Another rumble of thunder from outside caused one of her long ears to twitch. It also seemed to snap Sans out of his stupor as he finally turned his head a bit and loosened his tight grip on her. When she glanced down at him though, he shied from her gaze, keeping his head low. Clearly, he did not want her to see the state his face was in after all that. She left him be, turning back to look at the fireplace instead and giving him a gentle, hopefully reassuring, pat on the arm.

"Sounds like a storm is blowing in." She said softly, finally breaking the silence. "I suppose we are due for one, It has been a while since the last. I do hope there is not too much lightning. Even though, I must admit, it can be rather striking."

Her goal with the joke was to bring some levity back to the situation before whatever it was Sans wanted to tell her. Both of their previous emotional outbursts still left the room feeling a bit heavy, and she was attempting to lighten it the best way she knew how. Her attempts however seem to fall flat this time, as her friend offered no reaction to the joke at all.

That made her weary smile falter, if he wasn't even going to pretend to be amused by her puns… that was not a good sign. She tried to think of something else to say, but those thoughts were halted as Sans spoke up again.

"t-tori, listen..." He rasped, voice rather raw sounding.

Toriel turned to look at him again, all attempted humor fading back into seriousness. This time, while he still did not meet her eyes, he did not hide himself from her again. Despite expecting the sight, her soul still clenched up when she saw all the tracks of tears stains on his face, made much more prominent on bone than they would be on flesh. To be fair though, her own face probably didn't look much better.

His eye sockets were only barely open, so she could not see the lights of his eyes, but she reasoned that there would only be darkness there at the moment. She resisted the urge to comfort him for his sake, making sure she kept her expression even. She would be remiss not to give her full attention to what she was about to hear.

The skeleton shifted a bit into a more comfortable position facing her. He surprised her then by reaching over and pulling one of her paws towards himself to hold against his chest. He then curled his phalanges around it, keeping it in place. After a moment, she understood that it was an act of apology on his part for upsetting her earlier.

She bit back the words of reassurance she wanted to give him, feeling as though they would not placate him now. She settled for happily allowing the gesture, feeling the magic of his soul thrumming beneath her paw. Sans' expression did not change, but she felt the tension in his body lessen by degrees.

He took a deep breath before speaking again, closing his sockets fully.

"this is going to be rough t, okay?" He croaked out nervously. "you know what i said before, about worrying whether you'd believe me? well… this is the part i'm most worried about…"

Toriel felt the now familiar sense of dread pooling within her soul, and she nodded in acknowledgment.

"I understand." She murmured. "But please remember what I promised you, I will believe you my friend. I trust you."

Sans expression softened just a bit at that, and he gave her paw a little squeeze. When he didn't immediately reply though, she went on, voice growing somber again.

"Is… is what you wish to tell me… the reason why you were so hurt by what I said before?" She asked.

He stiffened but after another deep breath he forced a nod.

"yah…"

His eye sockets reopened a bit and a pained false grin spread across his face.

"heh…okay. i-i'd better start talking… there's a lot to get through with this and i'm probably not gonna be able to stay focused as well as before…" He admitted with a small renewed shudder. "it's been a… really long time since i tried to tell anyone about the rese-"

His words were abruptly cut off as a bright flash filled the room, followed by a great boom of thunder. Toriel jumped, some of her fur standing on end as she whipped around to look at the window. Sans went totally rigid, gripping her paw as tightly as he could to the point it almost hurt. That and the spike of fear she felt from his soul told him it had certainly taken him off guard too. As the deep rumbles trailed off and were replaced by the sound of heavy rain, Toriel recovered with a bit of a nervous laugh.

"G-goodness, it certainly got here fast, huh?"

Sans didn't reply and she realized that the soft purple glow of the fire was no longer the only colorful light illuminating the room. Mixing with it was a now terribly familiar light blue and yellow. She quickly looked back down at her friend and sure enough, she found his left eyelight blazing back at her within now fully open sockets.

Concern re-gripped her soul. It wasn't uncommon for his eyelight to flare up when he was taken off guard like this, but something in his gaze just wasn't right. He didn't look startled, he looked terrified. The shock from the light and sudden loud noise did not seem to be wearing off either. His death grip on her paw and the unyielding fear radiating from his soul could attest to that. It was if he were frozen, his burning eyelight unseeing as he waited for… something.

"Sans, what is wrong?" Toriel asked uncertainly, trying to meet his gaze and giving him a small shake when she found him unresponsive.

Her words appeared to have little effect at first, but then he blinked and looked towards the window. He flinched as another flash of lightning blinded them both, but Toriel could feel the momentary panic gripping his soul beginning to wane. As the resulting boom of thunder lightly shook the home, he huddled back towards her and covered his face with his free hand. A humorless wheeze of laughter escaped him and his grip on her finally loosened a bit.

She eyed him nervously, quick to voice her concerns again as she held him close and instinctively turned them both from the window.

"My friend, what is it? Is…" She paused, trying to word the question carefully. "Is the storm… frightening you?"

She doubted that was the case, Sans had proven many times over that he was a monster of science. It was unlikely something as easily explained as a thunderstorm would scare him so badly. Though it was true that many monsters had found them quite petrifying when they'd first arrived on the surface. Something so jarring and loud would be a difficult thing to adjust to for anyone who hadn't dealt with them before. It had even taken her a while to become used to them again.

Still, this situation felt different. She'd been through storms with him before and he'd never acted this way. He'd taken a while to become accustomed to them like everyone else yes, but he usually even seemed to enjoy them nowadays. Even though this one was a great deal more severe than usual, his reaction just didn't make sense to her. She wasn't sure if she felt relieved or even more worried when he shook his head in reply, validating her suspicions.

"n-no, no it's not that…" He rasped, breathing heavily as he tried to reign in his magic again. "it's just… that light. it… i thought it… it was…"

He trailed off, shaking with another weak, empty chuckle. The light of his still flaring eyelight seeped through his phalanges.

"it always g-goes white like that before e-everything…"

This time when he stopped, it seemed far more deliberate. Soon the only sound from him was his unsteady breathing.

"Before everything… what?" Toriel asked, unable to keep herself from doing so.

Another flash of lightning and rolling boom of thunder followed her words, eliciting another harsh flinch from the skeleton. He recovered with a rough curse under his breath and an involuntary shudder. Her soul panged with sympathy and her mind began to race to figure out what she could do for the situation. She gave a quick glance towards the entrance to the hallway over her shoulder, an idea coming to her.

"Never mind it for now." She soothed, lowering her voice. "How about we go into my bedroom until this all passes? We can shut the curtains in there and I tend to find that the noise from storms like this is not as bad.

Sans didn't reply right away, and she watched and gently rubbed his arm until his eyelight finally went out entirely. With it, his soul seemed to settle again as well, to the point he was only slightly affected from the next inevitable burst of lightning from outside. Instead, it only left him looking frustrated and oh so tired as he slowly let his hand drop from his face.

"a-alright…" He relented, before finally meeting her gaze again. "but still, i n-need to tell you- "

A new sound cut him off this time, prompting them both to turn and look towards where it had come from. Toriel could scarcely believe what she had heard and didn't fully react until it came again. Though muffled by the rumbles of thunder and the pounding rain, the sound was distinct and was one both of them knew very well. It was the sound of someone knocking on the door.

"Who the hell- " Toriel caught herself, biting her lip briefly. "heck could be here at this hour?"

She looked between the direction of the door and Sans with indecision, only stopping when he spoke up again.

"go on t-tori, it's probably important." He croaked, voice dull.

Toriel frowned, not liking the defeat in his tone. It made the urge to ignore the now slightly more insistent knocking all the stronger. He seemed to notice her expression and gave her paw a squeeze before letting it go with the ghost of a smile.

"i'll be fine, go ahead." He attempted to reassure her, shifting off her lap to sit back on the couch beside her.

She still didn't feel good about leaving him, considering all that had just happened. But he was right, if someone was knocking on her door at this hour, in the middle of a storm… It could be something serious. As another lightning flash lit the room, Toriel grabbed the throw blanket that had been pushed aside and laid it over him as she began to get to her feet.

"Just rest here for now, maybe lie down for a bit." She said, setting his water bottle beside him as well. "I will handle whatever is going on. Do not hesitate to let me know if you need anything."

She was aware then just how much of her motherly tone had crept back into her voice there. Thankfully, Sans did not seem at all bothered by it, even displaying a brief twinkle of amusement in his eyelights despite his obvious vexation. He responded with a small nod and settled into the blanket with a shaky sigh.

Toriel forced herself to turn away, quickly heading to the window to shut the blinds before going to the door. It wouldn't keep the flashes from the lightning out entirely, but she hoped it would help him feel a bit more at ease. Her paws skidded a bit on the tile of the kitchen floor as she entered the room and she had to right herself with another unbidden curse. The knocking continued until she reached the door where she clumsily fumbled with the locks with her large paws before finally yanking it open.

The sight that met her made a terrible chill run down her spine. Of all the people who could have been there, monster, human or otherwise. It just had to be him.

Towering in the doorway, sopping wet and sporting a terribly nervous grin… was her ex-husband, king of monsters, Asgore Dreemurr.

For a moment she could only stare, feeling the fur on the back of her neck stand up and her grip on the door handle tighten. Stars above, she was not prepared to deal with this tonight. She had mused to herself before that Sans may indeed be cursed to perpetual misfortune by whatever higher power may or may not govern their universe. Now, she supposed she must also have drawn the ire of this potential deity. Why did it have to be him? Now, of all times?

"G-Good evening Toriel." Asgore stammered weakly, wringing his massive paws together. "Or um, perhaps I should be saying good morning at this point… Ha ha…"

"Dreemurr…" She responded flatly, continuing to drill him with a questioning, withering glare.

"S-so sorry to disturb you at this hour…" He went on quickly, tensing a bit as another boom of thunder shook the area. "I was out here when this storm blew in and, golly, it sure is a fierce one huh? I would have just called but I left my phone back at home and I saw you h-had a fire going and just figured someone was uh… awake?"

Her glare did not falter and her eyes narrowed as the implication of his words sunk in.

"And just what were you doing, outside my home, at 5 in the morning?!" She punctuated each part of the question with a pause, as she tried and failed to control her frustration.

The hulking boss monster waved his paws in a placating manner, trying to keep his smile in place.

"Sorry, I worded that badly… I simply could not sleep earlier and thought a walk to the park might clear my head. It was foolish of me not to check the weather beforehand and it was only by happenstance I was near here when the storm hit. I promise"

Toriel did not reply immediately, unable to stop sending glares his way. She knew he was telling the truth, it was obvious. She knew well what a terrible liar he was. Yet, she still struggled to quell the hot flames of anger burning at the back of her throat.

You're being paranoid and ridiculous… Her mind told her, and she had to concede it was right.

She drew in a deep breath through her nose and let it out through her mouth with a small wisp of smoke before forcing herself to step aside.

"Come in." She relented quietly.

Asgore did so, ducking his head so that his massive horns did not collide with the doorframe. Once inside, he turned to her with a small, thankful bow.

"Thank you, I apologize again for coming by so unexpectedly. I will head back as soon as the storm clears up."

She did not respond, keeping her focus on shutting and re-locking the door. It closed and shut out the noise of the storm just as another great crash of thunder came from above. She lingered at the door facing away from him for a few moments more, trying to sort through her jumbled, irritable thoughts. Steeling herself, she eventually turned to meet his gaze. He was one of the few monsters for who she had to look upwards to address and it stirred an odd, uneasy feeling in her soul.

He blinked in minor surprise at the sight of her in the light, then his expression shifted to concern.

"Gosh, Tori- er Toriel, have… have you've been crying?" He asked.

She averted her gaze again with a huff, irate at the fact she had forgotten the poor state she was in. She crossed her arms firmly in front of her, keeping her stance strong.

"That is none of your concern." She practically growled, her irritation overpowering her judgement once more.

He did not flinch at her reaction, more than used to such responses from her. He only looked saddened and awkwardly rubbed his arm.

"Yes… I suppose. My apologies. Though, if there is anything troubling you… I do hope you feel better soon."

The genuineness of his tone only made Toriel's skin crawl all the more, though she did her best not to show it. She was usually so much better at handling this. Typically, she had time to prepare herself for an encounter with Asgore, and she could at least work up the strength to appear pleasant and calm around him. But it seemed his sudden arrival on top of everything else was making that impossible. Despite her best efforts to control it, her soul continued to churn fiercely with anger.

She did manage to get her expression to soften though, if only for her own sake. Her eyes fell on the puddle his waterlogged clothes and fur were leaving on the floor, and she saw an opportunity to re-direct the conversation.

"You are soaking the tile." She said dully, still not meeting his eyes. "Go into the laundry room and change. There are towels in there and… you can borrow one of my robes."

Asgore's expression immediately lit up at that, both his orange and blue eyes shining with gratitude. She hated how sick it made her feel, seeing him so happy because of something she'd said. She suppressed a shudder.

"Oh yes, of course. I greatly appreciate it." He said with a warm smile, before heading towards the room in question.

Toriel only offered a small nod in reply, unmoving until he had left the room. Only then did she shakily collapse into one of the chairs at the kitchen table, cradling her head in her paws. She focused on calming her frayed nerves as best she could, breathing deeply as she sat there. That had gone badly on her end, there was no denying it. And now that she was alone again, the true shame of her behavior was settling in.

She had been trying so hard lately to find peace regarding Asgore. Forgiving him entirely was likely out of the question for her, but she had thought she'd been making progress towards accepting him on friendly terms again at least. Her deep seeded grudge and trauma regarding her ex-husband had been a thorn in the side of the family unit all of them had built up over the last year.

Everyone else was happy to forgive and forget when it came to the sins they'd all committed underground, including Asgore's. She largely felt the same, hence why she had only fired Alphys for the incidents with the amalgamates instead of holding any true charges against her, as one example. Redemption and second-chances were typically ideas she believed in quite strongly. But with him it was different, and the others, especially Undyne, made sure to call out her hypocrisy. Some more kindly than others.

If she could just get along with him again, move past all this properly and not be so bitter… things would be so much better for everyone. But she just couldn't, not yet at least. While she held no true hatred in her heart, the things he had done were just too personally devastating to her. Any time she felt she was close to being comfortable with him again, her mind would go back to the human children's faces. And she'd see his paws… the paws that had once held her with loving intention… covered in their innocent blood. Sometimes she even thought she could hear their screams.

No no no do not think about it… Do not think about it. Her mind screamed at her, forcing her to shake away those thoughts. If she got worked up over any of that now, this night would only go from bad to worse. She needed to be strong and get through this without blowing up further. She just had to. The storm continued to rage outside with another great boom of thunder, and its fury seemed to reflect the war of emotions occurring within her soul.

The soft sound of claws clinking against tile signaled Asgore's return and she willed herself to straighten back up and drop her paws into her lap. The larger boss monster had chosen her dark purple robe with the white flower pattern to change into and his fur was quite mussed from towel drying. He was an almost comical sight, nothing about him would scream royalty to most. That made her unease around him feel all the more shameful.

He approached but kept some distance between them, giving another small inclination of his head in thanks.

"Thank you again Toriel." He said simply, smile from before still in place. "I put my clothes in your dryer, I hope that's alright."

His comment made her aware of the slight hum of the dryer coming from the laundry room. As before, she only nodded in response, worried what biting words could escape her if she allowed herself to speak. The silence stretched on for a bit before Asgore clasped his paws together and straightened up a bit.

"How about I make some tea? To repay your hospitality. Do you, uh, still have the teabags I sent over with Frisk last week?" He asked, with only a touch of hesitation.

Toriel resisted the urge to sneer. Tea. It was always tea with him. Sometimes she wondered if her ex-husband truly thought all problems could be solved over tea. Despite her internal grumblings, she conceded with another nod.

"Yes, they are in the cupboard above the sink, in the little dish." She replied softly, subconsciously kneading the fabric of her dress a bit beneath her claws.

Asgore was quick to go to the counter and retrieve the little bags in question, all crafted by his own paws and full of crushed up golden flowers from his personal garden. He set to work filling the teapot and lighting the stovetop with a small burst of orange fire magic. Meanwhile, Toriel watched through half-lidded eyes, pondering how the rest of the night, and quickly approaching day, was going to go. She was snapped out of her minor daze by the taller boss monster speaking up again.

"Is it just you here tonight Toriel?" He asked, carefully moving the now-full teapot over the small circle of flame. "I know Frisk and Flowey are at Kid's party and Papyrus went with Undyne and Alphys to the beach near Ebott City, Yes?"

He paused, casually tapping his claws on the countertop as he left the pot to heat up.

"Is Sans off doing something as well?"

The question had an odd, knowing tone to it that she was not sure she liked, especially coming from him. Still, she drew a steadying breath and made herself reply.

"No… Sans is here, but he is… unwell at the moment. So, do try not to make too much noise. The storm is certainly not helping things." She said, glancing briefly towards the living room.

She wondered how he was fairing. Had he managed to fall asleep again? With what had transpired earlier in the night, she highly doubted it. He likely was simply sitting there, alone and lost in his thoughts and frustrations over whatever it was he wanted so badly to tell her. Her soul panged briefly as she wished she could just forget Asgore and return to him. It was a childish thought surely, but it still furthered her own restrained frustration all the more.

"Ah I see, poor fellow, I do hope it's nothing serious." Asgore said, pausing briefly as another peal of thunder went off outside.

He went on again once the rumbling trailed off, and she could hear what sounded like a smile in his voice.

"If he has you here to care for him though, I am sure he will be just fine. He couldn't have a better monster by his side."

She blinked, not sure how to take those words. They still unsettled her, but in a way that was different than before. And that odd inflection to his voice was still there, warm and without a hint of dishonesty. Her brows furrowed now more in confusion rather than anger, but she still turned away again, not willing to say anything in return. Asgore didn't seem to mind though and was content to let the silence between them stretch on as the water continued to boil.

It stayed that way for a few minutes more, until the teapot finally gave a shrill whistle. Asgore was quick to pull it off and put out the flames before the sound grew too loud though. He fetched two of her teacups and poured the steaming water into them with practiced skill. Then he set a tea bag into each to begin steeping, cradling both cups carefully in his massive paws. Toriel froze up a bit when he turned back to her, uncomfortable to have his gaze on her again. She did her best to relax and accept the cup from him without letting her paws tremble. She wasn't fully successful, but he made no comment on the matter.

"Should be ready in a few minutes." He said with a grin, before walking over to take a seat in the chair next to hers.

She tried not to recoil, but could feel her claws curl sharply inwards as his arm lightly brushed her own in the midst of him sitting down. She had to catch herself and retract them again to prevent damage to her teacup. The sight of the pale golden tea suddenly made her feel sick, but she swallowed hard and did her best not to show it. It felt as though his gaze was boring into her, even though she knew his expression would be gentle if she turned to look. Stars above, why did this have to be so hard for her?

Asgore cleared his throat softly before setting his cup on the table, she could see him turn his eyes away, as though aware of her unease. Another thunderous boom shook the house before he spoke again.

"So um… Frisk did wonderfully at the meeting last week." He began, slowly wringing his paws together. "I am sure they told you but they really charmed the visiting officials, even connected with one woman on a deeper level through their signing. They get more confident in their role every time, not even the harsher questions gave them any pause."

Toriel relaxed a bit at the mention of her child, their achievements as ambassador always bringing a warm feeling of pride to her soul. Her tired eyes glanced at him briefly, then back down at her tea.

"Yes… They did talk about it." She replied softly, running a claw slowly down the handle of the teacup. "I am glad to hear that, I cannot help but worry sometimes that all this would be overwhelming for a child their age."

Asgore let out a quiet rumble of laughter, but quickly composed himself again.

"So do I." He admitted, absently running a paw through his beard. "Truly, during those first few meetings, I almost wished to dismiss them from their position amidst all the yelling and fear-mongering going on. But with just a bit of time, they took to the role like a fish to water. Now I don't know what I'd do without them."

She hummed in vague acknowledgment, eyes still glued on her cup. The tea had darkened to a deep golden color, signaling it was ready. Despite the faint nausea still lingering within her soul, she decided she may as have a little as a curtesy at least. She had already made an undignified embarrassment of herself enough tonight after all. She plucked out the teabag and set it aside on the table before taking a small sip.

It was delicious, as it always was, something about the taste instilling in her a sense of terribly bittersweet nostalgia. Good as it was though, the feelings it brought up were a bit too raw for her to handle at the moment. She set the teacup back on the table, willing her soul to settle within her. Asgore sipped his own tea beside her, letting out a content sigh once the cup left his lips. The silence after set her mind racing again.

Part of her almost wanted to ask him about the things Sans had told her. Would the name Dr. Gaster ring any bells, despite her friend's insistence no one could remember him? Did any remnants of the experiments the skeleton brothers were part of still exist in the king's mind? Would he even tell her the truth if she asked in the first place? No matter what the answer might be, her promise to keep Sans' secrets to herself kept her mouth shut tight. But remembering all the suffering her friend had endured due in part to Asgore's negligence made her red eyes darken with rage, further fueling the anger burning within her soul.

Asgore's soft expression dulled a bit when he noticed her negative shift of emotions, and she turned away further in response. When he spoke again, his tone was more serious.

"Toriel… I… I know you said it was none of my concern but…"

She tensed, expression tightening in anticipation of what she knew was coming. Her impulse was to interrupt him as before, but she couldn't find the strength.

"I can tell you were upset by something before I got here… If something is wrong… if there is anything I can do to help, I'd like very much to do so." He said, clearly trying to be careful with his words.

But no amount of compassion on his part could overpower her nerves it seemed. Frustration and unease flooded through her soul again, activating her fight or flight response. Flight was the only reasonable choice here.

"No, I am fine. I do not require any of your help." She managed stiffly, pushing back her chair from the table.

The utter hypocrisy of the statement burned on her tongue, but she didn't let that stop her from starting to get to her feet again. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew she had to get away from him. If she didn't, she wasn't sure how much longer she could stay level-headed about the situation.

Before she could stand up fully though, Asgore moved to try to stop her, voice plaintive.

"Toriel, please, don't." he implored, quickly reaching out a paw to grip her arm. "I only wish to- "

If he said more, she didn't hear it. For the moment his paw curled around her wrist, pure panic gripped her soul like an iron vice. All she could see was blood. Dark, cold blood dripping down from his claws to stain her white fur. The human children's blood… her children's blood.

"Do not touch me!" She outright shouted, recoiling back several feet and holding her paw against her chest.

Another boom of thunder shook the house mere seconds after the words left her mouth. Neither boss monster moved.

Toriel trembled in place, realization of what she'd just done setting in as her momentary panic faded. She ducked her head, drawing in deep, shaky breaths. Part of her wished she could just turn to dust on the spot.

"Toriel… I…" Asgore's voice shook with regret and she didn't have to look at him to know the pain in his eyes.

The sound of him slowly standing from his chair caused her to stiffen once more. She was about to bolt, perhaps run to her room like the pathetic coward she was. But she stopped when an odd bit of spacial distortion and flash of blue light lit up the space in front of her. To her utter surprise, Sans appeared in that spot the moment the flash faded.

He was in his usual pose, hands in his jacket pockets, but his posture was stiff, almost… confrontational. His hood was back up over his skull too, surely shrouding his face in shadow from Asgore's point of view. He looked up at the hulking boss monster without a hint of intimidation, despite the massive difference in size.

"heya fluffybuns." He said, voice surprisingly strong, if still husky from exhaustion. "everything alright in here?"

His tone was akin to his usual casualness, but there was an element of anger there too, just beneath the surface. Toriel could only blink down at him in silent shock, unsure of what to make of the situation. Asgore seemed equally perplexed, tilting his head slightly as he looked down at the small skeleton.

"Oh, howdy Sans…" He managed after a moment, forcing a weak smile. "Sh-should you really be up? Toriel told me you weren't well… and golly… I suppose she's right."

Sans shrugged his shoulders, but the gesture wasn't as loose as it usually was.

"eh, i had a bad day and got totally wasted, no biggee. it happens." He replied, before his tone grew more serious. "but you didn't answer my question, didya, your highness? what the hell did you just do?"

Asgore looked mildly stunned by the gall behind Sans' question and even Toriel felt her brows raise. Even with as approachable and benign a ruler as Asgore was, she'd never heard anyone speak to him that way before. The monster king opened and closed his mouth a few times before answering, expression shifting to shame once more.

"I… I did something I should not have." He admitted softly, sorrowful eyes peering down at Sans. "I grabbed her wrist on impulse, only because I wished to continue speaking with her. That is all. I promise."

His eyes lifted and landed on Toriel again. She managed not to turn away this time, meeting his gaze nervously.

"I am so sorry Toriel… You must know I did not intend to upset you. I… I meant what I said. I just wish to help."

She set her jaw, unable to will herself to reply or do much of anything really. Her eyes were drawn downwards as Sans turned to look back at her. His eyelights were sharp, but softened as they focused on her.

"is that the truth, tori? you okay?" He asked, portraying the question as much with his gaze as with his voice.

She swallowed, still reeling from what was happening. Was Sans… defending her? That had to be it. He had heard her outburst and had come to her aid. As ridiculous as it might appear for such a small monster to be sticking up for another more than double his size, and facing down a monster nearly three times no less, the intention behind his actions was sinking in.

Despite the embarrassment she felt at it all, his act of care made her soul feel warm and it calmed within her. She let out a breath she had unknowingly been holding and managed a weary nod.

"Yes, I am fine… I just…" She rasped, pausing a moment to gain control over her shuddering. "I o-overreacted, I… apologize."

The last part came out far quieter and with more hesitation. Saying those words to Asgore felt so wrong somehow, but she forced herself not to think about it, lest she make a fool of herself again. The other boss monster's eyes softened with relief, but his frown remained.

"Oh, please, don't, you have nothing to apologize for… I should have known better than to…" He trailed off, great shoulders sagging.

Sans looked between the two for a moment, before the hint of anger in his expression melted away. He relaxed and put on one of his usual large, fake grins before walking back over to Toriel. That smile faltered a bit when he met her eyes again though. He looked up at her with sympathy and was sure to give her some space. She appreciated his consideration, even though she would have been fine having him close at this point. Hell, she kind of wished for it. Somehow, she managed a weak smile back down at him, hoping it communicated her gratitude.

That smile was quickly dashed though when Asgore took a small step closer, perhaps thinking she would be okay with it now. But it caused her to stiffen again and she could tell Sans noticed. Before the other boss monster could take another step towards her, Sans turned around and put himself between them. His tone kept that same feigned casualness as before, but his stance was firm in its intention.

"y'know asgore, i really think the best way for you to help right now is to maybe take your tea and go cozy up by the fire. You look like someone really dampened your spirits." He quipped, grin widening a bit at the pun.

No one laughed at his joke, though Toriel did feel her lips twitch upwards a bit.

"obviously me and tori aren't feeling so hot, so we're probably gonna crash for the night… er morning heh heh. you might want to do that too, storm probably won't let up completely for another few hours. i'd recommend the couch, totally a ten outa ten on the comfyness scale."

Another rumble of thunder, somewhat softer now, shook the walls around them as Asgore stared down at the small skeleton. For a moment, a bit of defiance flashed in his eyes. But when he glanced back at Toriel, all his strength seemed to drain from him, leaving his expression hollow.

"I understand..." He murmured, hanging his head. "Very well, rest well then, both of you."

Toriel blinked, a touch confused but nonetheless relieved when her ex-husband finally turned away, freeing her from his attention at last. As he headed back to the table and silently picked up the two cups of tea, her attention was drawn back to Sans. The skeleton walked up somewhat hesitantly and motioned for her to follow him. She did, still feeling somewhat dazed by the whole experience. He spoke to her again in a near whisper as they stepped back into the living room.

"sorry if i kinda… spoke over you there tori." He apologized, letting his false grin fall. "when i heard you yell like that i just… i dunno… you looked so shook up. it seemed like you needed an excuse to get out of there."

It took a moment for her to re-focus her thoughts again enough to reply. As she steadied herself, the exhaustion and stress from before became visible in Sans' expression once more as they left Asgore behind them. Her friend's acting ability impressed and saddened her all over again. She struggled to find the right words.

"It is alright." She managed, stopping at the side of the couch and laying her paw on her purse. "I… appreciate what you did. I was… not myself for a bit there. Thank you."

"no prob tori." He replied in turn and she could see him stifle a yawn. "just glad you're okay… i thought for a second he might've…"

His words trailed off and a few beads of sweat dotted his skull. She could see a range of emotions flash through the lights of his eyes before he shook his head and composed himself again.

"nevermind… heh. it's not important."

Toriel caught on to what he was implying. She knew she should say something insisting Asgore would never do anything like that to her, if only to be honest. But she kept her mouth shut, not fully sure as to the reason why. Somewhat feeling like she was on autopilot, she gathered up her purse and the water bottle off the couch. She gave a glance at Sans' still uneaten food on the table, along with the slice of pie.

"Do you… feel up to eating anything now, my friend?" She asked.

Sans grimaced a bit and shook his head, eyelights wavering a bit.

"nah, sorry, still not ready to risk that again. ol' flufflybuns can have it, should help cheer him up." He said, doing his best to smile a bit at the end.

She nodded, leaving the plates of food behind as she headed towards the hallway to her bedroom, Sans following along behind her. Something within her made her glance over her shoulder back one last time. Asgore was standing at the sink, staring down at where he had poured the rest of the boiling water down the drain. His thick, unkempt mane shrouded his eyes from her, but she could imagine what sort of look would be in them. She turned away again as another thunderclap sounded from outside. The vibrations from it seemed to echo deep within her soul.

The two arrived at her room in silence, simply standing in the middle of the space for a while. The rain and trailing rumbles of thunder were the only sounds to be heard. Then something of a wordless agreement passed between the two. Toriel deposited the items in her paws on the side table before heading to her bathroom to change and get properly ready for bed, despite the fact dawn would be coming just an hour or so. Sans vanished with a shortcut off to his own room to do the same, leaving her alone for a bit.

She went about her usual routine in a daze. She changed into one of her favorite nightgowns, a silky pale purple one with a subtle white swirl pattern near the bottom. Then she brushed her teeth, especially her fangs, all the while trying not to look at her haggard, miserable appearance in the mirror. The few glimpses she'd been unable to avoid made her soul clench up within her.

Once finished, she collapsed face first onto her large bed, a queen sized one, rather ironically. She stayed there feeling both exhausted and wide awake all at once, until a flash of light beside her signaled her friend's return. He appeared on the bed at her side, now wearing a simple dark gray NASA T-shirt and a pair of shorts that looked basically the same as before. Well the white stripe was horizontal now instead of vertical, but still, he could use a wardrobe expansion. The skeleton regarded her pose on the bed with a weary, amused grin.

"man, guess we've both hit a new pil-low huh tori?" he chided, leaning his skull on his hand.

Perhaps just for the timing, the joke prompted a snort of amusement from her, but she still threw said pillow at his face. He responded with a soft wheeze of laughter, holding the pillow to his chest as she sat up to properly get under the covers. Sans watched her, a touch of hesitation forming on his features until she gave the spot on the bed beside her a few inviting pats. Only then did he slip under the blankets as well, looking quite small amongst her somewhat oversized bed fixings.

They kept some distance between each other, both rolling on their backs to stare up at the ceiling. They slipped back into silence for a bit, listening to the sounds of the storm before Sans finally spoke up again.

"you okay?" He asked simply, tone genuine.

"Not really…" She admitted, a sad smile gracing her face. "But, I am getting there… How about you?"

"heh, i'm don't think i'm ever really okay." He admitted right back, eyelights wavering like candle flames in the darkness. "but i'd like to think i'm at least better now than i was earlier."

He paused, turning to face her with an apologetic expression. She rolled over to meet his gaze as well, one of her long ears falling over her shoulder.

"sorry about that by the way. You finally get to talk a little about you and I screw everything up again and make the whole thing about my own problems… again" He said, words brimming with self-hatred.

Toriel reached out and searched with her paw for his hand in the darkness. Once she found it, she cradled it in her fingers, rubbing her thumb pad over his knuckle bones. He accepted the act, expression softening a bit.

"Do not worry about it." She murmured warmly in reply. "Life rarely happens in an orderly fashion. We will sort it all out in time, I am sure. And I am so sorry you did not get to talk about what has been troubling you so. We will make that the priority for once you feel ready to discuss it again."

A flash of pain returned to his eyes and his jaw tightened as he seemed to remember his earlier frustration. Eventually though, he took a deep breath and relaxed again, closing his hand around her own.

"yah… okay." He breathed softly.

They were both quiet again for a while, until Sans' expression shifted into concern again.

"you gonna be alright with fluffybuns in the house?" He asked, giving her paw a gentle squeeze.

Toriel nodded. Truthfully knowing he was lurking out there in her home still sent faint chills through her soul. But with something… someone here to distract her, she knew it wouldn't wrack her mind with worry as usual.

"Yes… I will be fine." She assured him with a small smile. But she couldn't maintain it long, as all her shame over what had just happened came rushing back. She averted her gaze and swallowed hard.

"I… really am sorry you had to see all that." She said, voice faintly pained.

"nah, tori you know I'm the last person who'd judge you for that." He said, giving her a wink followed by a somewhat sheepish grin. "also there are too many sorries in this conversation." "we should bake them all into apolo-pies"

The pun summoned another true chuckle from her, returning the warmth to her eyes.

"Good one, though your diction needs some work there." She teased.

Her tone became somber again after that, thoughts about her ex-husband spinning about through her head, but she kept her eyes locked with his this time.

"But seriously, I should tell you everything about Asgore at some point. I know you know the basics of my… issues with him. But there is a lot that… I have not really told anyone before. I suppose we-"

He raised his other hand to cut her off, grinning at her in a wearily playful manner.

"let me guess… we'll get to that part eventually, right?"

The words caused her to laugh yet again, though it was more of a sarcastic one this time. Once the humor waned, she made a soft, affirmative sound her throat as a reply, eyelids drooping. Sans' face grew blurry as her exhaustion began to win over her mind's fretting. The feeling was incredibly welcome to her, but she still shook away the drowsiness again as best she could, remembering she needed to stay awake with him.

"geez, guess we're both p-pretty damn messed up huh tori?" He asked, with the faintest tremble in his voice.

His question made her soul ache, but there was also some catharsis behind it for both of them. He had certainly come a long way in his honesty from the days of constantly repeating "i'm fine" as though on a loop. She liked to think she was getting better in that regard too.

"Yes… I suppose we are." She murmured in reply, letting her own emotions coat her words as well.

For the second time that night, a silent communication seemed to pass between them. Almost in unison, they let go of the others hand only to shift so that they closed the distance between them to form a tight embrace. Toriel tucked Sans' skull beneath her chin and held him close to her chest. He wrapped his arms around her as much as he could manage, his grip tight yet shaky. They shared no more words, just clung to one another as the storm began to die down outside.

Perhaps they both wept again, perhaps not. The pair were both so worn down by this point, that they could only cling to wakefulness for a short while afterward. There was little time to worry about the possibility of further nightmares terrorizing her friend again, or even the potential implications of them sharing a bed together like this for the first time in their lives. Sleep claimed them before any thought could be fully realized.

Outside, the storm eventually cleared, yielding the sky just as dawn began to break. The soft colors of the sunrise flowed over their sleeping forms. It was a beautiful day outside, birds were singing, flowers were blooming… Despite all the chaos of the earlier night, a sense of peace settled over the house as it welcomed the new day.

For now, anyway.