# Yellow Giant
>The artificial sun beats down on the rock in the middle of town.
>Its heat, biding its time in the stone, dares anyone around to touch its home.
>Two monsters, seemingly satisfied with the sunlight, keep just a few feet away.
>Moray has taken the west side, Ed, the east.
>Starlo would be the first one there,
>or at least used to be.
>Now all the team can do is wait, as if no one’s busy but him.
>...
>Then again, Ed remembers how much the sheriff is doing since…
>since someone showed up and disappeared in less than a day.
>Like a flash fire.
>But like any fire, his impact continues to be felt long after it’s gone.
>Even though, unlike a fire, that impact should’ve been good.
>Ed doesn’t bring any of it up to Moray.
>There’s no point.
>And right now, there’s not much else to say.
>A faint, “Fwap!” rings in the monster’s ears.
>His head turns and catches Starlo, in a brand new uniform.
>One’s similar to the others, but not quite the same.
>The past… many uniforms have been slightly different from the original version.
>A few, fuller in the arms, others, wider shirt panels, wider seats.
>A combination of overwork, an increasing appetite, and an erratic eating schedule has created a seemingly endless state of growth, unlike the slowly decaying world around him.  
>Ed recalls how Ceroba said something about a red giant.
>How they swell a few times, explode, and become small and pale.
>He’s not sure if it’s true.
>Can’t be crazier than fireproof humans riding into a sun.
>But other than that, she’s said little, like she doesn’t think it’s her place to say much at all.
>And just like her, Ed says nothing as Starlo check the news bulletin,
>and rips a familiar sheet clean off.
>Again.
>Ed turns to Moray, who holds on for a second.
>She looks at Starlo uncertainly,
>then back to Ed.
>Nonetheless, they leave the stone, meeting their sheriff at the same time.
>Starlo faces them almost immediately, a cheerfully goofy grin twitching with an underlying seethe. 
>”Now look what we have here- another flyer- callin’ me of all people fat!” The sheet crumples further in, flaring out even more in his grip. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d lock up whoever wrote this for libel!”
>Moray folds her arms, as if to keep her frustration in. “Starlo, you can’t-“
>“-eat with us every once in a while?”
>After a jolt of shock, a thin line forms on Starlo’s face. He tilts his hat down, hiding his glasses’ reflection. “Why- what’s that got to do with anything?”
>”Is it really that hard? To spend time with your friends?”
>”I,” he lifts it, “I’ll try. I just gotta-”
>”’-take care of the town,’” Moray finishes. The ranger sinks into herself a little. “We know.” 
>The sheriff’s gaze drifts to the bell. “Guess we better get going.”
>Ed’s is already on the sheet. ”Wait.”
>As the others watch him, the muscular monster takes one look around.
>No one.
>At least, no one close enough to hear.
>His focus returns to the sheriff. “Whatever you got planned can wait. After all, we’ve been waiting on you for a while now.”
>Moray lets her arms fall, tilting away from Ed.
>He shrugs. “What’s another five minutes?”
>Starlo’s leg shifts back.
>He doesn’t bother to look behind him.
>All the grit and focus he can muster adds up to uncertainty: his posture lurching over, his eyes completely hidden, his mouth forming a haphazard line.
>Despite the sheriff’s facade breaking, Ed keeps his own; he holds firm. “We’re not doing this song and dance again.” Points at the sheet. “There’s a reason those papers keep cropping up.”
>Shifting forward, Starlo asks, ”Well what is it, then?” Grip. “Is it some kinda joke?”
>”You tell me.”
>The ranger steps closer, resting a hand on her hip. ”We wanted to give you space. Let you run the town as you always have. But now it’s like the town’s running you.” She bends a bit. “We’re worried about you, Starlo.” 
>An uneasy chuckle leaves the sheriff’s mouth. “I appreciate it, but there’s no need to worry.” He scans around. “Just gotta throw this in the trash, and we’ll best be on our way.”
>”Yea, I bet,” Ed grunts. “Same way you were ‘on your way’ from us this morning, and will be stuffing sliders down your throat by the time dinner rolls around.”
>“I don’t do that.” Starlo’s smile strains. “You must have mistaken me with someone else.”
>”Sure I do. Maybe it’s another sheriff that keeps popping buttons in the saloon. Maybe someone else has to keep making uniforms; because, what, they can’t stop shrinking in the wash?”
>A snarl tears into Starlo’s reddened face. “Good soap is hard to come by these days, alright!?” He jabs a pointer at the monster. “And that’s no way to talk to your sheriff! Even if…” It slacks. 
>”Even if he can’t keep up with his team.”
>Straightens. “Even if accidents happen!” His arm lashes back, near his side. “I still deserve at least some dignity!”
>Holding her chin, Moray replies, “You’ve gotten a lot stronger, but…”
>Starlo’s hand drifts to his forearm. “... That’s only a fraction of what a sheriff should be.”
>”More or less.” She adjusts her hat. “Sure, you don’t pace anymore, but that’s because you get tired doing anything that isn’t lifting.”
>The lawman shakes his head as he argues, “Those things don’t happen, none of them.”
>Ed does the same, albeit more shortly. Curtly. “Guess that’s slander, huh!?”
>”No! I’m still fine! Nothing’s wrong! What part of that don’t you understand!?”
>He fumes. “Maybe it’s the part where you barely talk to us anymore!? Or the part where you spend more time on stupid paperwork than anything else!? How about the part where you get tired just walking? Mooch can run circles around you and you can’t do nothin’ about it, but I guess that’s slander, too!”
>Starlo’s twitching hand reaches for his lasso. “You’re gonna eat those words when I fire you!”
>”Face it, you probably weigh more than me at this point.” Bracing himself, Ed presses with, “Try to fight me. See what happens.”
>”Since you don’t respect me no more YOU BET I WI-”
>”Stop.” Moray holds out a hand.
>The men pause. 
>She looks to the sheriff. ”He’s right.”
>”Moray, I can’t accept such blatant disrespect-”
>”We can settle this inside.” She slides between the two, stopping beside the jail door. “Come here.”
>All Starlo does is shake, torn as to what to do.
>While the ranger waits patiently, Ed looks behind himself, around town.
>Mooch is nowhere to be seen.
>Nor is Ace.
>Ed asks himself if they know exactly what’s going on and want no part of it.
>Once he looks back, he catches Starlo heading inside with his teammate. 
>But Ed doesn’t go in, not yet.
>He takes in the closed off emptiness, and goes inside.
>Away from it all.
>Until there’s more nothing.
>No one in either cell, which Ed supposes is good.
>Then again, he can see dust gathering in them.
>The wadded paper on the floor.
>Although Moray watches him, Starlo leans against the wall, as if to retreat in himself.
>As the monster shuts the door, his teammate steps back, almost into the bars.
>Moray lets her eyes drift to her left, like better words are pasted on the walls.
>She takes a slight breath. “This is because of… Clover. Isn’t it?”
>”...”
>”I know he… left. But it was for a good reason.” The lancer fights to face her leader. “Clover gave up his life for us, for you. He wouldn’t want to see you like this.”
>Starlo shudders.
>Focusing, looking closely, Ed looks for tears that’ve yet to come.
>The lawman winces.
>His hand grabs his forearm, his fingers digging into his sleeve.
>Trying to lock himself away.
>”Nothing can bring him back,” Ed says. “Not even an Angel.”
>”... You think I don’t know that?”
>”...”  
>”Clover would want me to move forward.”
>”To what, exactly? We’re still trapped. This place stopped growing. No one’s going anywhere.”
>”One step closer to the surface, for one. Other than that,” the sheriff hides his eyes, “who knows.” 
>”Wherever that is, it’s nowhere good. All you’re doing right now is hurting yourself.”
>“He’s done so much for us…” Starlo clenches his hat’s brim. “The least we could’ve done is give him something- anything resembling a life.”
>Moray states, “That’s not possible.”
>”Plead his case to Asgore! Convince the Royal Guard to leave him be! Have Alphys or whatever find another way to break that damn barrier! Something!”
>The teammates glance at each other as Starlo quickly wipes his eyes.
>Moray folds her hands, Ed crosses his arms.
>Both wait for their friend to talk. 
>He keeps pressing, rubbing his eyes.
>Breathing slower, and slower,
>to keep from sobbing.
>Finally, Starlo mutters, ”I could’ve stopped it-“
>Ed replies, ”He’s made his choice-“
>”He was just a kid!” The sheriff leaves the wall. “There should’ve NEVER been choices for him to make in the first place!” Lets tears stream down. “We were the adults, we should’ve stepped in and told him, ‘Put that away! Don’t worry! We got this!’ But we DIDN’T! And we… I…”
>The brim shields his eyes as tears keep raining on his sleeves, his poncho.
>Still, Starlo doesn’t make a single sound.
>Instead, a strong heat of guilt and anger and shame reaches out, touches everything in the jail.
>Neither crewmate shies away from it.
>While Moray takes steps closer and closer to her friend, Ed stays still. 
>Not out of fear, but a sense that he should give Starlo space.
>He hasn’t seen the sheriff this bad since he apologized…
>No.
>Since ever.
>Unlike the apology, when the mighty lawman bawled his eyes out, this is quieter, yet more intense.
>Ed watches Moray give Star a hug (or at least try to get her arms around him), before something draws his attention outside.
>Mooch is near the bell.
>Standing with Ace.
>Ed turns, and catches Starlo lifting Moray with both hands.
>Gently putting her down.
>Hanging his head in shame.
>”I saw him off with everyone, but…” Starlo takes off the hat. “Not a day goes by where I don’t think about it.”
>”About losing him,” elaborates Moray.
>With that one clause, Starlo clutches the hat, crumpling it, nearly crushing it in his grip.
>Moray steps back as his docile, almost nerdy look begins to all but melt.
>Boil away.
>His head, his arms…
>Even his glasses feel red hot.
>Starlo is broiling.
>”First I nearly killed my deputy, then I hung him out to dry. After all he went through… I just let him DIE!”
>His fist drives itself into the wall.
>Slam!
>It moves out of the new hole.
>”SOME SHERIFF I AM!”
>Like the paper, the hat, Starlo’s limbs crumple.
>He falls to his knees, his cheek and lip twitching.
>His focus, a strong beam, shines through his glasses,
>at Moray,
>then Ed.
>Tears well under, and break it.
>The monster buries his face in the crown of his hat.
>Sobbing. 
>”… I’m such a fraud.”
>The heat dies down as the monster’s energy draws inward.
>A fine, almost delicate light takes its place.
>A light less like a solar glare, and more like a dying candle.
>Once again, Moray draws near,
>as Ed looks out.
>Mooch is coming straight to the door.
>The burly monster flinches.
>He can’t think of anything to say to stop Starlo’s tears, let alone help soothe the guilt that’s clearly eating him alive.
>One look at Starlo, whose hands are being held by Moray, tells him he’s said enough.
>Sure Ed was harsh, but he was never good with these things anyway.
>He asks himself if he should apologize.
>Mooch’s presence behind the door tells him, “No.”
>With a quick glance at Moray, she looks up.
>Nods at him.
>Sounds of a comforting voice too soft for him to hear grow dimmer as Ed steps out.
>The little monster backs off a little, holding her hands to her shoulders.
>Yet, as she listens, they sink further and further down.
>Even as Ed closes the door, her mouth opens in recognition.
>Still he says, “He needs a minute.”
>Mooch just nods, spinning on her heel.
>She shrinks forward as she returns to the bell.
>As Ed follows.
>Once they reach the rock, they just stand around quietly.
>Ace scans the two up and down before he looks back ahead.
>So they stand.
>So they wait.
>So they look.
>Ed’s eyes take an almost circular path around the town.
>At the big amount of nothing going on around him.
>Monsters standing around, doing things they’ll eventually get bored of.
>Ed remembers how until Clover showed up, things got more and more tired, more and more samey. 
>The scene reminds him of a word he heard a few times, yet never once read.
>Entropy. 
>Ed thinks about how things just can’t keep growing, unlike the sheriff’s waistline.
>But like that comment, he keeps those thoughts to himself.
>He figures that Starlo’s doing good things overall, and yet,  
>they have a limit.
>”He’s done pretending, huh?” asks Ace’s voice.
>Ed doesn’t bother to answer.
>He just turns away, grunting.
>Despite that, he can feel Ace shrug.
>”It was only a matter of time.”
>”Clover could’ve been a great part of our team, though,” Mooch remarks. She shuffles. “Why wouldn’t Starlo miss him?”
>Neither man says a thing.
>”... I miss him, too.”
>”We all do,” Ed says.
>Neither Ace nor Mooch reply.
>Instead, they just keep waiting.
>What’s another five minutes?
>Ten?
>What’s another hour?
>As far as they’re concerned, they have all the time in the world.