A/N: written for a drabble prompt on the Pokemon Fanfiction Challenges Forum

x

morning glory

and your little flower boy, he'll be gone by sundown.

x

Brendan and May arrange the picnic blanket in the usual way; half sits under the shade of a nearby maple tree for Wally, and the other half lies on the sun-bleached meadow grass.

Wally curls up next to the trunk, and Brendan basks in the midday light. They've stumbled onto a quiet field, but May seems determined to change that – she's stolen all their pokémon and has set up an odd collection of games.

Wally tugs at a dandelion. Some seeds float away, catching on the lazy summer breeze.

"Did you make a wish?" Brendan asks.

"Didn't really know what to wish for," Wally says, shaking his head.

Brendan hums in reply. He catches sight of May, who has decided that she's going to teach Wally's gardevoir a hand game. He allows the smallest of fond smiles to cross his face. "Okay, then," he says, to Wally. "What do you want?"

Wally shifts beside him, inching towards the sun, but it barely jostles the blanket. Brendan's used to Wally's whispery movements, the quiet way he holds himself, but sometimes he has to strain to make sure that the boy's still there.

"I'm not sure." Wally murmurs. "It's kind of hard to decide."

"How come, I mean, there're plenty of dandelions," Brendan gestures to the bright, blue expanse above. "You've got a ton of wishes to choose from, Wally."

Somehow, Wally looks paler in the sunlight that slips through the maple leaves; the sallow dip to his cheeks is more pronounced, and Brendan is forced to remember that his friend is dying.

"Yeah, but it's not like I have enough time to see any of them fulfilled," Wally says quietly. He tilts his head. "But I do know what I don't want."

Brendan swallows thickly. "And what's that?"

Wally turns his gaze skyward, tessellations of leaves reflecting in his pale irises, and he exhales with a shudder. It's a feeble thing, but it manages to turn Brendan's stomach. "I don't want a deadline."

Then May is giddily tripping across the meadow to them, grinning, with Wally's gardevoir in tow. He laughs as she shows him and Brendan the hand game.

And Brendan can't even force a smile.