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For once, Brenny had not wandered outside of the small apartment in which he lived. While normally he would have gone to the forest to check on the pokemon and, just as importantly, the trees, he had woken to a runny nose and a scratchy throat. His nose felt as if it was a leaky facet, almost as if he'd been crying. He wiped at it with a hand, making a face and grabbing for a tissue. A facet that had an unending amount of water backed up within it; like one of those cartoons before the hose went crazy, or before the facet exploded and filled the house with water.

He took a breath, peeling back his blankets reluctantly. Somehow, his spot on his bed had become the most comfortable, warmest place he'd ever been. It was wonderful. He didn't want to move, ever. But he knew he had to, if he had a cold, he had to get soup on the stove, and maybe hit the store for a soda; maybe grab some saltine crackers for the soup; maybe get something for the stuffy nose.

Something beside him wiggled. "Muffin?" he called, hesitantly. The fluff was munching on something, rather loudly; but the noises were coming from under the bed. He moved a blanket. The egg! Was it hatching? He uncovered it, taking it into his hands.

"Hey, you coming out now?" he asked, "Okay. Well, we're in a warm enough spot. I hope you like it."

It was hatching, it was hatching! Brenny almost had the urge to pick up a phone and dial Adri's number; when he remembered he didn't have it. And he didn't have time for that, as the egg was cracking. His smile grew with the movement of the egg. "Hi baby," he said, peering into the tiny hole the pokemon within had made in the egg. "Are you going to come out now? Come on, it's okay."

Was it scared? It had a cute, little voice. Brenny wasn't sure how to express that the world outside the egg was far more fun. He didn't want to scare the poor thing further. "You can come out. It's safe."

Brenny couldn't tell what sort of pokemon it was, not at first. Not even when it reached out its hand towards him. When the egg broke in half, however, he gave a gasp. His eyes widened. Celebi? A celebi? For a moment, he seemed lost for words, mouth opening without sound coming out. He hesitated, before moving the celebi in his hands closer to him. He wasn't sure what to do, but his first instinct was to comfort. He knew what it was like to be alone and frightened; he imagined being newly hatched was almost the same thing.

"Hey, it's okay," he soothed. "You've hatched now, and it's probably a bit chilly compared to inside your egg, but you'll get used to it. And the world's not as scary as it seems to be. Promise."

"I have a cold," Brenny explained, understanding the question. Maybe he shouldn't have been so close to the newly hatched celebi; what if he was contagious? But he couldn't seem to bring himself to let go of her. She was a celebi, just like him. This was something beyond even his wildest dreams; something he'd hoped for, but hadn't voiced. He had always hoped to meet another celebi.

He grabbed a tissue, wiping at his nose before grinning at the celebi. "You're a girl, huh? You look like one. I'll call you Diana. I'm a celebi, just like you, and I--" he hesitated, beaming. He had the perfect solution for the issues he'd seen before. He couldn't be the celebi's father, but he could be--

"I'm your big brother, Brenny!"

Brenny gently detatched her hands from his hair, having winced. He had to remember, she'd only just hatched. She didn't know anything about the world she was in. "Er. You shouldn't do that, that hurts people," he said, awkwardly. "That's not nice."

Oh, she was tired. What was he supposed to do with a tired baby? He laid back down on his bed, settling her in on his chest. "We can sleep," he said. So much for going out to get soup. He'd have to ask Eliot to fetch tomato soup and crackers.