Coop was walking down the sidewalk, struggling to keep his eyes open. Thanks to Kat keeping him up all night, he didn't get any sleep, and could barely stay awake. " Hi, Cooooop! " Phoebe said as she jumped out of the bushes to greet him. " GAH, PHOEBE! " She said with a loving smile, " I got some chocolate ice cream at my house if you want some! Do you want some? " and batted her eyelashes. Coop replied with a nervous smile, " I, um, I'd love to, but I haven't had any sleep all night! Gotta go home and try to rest, you know, no matter how loud it is... "
Desperate, Phoebe said happily, " You can sleep at my house! You'll have some peace and quiet, and my bed's so soft and warm, you'll have the best nap in weeks! And... " As Phoebe continued to try to convince him, Coop's attention drifted as he yawned, his eyelids getting heavier by the second. Finally, overwhelmed with how tired he was, Coop closed his eyes, and immediately fell into a deep sleep and fell over. Startled, Phoebe caught him as he fell towards her, and held him close with her arms around him. " COOP! "
She was worried at first, only to smile when she realized how close she was to him. She could feel his every breath. " This is my chance! " Phoebe thought gleefully, and she lifted Coop over her shoulder and carried him as he slept, bringing him into her house and eventually into her bedroom. The bedroom had green walls and a dark blue carpet, and the bed had blue blankets covering it. Phoebe pulled up the blankets, laid Coop down in the bed so that his head sank into the soft pillow, and laid down next to Coop sharing the pillow with him. She pulled the blankets back over the two of them, and whispered, " Sweet dreams, my prince... "
Phoebe gently rolled him towards her on his side and lifted his arms to put them around her, making him hold her close to him. Smiling lovingly, Phoebe put her arms around him in turn, putting one arm under the pillow and then around the other side of him to hug him, overwhelmed with love-struck bliss. She couldn't believe that she was finally able to cuddle with Coop, even if it wasn't with his permission. Phoebe gently kissed him and snuggled up closer to him, and closed her eyes with a smile. After an hour, she drifted off to sleep in his arms. She missed dessert, but she didn't care, because she finally got some quality time with him. She spent the entire night sleeping in his arms.
She didn't know that Coop's dream was far from pleasant. He dreamed that Kat had built a machine that would make everyone hate him. After a miserable experience involving everyone he loved treating him with hatred, Coop went to Phoebe's house as a desperate last resort, hoping that there was at least one person left who still cared about him. He rang the doorbell nervously.
When Phoebe opened the door, she looked annoyed. Devastated, Coop gasped and thought, " NO! Even SHE hates me! " He exclaimed, " Not you, too! " and tears welled up in his eyes as he became overwhelmed with despair, feeling completely hated and alone.
" Cooper-Dooper! " Phoebe cried out with concern. Feeling terrible, she hugged him for six seconds to comfort him. " What's wrong?! " she asked after closing the door behind him, feeling extremely guilty about upsetting him. " You poor thing, why are you crying?! Who did this to you?! Was it me? Was it all my fault?! I'm SO SORRY, Coopie! Please, please, PLEASE don't HATE me! " Trying to comfort him and make him feel loved, she said softly while leading him to her couch, " Sweetheart, dry those tears! It's going to be okay...It's going to be alright. Shhh... "
She sat him down on the green couch in her living room and put her hands on his shoulders to comfort him. She said calmly with a loving tone, " It's okay, Coopie, Phoebe's here. Tell me what's the matter. " Upset, Coop said, " Everyone hates me! " Feeling sorry for him as he broke down, Phoebe hugged him and said with concern, " Ohhhhh, you poor sweetheart!... I know exactly how that feels! Trust me, I know... What made YOU thinkthat? "
" Everyone's acting like they hate me all of a sudden! Even Dennis! And then I came to you as a last resort to see if you still liked me, and then you looked so annoyed at the door and I thought even YOU hated me! " She gasped and said in a panicking tone, " No, no, that isn't true! I stubbed my toe when the doorbell rang, and I was annoyed because I was in pain! I'm sorry I made you think that! I'd never hate you! Oh, Coopie, it's okay!... " She hugged him again, and asked, " What made everyone be so mean to you all of a sudden? "
Coop became nervous at the idea of telling her the truth behind it, and said, " I-I don't know! It's, it's like an evil alien made some kind of machine in my shed that's altering everyone's brains to make them hate me! " Phoebe gasped sharply, and pulled away from the hug.
" Metaphorically speaking, of course! " Coop added. He was a little uncomfortable at being so close to Phoebe, and he wouldn't have let her do it if he didn't desperately crave affection at the moment. Annoyed, Phoebe put her hand under her chin, and said to herself under her breath,
" So... a machine, hmm? That's what's causing my Coopie to cry?" She smiled and said lovingly,
" Don't worry, Coopie. I'm gonna go find that machine and destroy it! Metaphorically speaking, of course. I promise that everything will be back to normal by the end of the day! "
" Thanks, " he replied, not understanding how she expected that to happen. " Do you want me to stay with you and comfort you? " On the one hand, he didn't want to be all alone, but on the other hand, it was extremely embarrassing crying in front of someone else, especially someone who wasn't his friend. And it still made him uncomfortable the way Phoebe was treating him so lovingly, hugging him and fondling him and telling him that she loved everything about him, even if she was just trying to comfort him. " N-No, I'll be fine, " he said nervously, adding, " I want to be alone... It's embarrassing, crying in front of someone else... " Phoebe nodded and said,
" I know exactly how that feels. If I cried in front of you, I'd be humiliated! Tell you what... I'll get you a bowl of ice cream, and then I'll leave you alone for a bit. How does that sound? " Surprised she was being so reasonable, Coop said, " S-Sounds great! " She quickly brought him a bowl of chocolate ice cream with a spoon for him, and rushed towards the front door.
" Where are you going? " He noticed that she was holding a sledgehammer in her hand, and wondered where she got that. " I'm just gonna have a little walk, but I'll be right back, " she said with a sly smile before closing the door behind her, not even attempting to give a proper answer. Coop was confused for a few seconds before shrugging it off and enjoying the chocolate ice cream he was given.
After he was finished his ice cream, Phoebe opened the door, and she was exhausted. She dropped the sledgehammer as she closed the door behind her, and slowly walked over to the couch, sitting down beside him in exhaustion. " What were you doing?! " Coop asked her in bewilderment. " N-Nothing... nothing..." she said in between breaths. After ten seconds of her panting in exhaustion, Phoebe changed the subject. " So, so, so do you want me to comfort you more? " she asked, still tired from whatever it was she was doing. " Yes, " Coop answered reluctantly, still wanting to be reminded that he had someone who cared about him.
Phoebe said to him in a serious tone, " Don't worry, Coopie. No matter what happens, I'll always be on your side. If Dennis won't be your friend, I'll be your friend. You can always count on me to appreciate you for everything you are, because I will always love you... " She gave him a hug, and he reluctantly returned it. Coop didn't know whether to feel uncomfortable or pleased that Phoebe was saying something so heartwarming. It really sounded like she meant it.
After what felt like hours of what was essentially quality time with Phoebe as she watched TV with him and comforted him, Coop reluctantly allowed her to walk him home. " Coop! I'm so sorry! " Coop was shocked to see Dennis run up to him and give him a hug, while Phoebe stared on with a great big smile on her face. " I don't know why I said all those things! It was like something was possessing me! Forget about it, all of it! You're my best friend, and I'm sorry! " Coop was confused and relieved at the same time, and before he could say anything, his father rushed out of the house and gave him another hug. " I'm so sorry about the way I yelled at you, sport! I don't know what got into me! " he apologized. Again, Coop looked at Phoebe in confusion as she smiled and giggled, and he wondered why everyone was suddenly being so nice.
" Coop! " Suddenly, Millie rushed to his side and hugged him tightly with tears in her eyes, which shocked him the most of all. " I'm sorry! I know I'm always mean to you, but I went way too far that time! Please forgive me! I love you! " She held him with tears running down her face, apologizing profusely. " I know I'm never nice to you, but I would never ever HIT you! "
Finally realizing that everything had gone back to normal, Coop said with a relieved smile, " It's okay! I forgive you! I forgive all of you! None of that matters anymore! Thank you so much for apologizing. Especially you, Millie. The fact that you apologized at all, means more to me than you'll ever know. " Everyone was relieved that he forgave them, and after a few seconds, Coop said with a nervous smile, " Millie, uh, you can let go now. "
" Oh, right. Sorry, " she said before letting go and looking embarrassed. " I, just, uh... Don't get used to this. " She hugged him again, and let him go after six seconds. " Thanks, little sis. " Coop looked over at Phoebe, who was smiling at the scene, and stared at her in confusion as she said with a giggle, " Well, I'm glad you're happy, Coopie! Gotta go! " and sped away before he could say anything in response. Millie and his father went back inside the house, and Dennis went into his own house, leaving Coop out in his front yard wondering how everything had gone back to normal.
He rushed into the backyard and opened the shed door, and was shocked to discover that the machine Kat had built was smashed to pieces, antennae and all. Thousands of little pieces of metal were scattered all over the floor, and Kat was sitting in the middle of it, meowing miserably at its destruction. Under normal circumstances, Coop would be taunting his enemy and laughing triumphantly at how the machine that threatened to ruin his life was suddenly destroyed, but right now, he was too focused on more important matters to care. " Kat! Did you see who did this?! " Kat shook his head sadly, too distracted by his unhappiness at the destruction of his most treasured invention to get angry at his mortal enemy. Coop thought back to when he was on the couch with Phoebe, and he told her about the machine " metaphorically speaking. " She responded by saying that she'll find the machine and destroy it... and she did.
And he told her that an evil alien had made that machine that she said she'd destroy... and she believed him about it anyways, and she destroyed it. She knew that it wasn't really a metaphor he was making. She believed him about the machine, and even though it was making him close to her, she destroyed it anyways, just to see the smile on his face.
To his surprise, everything slowly began to grow darker, until everything around him went black. It took a few minutes for Coop to become aware that he was lying on his side in a soft warm bed, covered over with blankets, with his head in a soft pillow, and someone was holding his hand. He finally realized that he had recently been dreaming, but it took him a while to accept that because everything felt so real. It was the most vivid dream he had ever had.
Coop wondered who was sleeping beside him holding his hand and with one arm around him, but since he was warm and comfortable in the bed, he couldn't even motivate himself to move, and since he was still extremely tired, opening his eyes was out of the question. He was overwhelmed with curiosity at who was sleeping beside him, and started thinking about who it could've been. It couldn't be Kat, or Millie, or his father, for obvious reasons, and judging from the way the person weighed down the bed beside him, the person must have been near his height. He doubted that Dennis would suddenly start sleeping so close to him, so after narrowing down his suspects, he realized that it must have been Fiona. He smiled. Rather than opening his eyes, Coop kept them closed, and fell back into a deep sleep.
After the night ended several hours later, Phoebe slowly opened her eyes, and was pleasantly surprised to see Coop still holding her like she had made him. Her arm was asleep after being under Coop for the entire night as she hugged him, and she felt a little too warm from being close to him under the blankets all night. But it was worth it. She had never been so happy in the morning before in her life. Usually Phoebe would cry herself to sleep at night and wake up with tears running down her face, but this morning she was so distracted with her happiness that she was unable to think about how much she hated herself. All she could think about was Coop, and how brave he was, and how wonderful he was, and how extremely lucky she was to be able to spend the night cuddling up to him.
She rolled him over so that he was lying on his back, and quietly got out of bed. She covered him over with the blankets again, and smiled lovingly at him, watching over him as he slept. He was in such a deep sleep that he had no idea where he was. He was probably still dreaming. Phoebe quickly realized just how lucky she was that she woke up before Coop. She'd hate to have to wake up to Coop screaming her name in shocked surprise. He looked much more well-rested now, compared with how he looked when she first brought him inside hours ago. Back then, there were bags under his eyes, which had disappeared after he got a good night's sleep.
He looked so comfortable and relaxed. Phoebe wished that he would stay that way even after waking up, but knew that it wouldn't happen. As soon as he woke up, Coop would start freaking out about how he had spent the night in Phoebe's bed. The thought depressed her, reminding her of how much he didn't enjoy her company. " If Coop doesn't like me, there HAS to be something WRONG with me... " Phoebe thought sadly. Before she could start thinking about how much he must have hated her and start feeling miserable again, Phoebe quickly distracted herself by thinking about her breakfast, and went into the kitchen with a smile after giving Coop a kiss on the forehead.
It took several minutes for Coop to eventually become aware again that he was lying in a warm soft bed underneath the blankets. He was still very tired, to the point where he could barely convince himself to move because he was so comfortable and relaxed, and didn't want to even attempt to open his eyes. Keeping them closed felt perfectly natural. He wanted to stay in bed, sleeping peacefully for as long as he could, even though he knew he had to get up some time. He could hear the birds tweeting outside the house, so he knew it was morning, but he didn't want to wake up.
Suddenly, Coop heard a door open and a person walk up close to his bedside. The smell of warm pancakes filled the air, which finally gave him the motivation to force his eyes open and squint through the bright light at his breakfast. He was confused to see that he was in Phoebe's bed, although at the moment he was far more focused on how his eyes weren't adjusted to the light yet. He slowly opened his eyes again and squinted through the light once again. After a delayed reaction, Coop exclaimed, " Phoebe?! "
He saw Phoebe sitting in front of him smiling and holding a silver platter with two plates of warm chocolate chip pancakes and a glass of chocolate milk on it. Coop slowly sat up in Phoebe's bed trying to adjust to being awake again as Phoebe explained, " You fell asleep on the sidewalk yesterday, so I brought you here so you could rest! You were sleeping for 12 hours! You must have been really tired! " She happily handed him a plate of chocolate chip pancakes with a fork and spoon, saying, " Hope you appreciate this! I brought you breakfast in bed! " and sat down beside him to eat her own plate of pancakes.
Coop wanted to express his discomfort with Phoebe taking advantage of him yesterday and possibly cuddling with him without permission, but as soon as he took a bite of his pancakes, he immediately started grinning. " Yum! These are GOOD! " he exclaimed, and Phoebe said, " I'm glad you like it! " as he eagerly enjoyed his breakfast. He knew that if he wanted to eat all of his pancakes, he'd have no choice but to eat them with Phoebe, but considering how delicious they were, he would rather finish them sitting next to her than never finish them at all.
After the two of them finished their breakfasts together, Coop sighed happily and said, " That was good! " Phoebe agreed cheerfully, " It sure was! Breakfast at my house is always delicious! You can come here any time you want, Coooooooop... " Phoebe sighed dreamily, and gently rubbed his shoulder lovingly. There was a brief silence as she gazed into his eyes with a love-struck smile, and Coop nervously cleared his throat and changed the subject.
" Okay, so, let me get this straight, " he said to Phoebe, no longer too distracted by the taste of delicious pancakes to discuss anything. " I fell asleep in front of you, you caught me when I fell over, carried me to YOUR bed, and made me sleep here? " Phoebe nodded.
" And... you didn't sleep here with me, did you? " Seeing that Coop was annoyed with her, Phoebe lied sadly, " No... N-No... I spent the whole night on the couch, because I didn't wanna disturb you. I knew you needed your sleep, and the last thing I wanted to do was wake you up. " Believing her, Coop said, " Phew! That's a relief... I'm glad you didn't leave me on the sidewalk, Phoebe. I mean, I'd rather wake up in my own bed, but better here than outside in the cold! "
Phoebe said, " Well, um, I wanted to put you in your own bed, but you know, I'd have to climb the ladder to get up to the bed, and since I was already carrying you, that would be kind of difficult. S-So, putting you in my own bed was just easier... I'm glad you're not freaking out about it. Are you still sleepy? Because you can sleep here whenever you want! You don't have to go back to your noisy home where there's no peace and quiet for more sleep! You can stay here and get more rest! I won't disturb you... "
Feeling uncomfortable at how Phoebe was smiling at him, Coop commented, " Too late for that, " which caused Phoebe to stop smiling and look sad at the insult. " I'm not tired anymore, so, I think I'll just go home. Thanks for the pancakes, Phoebe! " Upset, Phoebe asked desperately, " So, so you're just leaving, just like that? Y-You don't even wanna stay here and just talk? S-S-Surely there must be something we can talk about! Did anything interesting happen to you yesterday? Did you have any homework keeping you up? Did you, did you have any dreams last night?! "
Coop remembered the dream he had, and turned around to look at Phoebe again. He wondered if he should tell her. " Um... yeah, actually... " " Well, what was it about? " she asked with a nervous smile, desperate to have a chance to at least talk to him as a friend. He explained,
" Well... To be honest, I dreamed that an evil alien built this machine in my shed that altered everyone's minds so that they hated me! My dad said he never loved me, Dennis said he didn't wanna be friends with me because I was a jerk, and Millie even punched me in the face! It was really awful! " " Did I... did I hate you, too? " she asked sadly, after listening very intently to what he had to say with a serious expression. She looked nervous as he explained,
" No, actually. I went to your house as a last resort to see if I at least had one person left on my side, and you still liked me just as much. I told you about the machine, and when I came home, everyone apologized to me because the machine was destroyed! Even though I said an evil alien made the machine, you still believed me! It was so weird... What do you think the dream means? "
" I'm sure it means something very important, Coopie. You're a smart boy!... You'll figure it out someday... Tell me, when you found out I believed you about that evil alien freak, what were you thinking? How did you feel? Just, you know, just wondering... Like, were you really nervous, or, were you really happy? "
There was a brief silence, as Coop tried to figure out what she meant. " Well, I felt both, I guess... " he said, giving her an unsatisfying answer. Wanting clarification, she asked, " What do you mean? Would you want me to do something like that for you in real life? " She smiled nervously.
There was a silence before he answered, " It depends... I wouldn't want you to put yourself in danger... At least not without me there to protect you. But I'd still appreciate the help! It would just be dangerous for you, that's all. " Phoebe asked happily, " So, you would appreciate me putting myself in danger to help you?! You would really appreciate it?! " Confused at how happy and excited Phoebe was, Coop said, " W-Well, yeah... I guess. "
" YES! " She stopped smiling when he said, " Why are you being so excited about this? It was just a dream! It doesn't matter what happened in it! It's not like you're ever gonna run into a situation like that in real life! Why does this matter so much to you? " Phoebe became really nervous, only to be relieved when she realized that it was just a rhetorical question that Coop wasn't expecting an answer for. " See you, Phoebe. And thanks again for the pancakes! " He left her room, and she sighed. She wished that his dream was real.