Although SuperMato cautioned LarryBoy to go on home and properly see to his head, the cucumber insisted he was a lot better than he seemed. To prove it, he went back down to the League's underground headquarters and had the computer run a diagnosis on his cranium. Just as LarryBoy figured, he received a mostly clean bill of health, but SuperMato still recommended his friend sit and take it easy while the tomato fixed him a cup of herbal tea. JimmyBoy, Motato, and the two children voiced similar concerns, offering to take over the patrol work to let their leader rest. Eventually, LarryBoy relented, and the four went off while SuperMato stayed behind to help him, giving LarryBoy a box of crayons and coloring pages to amuse himself while the tomato worked in the small kitchen area.

Left alone, LarryBoy picked up a red crayon to color a picture of a garden, but he only filled in a few petals of a rose before he stopped, gazing at the image pensively. The flowers made him think of the greenhouse full of dead plants at Petunia's shop — and that made him think of how he had hurt Petunia's feelings — and that made him want to make it up to her — but then he thought of Petunia in the interrogation room, and he remembered how sweet and earnest she looked when she insisted she could never hurt Larry — and how she looked so shy when Madame Clueberry guessed what Petunia really felt for Larry.

…But then he remembered what Madame Clueberry had said afterwards, about how Larry could not be the one for Petunia.

"It's not that weird, is it?" he murmured, picking up a green crayon, but he made a smudge or two on the paper before he laid it down again. "We get along. If she likes me, and I like her, isn't that enough?"

He thought it was, but he had a sinking feeling that he might be missing something.

Soon, SuperMato emerged from the kitchen with a tray bearing a steaming mug of tea. He had thoughtfully included LarryBoy's favorite crazy straw, but for once LarryBoy felt indifferent toward the fun, silly shape. He grunted his thanks as SuperMato laid the mug in front of him.

"Well, this is a first," SuperMato smiled. "I don't think I've ever seen you not color in a coloring page before."

LarryBoy shrugged. "I've just been doing a lot of thinking."

"Uh-huh." SuperMato hopped into the chair beside him. "About Petunia?"

LarryBoy started, gaping at him. "How did you know?"

"Because I know you," his best friend replied. "You're not the type who wouldn't think about what happened today."

LarryBoy reached for his tea, too sheepish to maintain eye contact. "You have a point…"

SuperMato leaned back in his chair, studying him. Gently, he asked, "Do you want to talk about it, buddy?"

That was just the sort of thing which LarryBoy had been privately hoping to do but had been too shy to bring up on his own. Holding his mug against his chest, he began to recount everything which Madame Clueberry had said at the police station.

"She basically said that I'm not good enough for Petunia!" he complained, swirling the straw through the tea. "I'm a superhero! Isn't that good enough for any girl?"

"I'm sure Madame C. meant well," SuperMato said diplomatically. "If she knew you're LarryBoy, she might have worded her misgivings differently."

LarryBoy squinted at him. "But she's still wrong. …Right?"

SuperMato held his gaze. "What do you personally think, pal?"

"I already know what I think," LarryBoy replied. "I want to know what my best friend thinks."

SuperMato lifted his shoulders into an evasive shrug. "Does it matter?"

"Of course it does." LarryBoy surveyed his face. "You think she's right, don't you?"

SuperMato sighed slightly, shaking his head. "LarryBoy, you're a great cuke, but I always figured you were going to stay single."

LarryBoy stared at him, baffled. "Why?"

His best friend shrugged. "Well… you tend to prefer having things your own way."

"So?"

"Being in that kind of a relationship with a girl involves compromise from both parties," SuperMato replied, "and you would have to put the needs of your lady before your own."

LarryBoy rolled his shoulders. "I could do that…"

"You really think so?"

"Hey, I can be selfless," he insisted. "I'm a superhero, after all."

SuperMato gave him a patient look. "But in some ways, being in a relationship takes a lot more work — and a lot more risk."

"It couldn't be that hard," LarryBoy protested.

SuperMato snorted, shaking his head. "Famous last words."

"But my parents have that kind of relationship," LarryBoy pointed out. "They're happy together."

"And they probably had to put in a lot of effort to get to where they are now." SuperMato leaned back in his chair. "A lot of effort."

LarryBoy grimaced. "Are you saying I should just forget about Petunia?"

From the expression on SuperMato's face, LarryBoy thought he would say just that, but instead of replying right away, SuperMato let out a long sigh and closed his eyes. When he spoke, his voice was gentle and sage, like an older brother giving advice.

"If you want to pursue Petunia, I recommend really praying about it first," he said. "If she's the one for you, then God can show you the way to be with her, but you have to be willing to grow into the cuke she needs you to be, even if it means putting her wants and needs before your own."

"Like, how?" LarryBoy asked meekly.

SuperMato gave him a wry grin. "Well, if you get married someday, and she asks for you to refrain from riding your bike on the ceiling, you have to respect her feelings."

"Ah." LarryBoy nodded, grimacing. "Petunia probably wouldn't want tire marks where her customers can see them."

"And if you want to do one thing, and she wants to do another thing, you have to be willing to compromise, even if it means you can't do what you want."

"I see…" LarryBoy's lips formed a thin line as he considered the different scenarios to which such a principle could be applied, and his stomach twisted uncomfortably. "I guess there's more to liking a girl than just liking her."

"You're catching on." SuperMato pushed himself back from the table and hopped to the ground. "But a superhero like you can probably figure it out, if you're willing to listen to the greater Hero Who loves Petunia more than even you do."

His blue eyes turned upwards for emphasis.

LarryBoy nodded again, comprehending.

SuperMato left him soon after that. Alone in the control room, LarryBoy bowed his head and took all his questions to a Higher Power.

Tina and Bacon Bill promised Petunia up and down that they would clean up the rest of the s'more mess in the kitchen and attend to the dead plants up in the greenhouse, but just as they grabbed their mops and buckets, Tina's stomach grumbled, and Bill's chimed in.

"Uh, could we at least go grab some pizza first, Boss?" Tina asked with a sheepish smile.

"How are you both hungry?" returned an exasperated Petunia, but she knew they would have less distractions if they ate now, so she let them run off to grab a late lunch from the Corner Store.

Choosing to enjoy the quiet, she sat down in the clean front room with a gardening magazine and a soda. She was halfway through an article about natural insect repellents when the door opened, and someone stepped into the shop.

"I'm sorry, but we're closed—" she started to say, but at the sight of a pair of plunger ears, she put her magazine to the side and stood with a smile. "Oh! LarryBoy, this is a surprise."

The superhero returned the grin, gazing warmly at her through his yellow visor, but he did not maintain eye contact for very long. He cleared his throat.

"Sorry to bother you, Petunia," he said, "but I was wondering if I could get some flowers, if you had anything extra lying around. Uh, something that's still alive, I mean," he added with a weak laugh.

His statement reminded Petunia that LarryBoy would have had all the details of the incident with Larry, and her cheeks warmed at the thought of what he must have heard during her time at the police station, but she kept a tight control on her emotions.

"I don't have a lot of flowers left," she told him, "but I'll see what I can do. What kind would you like?"

"I'm not sure," he answered sheepishly. "It's for someone very special to me, but I don't know what kind of flowers to give her."

The "her" did not escape Petunia's notice in the slightest, but she was far too polite to draw attention to it.

"It's the thought that counts, LarryBoy," she assured him with a smile. "Whatever you give your friend will probably be appreciated."

She had recently added a small refrigerator in one corner of the front room, and she sauntered over to this. It contained a few ready-made bouquets for customers in a hurry.

"Roses are always nice," she recommended. "Pink and white are pretty. Yellow is good for close friends, and red is, well, good for those who are even closer" — daring to peek at his face.

LarryBoy looked at his feet. "What if it was you? What kind of bouquet would you want me to give you?"

"I've always been partial to daisies," she said. "They always cheer me up when I'm feeling down."

"Then daisies should be fine," he said, and Petunia thought he might have gulped a little.

She set to work assembling her available daisies into a pretty bouquet while LarryBoy watched her with a strange sort of expression which she could not decipher. After wrapping the flowers with white paper and a pretty bow, Petunia rang them up and presented them to the superhero, who still did not fully meet her eyes.

"I hope your friend likes them," she smiled encouragingly.

"Me, too," he mumbled as he took them.

As Petunia cleaned up her work station, LarryBoy hopped over to the door, reached for the handle — and the lock clicked.

Petunia turned, puzzled.

LarryBoy cleared his throat and, gripping the bouquet, he crossed back over to Petunia. With a noisy gulp, he held out the bouquet toward her.

Petunia accepted it, baffled, but when she caught sight of the soulful look in his hazel eyes, she comprehended his silent message.

"Oh, LarryBoy," she said, shaking her head.

"Do— Do you like them?" he stammered.

"Of course I do, and I'm very flattered," she told him gently. "Really, I am."

His face fell. "But?"

She hesitated, glad that no other customer would wander in on such a delicate moment, and she at last heaved a soft sigh.

"But I just don't feel that way about you." She looked away. "There's… someone else."

"I know," he said in a low voice, "but could you… maybe… let me show you something important first?"

"That's probably a bad idea," she answered, just as quietly, before she held out the bouquet. "This was sweet of you, LarryBoy, but I can't accept. I don't want to give you false hope."

A corner of his mouth twitched up. "One chance. That's all I'm asking,"

"It won't make a difference," she replied patiently. "If a spark is not there… well, then you can't force it, can you?"

"Just one chance?" he pleaded, tilting his head so that he could meet her reluctant eyes. "Please?"

She sighed again, not wanting to lead him on, but maybe it was better just to get this over with, like ripping off a bandage.

"One chance," she agreed, "but I hope you won't be too disappointed."

He met her eyes through his yellow visor. "Take my helmet off."

She drew back, gawking at him. "What?"

"Everything will make sense once you do," he promised.

Trust and affection brimmed in his hazel eyes, which would have melted her heart if she had been more open to accepting his suit, but she shook her head vehemently.

"You shouldn't trust me with such a secret," she insisted. "Another girl deserves that honor."

"Please, Petunia."

He looked so earnest that she felt torn between giving in and sticking to her guns. She knew it would take more than unmasking a hero to make her forget Larry, and LarryBoy should not share such a sensitive detail with a woman who would undoubtedly turn him down, and yet — strange as it was — the pleading look in his eyes touched her. For a brave hero like him to take his heart in his proverbial hands and invite her into his world, even if she refused him, made his intentions toward her that much nobler, like a knight pledging his devotion to his lady.

Reluctant to disappoint him, but resigned to the inevitable, she laid the bouquet on her work station and reached, with trembling invisible hands, for the dark helmet. He stared straight ahead, and she gently tugged, tugged, tugged the helmet off his green head, exposing the bare skin beneath.

…The helmet fell from Petunia's grasp and bounced on the floor. She staggered back, knocking into the wall.

"Impossible," she breathed, gawking at the earnest man in front of her. "Impossible…"

"It's not that impossible," he returned quickly, scanning her shocked face. "…Is it?"

She turned away, reeling. "I-I got to sit down."

She stumbled over to her chair and plopped onto it, nearly upsetting her half-forgotten soda on the table beside it. Gasping for breath, she stared at the cucumber who watched her in turn, concerned.

"Larry Cucumber… how on earth…" she whispered, gaping at her dear friend — for there was no denying that her own Larry stood where LarryBoy had been mere seconds ago.

He formed a small smile. "I'm just full of surprises, huh?"

Larry picked up the bouquet of daisies before he grabbed a low stool, which he brought over to Petunia and sank gently across from her.

"Can you accept these now, Petunia?" he asked.

"Larry…" she breathed, still trying to process the facts in front of her.

Larry was LarryBoy — LarryBoy was Larry — the silly, friendly cucumber and the brave, daring hero were one and the same man — the cuke she had been ready to turn down was also the cuke she had loved for so, so long.

…And then Petunia's eyes widened with realization, and her face warmed. She willed herself to meet Larry's imploring gaze, and she tentatively asked, "Larry… are you only here because of what I said at the police station?"

He tugged his collar.

"Well… partly," he admitted in a low tone.

"Partly?" she repeated, and her face fell. "What's the other part of it then?"

He wiggled in his seat. "Well… lots of parts actually… and then Madame Clueberry said what she said, and that made me sad… and so I talked to SuperMato about it, and he said basically the same thing, so… and then I talked to God about it… and here I am."

Petunia knitted her brow, trying to decipher his stammering. "What did Madame say?"

He let out a long breath, grimacing. "She said she thought I would never notice you, and… I didn't want her to be right… and…"

He held out the flowers again as if for emphasis.

Petunia's heart sank, but she stayed composed. "And so you felt guilty, and now you're trying to be nice to me?"

"Well, uh—"

Petunia closed her eyes, pushing back her heart ache, and stood, ignoring the bouquet.

"You're sweet to do this, Larry, but I don't want you trying to make yourself love me because you want to spare me a little heartbreak. If you have to force it, then it's never going to happen."

She turned for the door that led to her private living area; she did not exactly know what she wanted to do, but she just wanted to get away from her humiliation. Larry laid the daisies down and followed her.

"I've always noticed you, Petunia," he said in an undertone. "I just thought you would never notice me."

Petunia had just reached for the door handle, but she stopped and swiveled her head, staring at him.

"What?"

He rolled his shoulders, looking at his feet. "Honest, Petunia."

She pivoted toward him, scarcely daring to let herself hope. "How long?"

"A while," he murmured. "A long, long while."

Peering into his face, she could see his sincerity. Amazed, she leaned back against the door.

"I never knew."

He gave her a sad smile.

"What did I tell ya? I always figured you just saw me as your pal, not somebody special to you, so I didn't… I couldn't… say anything. Until today," he added, giving her a meaningful look.

"You're a superhero, and you don't think you're special?" she asked with an incredulous laugh.

"But you didn't know that yet," he countered. "I didn't want you to start liking me only because I was LarryBoy. If you couldn't love plain ol' Larry, then it didn't feel right to tell you."

"I can respect that," she said. She pushed herself off the door and took two steps toward him. "But I don't think you're plain, Larry. I think you're pretty interesting."

He edged closer to her as well. "I'm glad."

They surveyed each other, then both averted their eyes. Larry cleared his throat.

"So…" he mumbled.

"So…" she murmured back.

He scooted forward, uncertain, until he was within an invisible arm's length from her.

"Before, you said you couldn't like LarryBoy back… is that still true, Petunia?"

Her skin warmed again, and she silently shook her head. He brightened.

"So, is it okay… I mean if you want to try… do you want to give both Larry and LarryBoy a chance?" he asked.

"I think I could," she somehow managed to say without tripping over her words.

His smile widened. "Awesome!"

Their eyes met once more, and with a smile Petunia found herself reaching for him, just as he leaned toward her, and they pulled each other into a shy, but sincere, embrace.

…But they promptly jumped apart and whirled around toward the front door, which began to open with the jangle of keys, and Tina and Bacon Bill burst in, each carrying a stack of pizzas.

"Pizza time!" Bacon Bill chirped.

"Hope you're hungry, Boss!" Tina sang, but she stopped in her tracks when she saw Larry. "Oh…"

Guilt swept over her narrow face, and as it did Bacon Bill's, but Larry graciously smiled at them both.

"It's okay, guys," he told them. "I already forgave you."

Relief flooded both pairs of eyes.

"Oh, I'm so glad!" Tina cried. "I wouldn't blame you if you held a grudge."

"We were going to pay for your hospital bill in secret if we had to," Bacon Bill insisted, "but we were scared of getting in trouble—"

Larry smiled good-naturedly. "Let's just move on and say this lesson was learned."

"I'll eat to that!" Tina grinned.

They carried the pizza boxes toward the door that led into Petunia and Tina's apartment, but Bacon Bill glanced at Larry's clothes and halted, doing a double take.

"Hey, great LarryBoy costume!" beamed Bacon Bill. "You look just like him!"

Petunia and Larry both jolted, exchanging glances.

"Nah, the color isn't right," Tina insisted with a laugh, going over to pick up the fallen helmet. "LarryBoy's costume is a darker shade."

"You're entering the LarryBoy Lookalike Contest coming up, right, Larry?" Bacon Bill guessed, stepping up to his friend. "Let's see how you look in full costume!"

"Well, I—" Larry stammered, edging back, but Tina swung the helmet up and plunked it on his head.

The two sprang to stand in front of him to get the full effect, and they tilted their heads side to side.

"It's almost perfect," Tina decided. "Keep working on it, Larry, and you'll be a shoe-in for third prize! Maaaybe second."

"And maybe stick a few wads of newspaper in your shoes to make yourself look taller," suggested Bacon Bill.

"LarryBoy doesn't wear shoes," Larry reminded him flatly.

Bacon Bill shrugged good-naturedly. "Well, I got nothin' then."

Petunia came to Larry's rescue. "Didn't you two promise to clean up both the kitchen and the second floor like I had asked?"

"We were about to, Boss," Tina insisted. "Just need to have a bite, then we'll get the brooms and stuff."

Petunia stepped back to let Tina and Bacon Bill continue on their way into the still messy kitchen. Closing the door for them, Petunia shook her head with a smile.

"Hopefully, they'll finish their chores by Christmas," she said.

Larry adjusted his helmet, giving his clothes an uncertain, sweeping glance.

"I should probably change before anyone else sees me," he mused. He raised his eyes toward Petunia. "After that, do you wanna go do something? …Together?"

She smiled. "I'd like that."

His face broke into an adorable smile, and he slipped away, returning in moments as his usual self. Side by side, they went out to enjoy what they only realized later was their first date.

THE END

A/N: Larry Cucumber — In the Netflix episode, "Cool as a Cucumber" Petunia addresses him as "Larry Cucumber" when she's admonishing him.