A writing warm-up under 600 words based on the writing prompt, "You? You're apologizing and giving me flowers? Who are you and what have you done with my arch-nemesis?"

~*~

Oriana stared at the young man in front of her, disbelief and suspicion dancing across her face. "There is no way this is actually happening," Scoffing, she took in a step backwards in preparation of whatever Janus had up his sleeve. "You? You're apologizing and giving me flowers? Who are you and what have you done with my arch-nemesis?"

Janus cleared his throat awkwardly, his arms holding the massive bouquet of flowers deflating a little bit. "Um, yes?" He offered unsurely.

Crossing her arms, Oriana hesitantly leaned forward, expecting the bouquet mix of purple hyacinths, peonies, and gladiolus. "What's the catch?" She asked flatly, glancing up apprehensively.

"There's no catch." Janus answered calmly.

"There's no toxic gas in here? No poison snake? Nothing that will climb out while I'm sleeping and kill me?"

"No, but you can check it right now if you want."

Immediately, Oriana dove in, Janus jumping at her sudden eagerness. She dug through the enormous bouquet, checking for anything out of the ordinary and finding nothing.

Pulling her arms out of the maze of flowers, Oriana quirked an eyebrow. "Okay, so what gives? It's not like you to give me free stuff without there being some deadly plot twist thrown in."

Janus took a deep breath, closing his eyes. Oriana was surprised to see genuine emotion, actual desolation and distress within them once he opened them. "I... I crossed the line the other night, with what I said," Janus slowly admitted. "That was very unbecoming of me, and I deeply regret it. I-" He seemed to struggle over his words for a moment, as if he was about to pronounce a word he had never spoken before. "I'm sorry."

Oriana almost stumbled over backwards at his shocking confession. Honestly, she probably would have been less shocked if he had professed his eternal and undying love for her, but this? Apologizes didn't fit Janus, and he didn't fit them.

Or, at least so she had thought.

Pressing his lips together nervously, Janus's eyes bounced from the stunned young woman to the bouquet in his arms. "So, um- could you please take this now? It's getting kind of heavy."

Snapping out of her stupor, Oriana quickly took the heavy bundle of flowers from her arch-nemesis with ease and set them down. "I-I'll have to find a vase for it later," She stammered. "But thank you for them."

Janus hesitated before answering. "You're welcome."

"They- they're really pretty!"

"Um, yeah, I guess they are."

The two stood in an awkward silence for a moment, avoiding eye contact as Oriana smiled timidly and Janus shifted his weight from foot to foot. Finally, Oriana cleared her throat. "Well, I guess you better leave before anyone else catches you here."

Janus froze for a moment before her words registered with him. "Oh, right. That wouldn't be really good then, would it?"

Shaking her head, Oriana agreed, "No, it wouldn't."

Letting out a short, tense laugh, Janus began backing up, eyes never leaving Oriana. "Well, I better get going then. I'll just go out the way I got in and hope I don't get caught!" Regaining that familiar arrogant smirk and cocky tone, he lowered into a deep bow as he reached the door. "Farewell, Oriana. Until we meet again."

And with that, Janus disappeared out the door.

Oriana stared after him, mind still in a whirlwind over what had just happened. Without realizing, the words that she meant to say before her enemy had left slipped out.

"I don't forgive you, but this is a start."