Ducem Mortis | The Mandalorian

XVII

I watched as the Mandalorian continued to run his finger over the moons before I pulled my arm away from him. "You should go back to the ship," I said looking behind him to see if the frog lady or child was coming. But neither of them did, it was just him.

"You didn't answer my question." The Mandalorian said causing me to look up at him. "How hypocritical," I said shaking my head. "You haven't been answering any of my questions for the past days. And yet you're mad when I don't answer your questions...this is gold." I said before walking away from him.

"You know I've been wondering," I started as I looked up at the ice hanging from the top of the cave. "How does it feel to hate me?"

"I don't hate you." The Mandalorian said instantly after I finished my question. I looked towards the man as I spoke, "Then why have you been saying the things that you've said to me. You know they hurt." The Mandalorian turned his head away from me, looking elsewhere. I nodded at his reaction, "Bingo," I said shaking my head looking at the man, "So tell why would I want to stay on the ship knowing that you are doing this all of this out of spite."

The man still didn't answer me causing me to walk past him, towards the direction of the tunnels.

"Why did continue to go through with Moff Gideon's plan knowing how I felt about you?"

His questioned echoed through the cave, stopping me in my tracks. Here we go again.

"I didn't know that you-," I started only to be interrupted by the man. "That's bullshit Astraea and you know it." He said taking steps towards me. "You never told me that you-." I started again only for him to interrupt me again.

"That's like saying stormtroopers aren't bad shots without seeing them shoot. We all know they are bad shooters."

He was right, but then again his comparisons wasn't the same thing. "You can't compare stormtroopers to emotions," I said as the man we now in front of me. "What would you have done if I told you the night before it happened? You wouldn't have looked at me the same." I said shaking my head.

"You don't know that, none of us will ever know that because you didn't. You didn't tell me." I looked away from the Mandalorian as I felt tears in my eyes. "No, you made that choice for me, for us." I turned back towards him as the word 'us' left his lips.

"Do you think it was easy," I said as I looked up at the helmet. "I wanted to tell you, I did but it was too late when I tried. The damage was already done." I said shaking my head looking down. "It was too late. It's all too late."

I was left with the ringing silence as I looked down at the snow. I couldn't dare look up at the man. Even though I couldn't see his eyes I knew he was looking at me, probably with regret and disgust.

"No, it's not too late."

My heart felt like it stopped beating as his words reached my ears. In the same second I felt his hand under my chin as he brought me forward. I felt the light touch of his lips on mine, almost as if I was testing to see if this was real. I stood up on my toes, wrapping my fingers into his hair as I pull him closer. His hands traveled down to my waist, squeezing lightly in his grasp. I couldn't process anything other than the fact that his lips were on mine, that he was actually kissing me again. I felt something cold on my back, making me jump slightly. It was then that I realized my back was against the frozen walls of the cave behind me. I felt the Mandalorian shift, moving us around so it was him against the wall instead of me. His armor would protect him from the cold anyways.

I smiled against his lips as I felt his hand touch my cheek, turning my face to the side. My hands slid down from his hair and onto the grip he had on my face. The man held me gently as he kissed me one more time before pulling back. I couldn't help the smile that was on my face as I had in eyes closed, in respect for the Mandalorian's identify. I felt his lips brush against mine causing me to lean forward only to receive a small chuckle from the man.