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One moment Finn is leaning on the rail of the boat. The next moment he isn’t.
Poe doesn’t even think about it. He’s wrestling his jacket off as he sprints, shoving past the ambassador who’d been standing next to Finn. He vaults over the rail and hits the water feet-first, plunging into the icy depths.
The water is clear, but the only light comes from the lanterns on the boat. Poe’s head sweeps frantically, searching for a shape that resembles Finn.
It’s lucky Finn chose the gold tunic for tonight. It shimmers for a moment, catching the light. Poe kicks toward it, trying not to worry about how fast Finn is sinking, how his arms hang limp. Poe’s eardrums squeeze and he blinks through the searing pressure in his skull, grappling for Finn long before he can reach. Finn bounces gently when he hits the bottom of the river. Poe kicks frantically, closer but not close enough, until finally his hand is grasping that tunic and he hauls Finn closer.
Finn’s eyes are shut. There’s a fine scattering of bubbles on his eyelashes. Poe shakes him, and Finn’s head lolls. Did the ambassador stun him? No time to wonder now.
Poe grabs onto Finn’s face and crushes their mouths together, pushing air into Finn’s lungs. It’s probably useless, but he has to try. He hooks his arms under Finn’s and crouches, finding his footing on the stony ground. Then he launches up, fighting furiously for the surface even as their collective weight drags them down.
It’s not enough. They’re still sinking, just slower. Poe exhales in frustration, watching the bubbles wobble steadily to the surface. He squeezes Finn tight, clinging to the warmth of his body, wishing it could make him stronger.
Something disturbs the water, far above. Poe squints at it, still kicking. It’s silver, impossibly straight, and swinging closer to them.
A cable. An astromech cable.
Poe grabs it, winding the cord around his forearm and tugging. There’s some slack at the other end, then a sharp yank propels him through the water. Poe turns, trying to prop Finn up so he’ll surface first. He’s getting dizzy, his chest getting tight. He hopes the cable is still pulling him upward, because he can’t tell anymore.
They breach. The air feels even chillier than the water, and Poe gasps a stinging lungful anyway. Finn slumps at his slide, and Poe holds him closer, wishing he could feel a heartbeat through their sodden clothes.
The cable hauls them toward a small boat, and Poe recognises the familiar shape of Artoo. There’s shouting. There’s Rose, reaching precariously over the edge to haul them both to safety. Poe collapses onto the deck, sprawled next to Finn and untwisting the cable biting into his arm, then he rolls himself upright to look at Finn.
He’s still unconscious.
‘No, no no no no…’ Poe is muttering without realising, touching Finn’s clammy face. ‘Finn!’
Even as panic rises in him, Poe’s training kicks in. He tips Finn onto his side, hastily arranging his arms, and prises Finn’s jaw open. It moves too easily, too slack. He reaches into Finn’s mouth with two fingers, checking his airway is clear. Finn’s still warm on the inside: that’s good.
He shoves Finn onto his back. Finn’s so malleable, none of the energy or stubbornness that Poe expects—that he adores. Tilting Finn’s chin up gently, Poe pinches Finn’s nose. He locks his lips over Finn’s.
This really isn’t how he wanted to do this.
The first puff of air feels bizarre, and Poe rests his palm carefully on Finn’s chest. He doesn’t feel it move. The second breath, he shuts his eyes. Maybe a shift. Maybe.
The third breath, he prays.
Finn coughs suddenly, headbutting Poe in the mouth.
Poe goes tumbling back, dizzy with relief, while Finn sits bolt upright, hacking up water and shuddering.
‘Finn!’ Poe kneels in front of him. ‘You fell in, you almost drowned, you…’
‘I’m…’ Finn frowns, thumping his chest with his fist. ‘I’m okay.’
He scowls, groaning hoarsely, and takes a deep breath. His shoulders rise and fall. Rose reappears, wrapping towels around both of them. Finn scrubs his face clean. He squints for a moment, then brushes his finger over his lips.
‘Did you…?’
Poe feels himself flush. ‘I, uh, I had to revive you.’
‘By kissing me?’ Finn raises an eyebrow.
‘It’s called mouth-to-mouth,’ Poe explains.
‘Oh...?’ both Finn’s eyebrows are up now.
‘It’s a medical procedure!’ Poe wails. ‘Do Stormtroopers not get training for that?’
‘No,’ Finn shrugs. ‘We just die, I guess.’
By the time they’re back on the ship, the ambassador that tried to kill Finn is in handcuffs. That technically makes the mission a success, since they’d first come to this party to apprehend her. Poe spends the rest of the night shivering and sore, until they’re finally back to base and he’s had a long hot shower. He’d been reluctant to let Finn out of his sight, but Finn is standing at the door of Poe’s quarters when Poe finishes drying off.
‘Hey,’ Finn looks Poe up and down. Poe realises he should have bought himself new pyjamas some time in the last five years. ‘Thank you.’
‘Of course,’ Poe shrugs, giving Finn a smile. ‘You’d do the same for me.’
‘That, uh, that medical procedure,’ Finn bites his lip before continuing. ‘Do I need any more of it?’
‘No,’ Poe assures him. ‘You’re safe now.’
‘Oh,’ Finn nods. ‘Right, I didn’t know.’
Far too late, Poe realises what Finn is asking. The mortification must show on his face.
‘Because, yeah, they didn’t cover it in Stormtrooper training,’ Finn’s expression is entirely sincere. ‘So I need someone to teach me.’
‘Oh!’ Poe’s voice is too loud. It’s so loud. ‘Yeah, I could teach you.’
‘Great,’ Finn smiles. ‘I’m free tonight.’
The lesson takes all night. It runs a long way into the next morning, too.