Poe knows it's bad. He's seen other people with this kind of injury before [knife wound to the chest, nasty] and he's seen them die from it, so he knows his chances aren't good. Especially when he can taste blood in the cracks of his teeth and his extremities are like ice.

It hurts worse knowing that he's panicking Finn before he leaves him.

Finn, Finn, fantastic Finn. He's a ray of sunshine at the worst of times, his best friend, the one that takes care of him when he comes back from missions so exhausting he practically has to hold his eyelids open with matchsticks, he's amazing.

And he's currently panicking. He's pressing his balled-up t-shirt to the wound [the pain flares brightly behind his eyelids, makes his limbs tremble] and telling Poe that it's going to be okay. He's called the medics, they're going to be here in 15 minutes tops.

Poe doesn't quite know how to explain that he'll have bled out by then.

He heaves his arm from the ground [it feels like lead] and lays his hand atop Finn's on his chest.

"Buddy." he says. His throat feels like sandpaper and he doesn't know how to follow it up, not properly. "Thank you."

"It's fine, you're gonna be okay- Poe? You're going to be fine." Finn says, all rapid-fire panic.

He curls his fingers around Finn's tacky ones best he can.

Then he shakes his head.

"Not this time."

"Shut up."

"Finn-"

"Shut up! That's not true. Come on, you can't- you can't die. You're not going to. You've too many responsibilities. Who'd look after BB-8?"

"You'll manage."

Finn makes a shrill, desperate sound.

"I'm only just learning how to live like a normal person, I don't need a smart-ass droid to look after. Besides, what if he shocks me again?"

Poe laughs weakly, can't help it. Of course this is what they talk about when Poe is minutes from the grave. You bicker like an old, married couple Jessika had said once, knowingly.

It's a sobering thought. Becuase-

If not now, he's never going to tell Finn there are maybe [definitely] some [a lot of] feelings involved on his side. And he knows Finn doesn't feel the same, he knows, okay? Finn is only just finding his feet and doesn't need Poe tailing him like a lovesick pup. But even so, it'd be nice to get it off his chest before-

Before he goes.

Better late than never, he supposes.

"Need to tell you something." he grits out, teeth chattering. He's freezing. Finn automatically tries to better cover him with his coat, and something that isn't the big 'ol wound in his chest flutters stubbornly.

"Sure, of course, gotta keep you talking, that's what they said- not that I don't want to hear what you're saying! Of course I do! You just - gotta keep talking, so uh. Shoot."

"Love you." he whispers, and he means to say it properly, but it's like this is all the energy he has left. "I've - feelings. For you, I tried to not have them but- I love you."

And Finn just stares at him, frozen. Same steady pressure on his chest, not letting up, not recoiling. Just staring.

Poe wants to curl up into himself and disappear on the spot, but that takes energy, and anyway, he figures - he's going to be disappearing pretty soon anyway. No need to hurry that along.

He tries squeezing Finn's fingers, but unfortunately his body decides that would be a great time to cough. Pain flares bad enough he whimpers. He feels blood wet his chin.

"Finn-" he says, scared now. Desperate. He can hear the rush of the medics coming towards them, finally, even though he knows it won't be enough.

"Finn-"

He's being moved. Someone is shining a pen-torch in his eyes. Finn's hand is jostled from his and the panic really sets in now, gripping him with claws even as his eyelids grow heavy.

Then everything drops into darkness.