Work Text:
Finn was woken up abruptly by the sound of armored soldiers running outside his door, and then a fist banging somewhere outside his bed chambers. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes, briefly thinking that someone was trying to reach him, before realizing that the banging was actually coming from the door across the hall, leading to the room Dane had been staying in that summer. Dane stirred beside him, tightening his arm around Finn's waist and looking up at him in confusion.
"What's going on?", he mumbled, the words muffled against Finn's chest.
"Shh. Stay here"
Finn untangled himself from the embrace and got out of bed, quickly throwing on a robe and cracking his door open, making sure that his bed, and Dane still in it, would not be visible from the hallway. The sight of his father and his guard standing in the hallway made his heart pound in his chest.
"Wha-What is going on?"
The look of pure fury in his father's eyes was unlike anything Finn had seen from him before. It felt as if Finn was hearing everything through water as his father snarled about the Solari invading their land. About throwing Dane in a cell, now that he was no longer a welcome guest of the court. He couldn't even recall what exactly he said to his father as he closed the door and turned back to the bed, back to Dane, who was now looking at him with wide terrified eyes.
"You need to get out of here, now. Go." Finn hissed, reaching for random items of clothing and throwing them at the bed, urging Dane to get out before Finn's father barged into his bedroom, insisting that he help in the search for Dane.
Dane seemed froze for a few seconds, before snapping out of his stupor and reaching for the clothes, pulling them on with trembling hands.
It felt both like a second and like a lifetime to Finn, watching him get ready to leave, knowing that it could very well be the last time they would ever get to see each other. Memories of their summer together kept flashing behind his eyes, as if his mind was trying to make sure that he wouldn't forget a single second, while he could still look at Dane. He couldn't wipe away the image of Dane's face that night he finally felt ready to give Dane all of himself - when he admitted that he would always put Dane first, and Dane looked like his world had tilted on its axis, not able to comprehend or believe the depth of feelings Finn held for him. But maybe now he would believe it - here Finn was, betraying his father, his country, committing treason in aiding Dane in his escape.
Dane finished putting on the last of his borrowed clothing (though, could it really be called borrowed, when they had no hope of seeing each other again to have the items returned?) and made his way to the window, hand freezing on the latch. He looked back at Finn, his eyes still wide with terror.
"I- I don't know-...", he swallowed and steeled himself, looking intensely into Finn's eyes. "Thank you. I will never forget this."
He looked ready to leave then, but Finn shook himself out of his stupor - he knew that he would never forgive himself for letting him leave without kissing him one last time - and marched up to him, grabbing the sides his face and pulling him down until their lips met.
They had shared many kisses during their summer together - heated ones, sloppy ones, sleepy ones, sweet ones - but none had quite that edge of desperation as this one, hands grasping as if they never wanted to let go, teeth lacking together, beyond the ability for control, the salty tang of tears only making it more clear what this was - a goodbye.
They pulled apart finally when their lungs were screaming for air, both panting with their foreheads pressed together, not willing to accept yet that they needed to separate. Finn's breath shuddered as he took half a step back, his hands still holding onto Dane's cheeks holding onto the eye contact. He licked his lips and darted in again, unable to resist another desperate press of lips, before whispering a soft confession into the space between their breaths.
"I love you. I wish things could be different, and I know this is the worst time to say it, but I can't let you leave thinking I felt any less than that for you."
He could feel fresh tears rolling down Dane's cheeks where his hands still cradled them, and hear the gasped breath he took before throwing his arms around Finn's neck and pulling him into a desperate embrace, hiding his face in the crook of Finn's shoulder.
"I love you. Fuck I love you so much. I can't-" Dane cut himself off, somehow hugging him impossibly tighter for a second, before pulling away and looking at Finn's face. "I need to go." He reluctantly pulled his hands away, once again reaching for the latch on the window, this time actually opening it all the way and climbing onto the small ledge. He stretched his wings, before turning back to look at Finn one last time, his face full of sorrow.
And then he was gone, fleeing into the night.