Hi! This is my first story, well, more like one-shot for Criminal Minds.

Hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Warnings: mild Reid/Hotch slash, blood, sadness...

One more Breath

Watching a peaceful death of a human being reminds us of a falling star; one of a million lights in a vast sky that flares up for a brief moment only to disappear into the endless night forever. ~Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

It hurt, everything hurt. Pain consumed him and he couldn't think properly.

The white hot feeling seemed to come from his stomach, spreading out like spider webs. He couldn't move a muscle and every breath was followed by blood. He felt himself becoming sick from the metallic, sweet taste and tried to spit it out, before he'd suffocate.

"-id. Reid!"

"-an down!"

"-ambulance!"

Voices surrounded him, but he couldn't place them. His vision was blurry, was he crying? Reid blinked, it was like his eyelids weighed tons and slowly he could see what was going on around him.

Everything seemed to be in slow motion and he made out a dark figure shooting another man.

Morgan.

But who was the other man? He should know, it was on the tip of his tongue. Oh God, he couldn't remember. His mind was betraying him. Why couldn't he think clearly!

Reid took another breath, but it made him have a coughing fit and more blood flowed down his chin.

Unsub. He's an Unsub…was.

Suddenly he felt another presence and hissed as pressure was put onto his wound. Groaning he turned his head slightly to see the other person. God, he wished he hadn't.

Hotch was kneeling beside him, his hands on Reid's wound. His usual emotionless face was replaced by a look of…fear? It couldn't be this bad.

Hot pain shot through him as he tried to move a little, screw it, it looked really bad. The upper part of his body was covered in blood.

Reid turned his attention towards Hotch once more and thought he saw tears in the other's eyes that threatened to fall. He looked frustrated, maybe because the blood wouldn't stop flowing. Reid felt exhausted, his eyes felt so heavy…

"Reid, stay with me!" Hotch ordered as he saw his subordinate beginning to drift away.

Apparently it seemed to work, as Reid's eyes remained open for now. He cursed under his breath as he saw how much blood he was losing. Damn, where was the ambulance?!

"Hotch…?" the injured agent whispered and looked at him through his thick eyelashes with fear in his big, hazel eyes.

"I'm here, Reid," he replied and took his hand, trying to comfort Reid in some way, but how could he when he was scared to death himself?

A small, sad smile graced Reid's bloodied lips.

"I'm sorry."

"Why?" Hotch asked him, not knowing why his badly injured agent was apologizing.

"Was too slow," he mumbled, clearly upset with himself, hissing in pain.

Hotch escaped a bitter laugh and he tightened his grip on him.

"Nothing's your fault, absolutely nothing. It was mine, I shouldn't-," he stopped himself when tears rolled down his face, dripping onto his bloodied hand, Reid's blood.

The Unsub had taken them by surprise. They were going to question a victim who had escaped when he had attacked them. It had just been Morgan, Reid and himself. Damn, why was this happening?!

"Not your fault. Aaron…," the young man groaned anew and Hotch knew he was running out of time.

"Where's the ambulance!" he shouted and watched as Morgan limped towards them, having been shot himself, but being too stubborn to show it.

"Don't…know!" the dark skinned man yelled weakly, gritting his teeth and watching the man on the ground the entire time.

"How's he?"

"Why don't…you ask me…yourself?" Reid asked, forcing the words out of his mouth. Hotch watched Morgan smile, then frown, seeing the blood surrounding them. They shared a look, Reid might not make it.

But the agent in charge wasn't going to give up on him, not now, not ever.

"Reid, whatever you do, don't close your eyes, you hear me? Stay awake!" he ordered his subordinate, trying to stay in control over the situation, but he knew he was fighting a losing battle. There was just too much of the red liquid covering Reid and spilling onto the ground around him.

"Hotch…can't…sorry," he whispered and coughed again. The sound of the ambulance filled the air and he saw Morgan coming towards them, shouting to hurry.

"Aaron…can you…do something…for me?"

Hotch looked at his young lover, tears blurring his vision and nodded.

"Of course," he assured him, his voice breaking.

"…kiss me," Reid sighed and his hazel eyes seemed to change color, almost looking gold.

The suit clad man smiled and put a feather light kiss on Reid's lips. He tasted blood and just knew that this would be the last one, their last kiss.

He broke it and looked at the dying genius. His pale skin was splattered with his own blood, looking cruelly beautiful, even in this state.

The paramedics were rushing towards them with Morgan hot on their heels. They tried to stop him walking and let them see his leg, but he just snapped at them and pointed towards Reid.

Hotch felt his lover's hand loosening his grip on his own and watched alarmed as Reid smiled at him, taking one more breath before his eyes closed, a peaceful look on his face.

And Hotch felt like he died at the exact moment too.