Summary: A pregnant Natalia has a moment alone in Horatio's house and finds a few things from his childhood.
Natalia had a day off. Her beloved redheaded boyfriend did not however. So while he was away at work, she had the opportunity to look around his house a little. They didn't officially live together yet although they had been together for almost a year, but she spent almost every day at his house. They just hadn't gotten around to moving in with each other yet. But it was on the move. Natalia was moving more and more of her things over to Horatio's home. And they both even called it their home and not Horatio's home. However, she knew something Horatio didn't yet and she hadn't figured out how to tell him. But Natalia knew that they had to move in together officially soon. She was pregnant and was trying to come up with a little surprise way of telling him.
Horatio had told her to feel at home and so she started looking around. She hadn't done that before when she had had days off, maybe it was because she had been afraid to find something that would upset him. But they had come so far in the last few months with opening up to each other that she now felt it was safe to snoop around a little.
She wasn't surprised to find that he had lots of CDs with jazz and acoustic music. It suited him well. She was a little surprised to find almost every book that Stephen King had ever written in his book shelf, but then she remembered how much Horatio enjoyed horror movies. Maybe the idea of Horatio Caine being a King fan wasn't so far-fetched after all.
It wasn't until she found some old dusty boxes in his home- office that she really started getting surprised at what she found. She got some good glimpses into the boy Horatio. She found several photos of him as a young boy; together with his little brother. They were smiling and seemed happy. Although, she knew they hadn't been happy. Not when his father had been home and drunk. Horatio had been his father's favorite target when it came to abuse. It was something they had bonded over a bit. Natalia was no stranger to abuse; having lived with her ex-husband Nick for a few years. She had been his favorite punching bag.
It had taken some coaxing but Horatio had eventually let her in and told her about his past. Not all of it, of course, but some. He had promised to share more, but there was a lot to share and he couldn't do it all in one night. Those things were hard to talk about.
Natalia found some old CDs and found that Horatio had been a Beatles fan growing up. She also found that even as a kid he had enjoyed horror stories, because she found some old horror books and magazines. She was sure he would be reading horror stories to their child when he or she got older.
It was when she got to the bottom that she became a bit surprised. There were many magazines with the Marvel logo on them and from the front covers it was clear that the redhead had had one favorite as a kid; Captain America. Natalia giggled; she wondered why he had kept these. Surely it wasn't something he was going to be reading now as an adult. But maybe it was because they reminded him of when he had been young and been dreaming of ridding the world of evil. Maybe he had dreamt of being a hero like Captain America. Or maybe just the way Steve Rogers was as a person; loyal, kind, with good morals and always trying his best to help others.
When she thought about it, Natalia realized it wasn't such a surprise after all that Horatio would have enjoyed this as a child. Natalia smiled and skimmed through some of the magazines, she instantly started to get into them and realized why people enjoyed super-hero stuff. She hadn't always been into it. Now, she couldn't put the magazines down.
It was deep into a magazine about Captain America that Horatio found her in the afternoon. He had decided to head home early to spend time with his girlfriend. Natalia was so immersed with what she was reading that she hadn't heard him come home.
"Do you like it?" He asked and chuckled when she jumped at the sound of his voice.
"I had no idea you liked Steve Rogers so much." Natalia smiled, "I was surprised at first, but then I thought about it and it is not such a big surprise after all."
"Oh really?"
"Yes, You try to be just like Captain America. Kind, good morals, loyal and you always put everyone else first." Natalia said and got up off the floor.
Horatio blushed at her words, but it was kind of true. He had always dreamed of being like Steve Rogers when he was a kid. It had been a way to escape from reality when it had become too much. He had also dreamed that one day someone like Steve Rogers might come and take his father away, so that they could get some peace at home.
"I'm glad that you're not laughing at me." Horatio said, "I used to be teased as a kid because I read Marvel comics."
"It was a little funny at first, but I've been reading them myself for hours now so." Natalia shrugged and gave him a kiss, "Besides, I think more little kids enjoy these than they dare admit."
"Probably true." Horatio said.
They went to the living room and sat down on the couch, as they were snuggling a little, Natalia started laughing.
"What?"
"Did you ever dress up as Captain America?" She asked and when Horatio blushed, she had her answer.
"Well, when I was younger and there were Halloween parties..." He said, "What?"
"I think it's kind of hot. I wouldn't mind having Captain America make a surprise visit one night." Natalia smirked, "Especially if he has red hair."
"You serious? You want me to dress up as him? Horatio asked, shocked.
"It's an open suggestion." Natalia grinned and kissed him, "But maybe it's enough to dress up a little one in a few months."
"A little one?" He asked.
"Yeah, there a lot of baby clothes out there with the Marvel theme."
Horatio gasped and pulled her into a hug.
"You serious?"
"Yes! You're going to be a daddy and Kyle is going to be a big brother." Natalia grinned, "And we can dress up our baby like a super hero."
Horatio smiled through his tears and hugged her. This was the best day ever, a part from the day he found Kyle. And yes, he would most definitely dress his child in Marvel-themed clothes no matter what, because deep inside Horatio was a bit of a nerd when it came to Marvel.
"Well, nobody can deny that a baby in Hulk-clothes is cute." Horatio grinned.
"I vote for Thor."
"Or maybe Iron-Man?" Horatio smiled, "That is Kyle's favorite."
"How about all of them?" Natalia laughed.
"Sweetheart, you can have whatever you like. Nothing makes me happier than this baby, so your wish is my command."
Natalia just smiled and kissed him. Yes, their baby would absolutely be dressed in super-hero clothes. Horatio wasn't the only nerd on the team. Natalia just knew that Frank would by Superman outfits. Eric and Ryan loved Hawkeye so they would find stuff with him for the baby.
No matter what the baby wore though, it would be loved and cherished for the rest of their lives.
The End