For me, I'm really not into Horatio/Eric ship, and idk but Horatio/Natalia just isn't romantic in my view. So it's kinda weird to me. But for this one shot only, I present some unrequited love. My favourite genre of romance.

I suppose, it's kinda based off 5x13 though instead of Eric getting shot, things emotionally just get too much.

Eric Delko. A devoted, family-oriented and passionate guy who makes up a part of Horatio's team. Someone that Horatio saw like a brother and only had full respect for. He came from a good, loving family, had his flaws but made up for them with his work ethic. Lieutenant Caine appreciated his team consisting of his three CSIs. They worked well and got the job done without complication ruining it.

They were like brothers. Horatio married his older sister, Marisol, and brought them closer as a family with his love for her. Things hadn't been the same since Marisol died. That was obvious, though it wasn't mentioned. Marisol's death left Eric barely holding onto what he had. With the lawsuit, his two best friends gone and things spinning out of his control - the Cuban began to question his ability to control the things happening to him. They seemed to just get worse after Speed's death.

Eric never thought that he would end up at Natalia's house in the middle of the night, drunk and grieving. But she took him in out of the kindness of her heart. Out of all the relationships he'd had, what he had with her proved to be the most worth it. She made him feel whole again even when it all came crashing down. He needed somebody after everything that happened.

Natalia had always been the right choice. She had never once turned away from him, despite their ups and downs.

He'd been at her place three days in a row. Staying in her guest room and receiving rides from her to work. Sometimes he'd drive. It depended on their shifts. Eric just didn't want to be at his own place. The change in natural surroundings was exactly what he needed.

"Hey Eric." Natalia smiled as he appeared by the doors to the DNA lab. "For dinner tonight, I was thinking we could go out."

"Go out? What do you have in mind?" He leaned against her desk, his hands pressed on the edge.

"Cuban. I know a place that does the most incredible food!"

Delko laughed. They continued to think about dinner while Natalia completed the rest of her paperwork, uncontrollably smiling. From afar, Alexx and Horatio could see them laughing and talking. It's not like they weren't being professional. Eric hadn't had it easy the last few years and Natalia was the only person that he would let in.

Living with each other had been the best, and worst, occurrence to come out of this grief. Natalia had no problem with him staying over since he used to a lot when they were together. The room was even decorated like his own bedroom, with similar furniture and a slightly bigger bed. Home away from home. All for him. Not a single complaint came from the Latina about her living situation with Eric.

She liked having someone around, he could appreciate that Natalia's place became his home too.

Horatio didn't know why Eric hadn't come to him in the first place. There was so much more he could do with that vulnerability as a friend. But the feelings weren't quite the same as he thought they were.

"They're happy together, Horatio." Alexx said. "She makes him happy, I can accept that."

"Eric and Miss Boa Vista have been in a relationship before?"

Horatio examined the couple, trying not to let his personal feelings cloud his judgement. Natalia wouldn't be a bad fit for someone like Eric. She was soft-hearted, kind and lonely. They complimented each other in a way that maybe the lieutenant had missed.

If he did love Eric.. then what was Marisol to him? A woman he loved, but maybe not in the way he'd thought. Platonic, mistaken for romantic feelings.

As if Delko would ever consider his boss the same way his sister did. They were like brothers, nothing more. It's not like Delko was even into guys, especially with the age gap being a slight reach beyond his years. And Horatio couldn't ruin his happiness in spite of what he thought was infatuation, turning out to be a little more complicated than that.

"As long as he's happy, it shouldn't matter."

"Yeah."