This is my first fanfic that I've published, although I am not foreign to writing stories. Please leave reviews so that I can improve! Thank you!

I don't own Hyouka ;-;

A chilly breeze blew into the Geography Prep room, carrying the clean and sweet scent of rain. Houtarou shivered slightly and looked up at the open window, debating whether or not to close it. He decided against it to preserve his store of energy. The sky had a nice cloak of grey, thin, clouds, alleviated from the rain they had carried and beginning to fade. Everything was in different shades of grey, as usual. To Houtarou, the world and the people in it, along with his life, were grey. He scoffed at the idea of a rose-colored life filled with energy, but sometimes bits of blinding color broke through his grey walls. It was happening more and more often, and honestly, it frightened him. He was comfortable. He liked his calm, grey, life, and was puzzled whenever Mayaka claimed that he was boring and emotionless. It was as if she pitied him. Nobody understood that he was happy, especially not that Eru Chitanda. Ever since she came into Houtarou's life, he never got any rest. The first time he saw color was in their first year of high school, when she leaned in and said those two damning words:

"I'm curious!"

Her eyes were a deep, sparkling, purple, bright and filled with curiosity, pulling Houtarou in. Even now, as a second year, they still had the same effect on him. He thought that after spending almost two years in the same club together it would wear off, but it never did. He was trapped in her web, helpless. The more she was with him, the more color he saw. It was an eternal game of tug-of-war against Eru, and she was slowly but surely winning. Every second he spent with her was like a fight for his life. What frightened him the most was that her curiosity was rubbing off on him, and a part of him wanted to see what a rose-colored life was like.

The thought made Houtarou sick.

He felt as if he was never safe, that Eru would make him forget who he really was: a grey, energy-conserving person whose motto was "if I don't have to do something, I won't, but if I have to, I'll do it quickly."

"Houtarou!"

Houtarou's head snapped up as the door to the Geography Prep room opened. There stood Eru Chitanda in all her colorful glory.

"What is it now," He sighed, turning back to his book.

"The paints are missing!"

"Hah?"

"Oh, I apologize. I wasn't clear enough again. Several of the gallon jugs of paint in the art room have gone missing, including sponges from the kitchen. All the art students are panicking and the cooks can't wash the dishes. We have to help them!" She insisted.

"No."

"Please?"

"No," Houtarou said firmly and a bit sullenly.

"But…"

Oh god, Houtarou knew what was coming next. He turned his head, everything happening in slow motion.

"I'm curi-" Eru started to say, her violet eyes widening as she tripped over the strap of Houtarou's backpack. He stood up quickly with his arms outstretched in an attempt to catch her. She fell into his arms, her face colliding with his. Warm, soft, lips met cold, dry, ones.

And the world of grey that Houtarou lived in exploded, shattering like a mirror. Bright colors and sounds swirled around him, limitless energy flowed through his veins.

He felt alive.

Rays of sunshine broke through the clouds, bathing the room with golden light. The once cold wind warmed, tickling Houtarou's skin and rustling through Eru's long, silky, hair. Eru slowly opened the eyes she didn't know she had closed and pulled away as Houtarou's eyes opened as well. They widened as he took in his new surroundings. It was warm and colorful and heart-stoppingly beautiful. Eru's huge eyes welled up with shimmering tears as she slapped her hands over her mouth and backed away.

"H-Houtarou, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to...to…" Her flushed face scrunched up as if she was about to cry. Just before she was about to run out of the room, Houtarou snapped out of his shock and yanked her into his arms. "What-?!" Eru gasped in shock and froze.

"Thank you." He buried his face into her shoulder and tears trickled onto her uniform.

"This isn't a rose-colored life. This is...this is the entire spectrum of colors. And it's beautiful. Why did I fight this...?" He whispered, more to himself.

"Houtarou…"

He pulled away and looked her in the eyes, a soft smile gracing his once downturned lips. "You showed me something that I thought didn't exist, and it is beautiful and colorful and full of life. That's why I'm thanking you."

A foreign feeling flooded through Houtarou's body, warming him as he stared at Eru. It was comforting, like being wrapped in a soft blanket. He felt like he had come home. He wracked his brain for the word that could describe this feeling, but came up with only one result.

Love.

Even that word didn't quite fit. It was like trying to stuff something into a box that was too small, but it was the only word that came close. He loved Eru Chitanda. He loved her curiosity. He loved her sometimes awkward shyness. He loved her determination. He loved her pure innocence. He loved absolutely everything about her.

"Eru…"

She gasped in shock at the use of her first name.

"I love you."

Eru's throat constricted as she clutched her shirt over her wildly beating heart.

"Love m-me?"

Finally, her feelings were returned. She was beginning to think that Houtarou didn't love anyone or anything, and the reality of that assumption hurt her. It started slowly, but she realized that she loved him on Valentine's Day in their first year of high school. She had accepted the fact that he would never return her love, and was content with just being friends with him. Now, standing in front of the strange boy she loved, Eru's mind was blank. She had no idea how to respond to Houtarou's rather sudden confession.

What should I say? Eru internally panicked. "I…"

"I love you, too!" She blurted out, immediately flushing beet red and covering her mouth.

Houtarou simply pulled Eru back into his arms and gazed out the window, marveling at the bright colors and the beautiful new world like a newborn child. As he lightly stroked her hair, Eru's warmth and energy radiated from her body and he was infected with her curiosity. "Let's go help the art students and cooks."

"Really?!"

"Why not?" Houtarou said, shrugging. "After all, I think I have some extra energy to spare."

The biggest, most dazzling smile he had ever seen lit Eru's face up and her aura radiated joy. "Mayaka and Satoshi are already on their way. Let's go!"

Houtarou smiled again and followed the bright and inquisitive girl into yet another mystery for the Classics Club to solve.