"Misaka was very serious when Misaka said she wanted to be with you forever."

The time has come.

I am sitting, cross-legged, on the bed I call mine, which Last Order would sometimes crawl into when bored or lonely. Last Order is sitting on the edge, and her legs are swinging back and forth in some sort of melancholy. Her love for me is tangible in the air, and I wish I could send the same to her, or do something to cheer her up.

Or I could stop being a pussy and kiss her already, sealing the feelings I've had since I first met her.

Taking her into the darkness with me, tainting her, those are mere excuses for running away, I realize as she looks out the window, obviously depressed over something. This isn't her usual sniffling and bawling over trivial matters; she's really down. The maturity she's gained over the past few years, which conflicts with her pubescent appearance, is shining through the tears she doesn't shed.

"But Misaka is worried that Misaka will lose to another Misaka who's more grown up, says Misaka as Misaka lets out her childish but true feelings."

She's worried about Worst. How wrong can this brat get? She doesn't realize that though I'm tied to darkness, though I will likely be fighting forever, what I want desperately is peace. I want normalcy, I want to learn without drugs and electric shocks, and I want to have a wife and kids. Last Order is my link to that normalcy; she is what Worst, fun as Worst is, can never be.

"Why are you worrying about that shit? You shitty brat, don't you realize that you're my woman and you always will be? You don't have to worry yourself over things like that." Without thinking, I blurt out my raw feelings. Shit. Now there's no turning back; I've dragged her in with me. She's looking at me, desperately searching for reassurance, to know that what I've just told her isn't a lie.

The time has come. My heart feels as though it will slam out of my chest. I've played over this moment a million times in my head, but somehow it doesn't get easier to act it out. Somehow I'm still scared I'll be rejected, or that I'll hurt her. But she's looking at me, pleading for something.

"But Misaka—"

"I'm being serious." I scoot over to her with my knees and take her face in my hands. She's so small and soft, and I stroke her cheek reverently, marveling at how smooth her skin is. "You're mine. So stop it."

I slide an arm around her and kiss her. I can't see her because my eyes are closed, but her lips are incredibly soft and moist, and it feels like we've completed a circuit between us. She holds the back of my head and smiles into my mouth. Whenever I move my lips the slightest, she responds. We break away and meet again and again, still wrapped around each other. Somewhere in the back of my head, it registers that this is my first time kissing anyone, let alone the beautiful girl called Last Order, but I'm not worried. It comes naturally, as natural as taking a first step forward.

We break away one final time, and I find myself childishly smiling. Yes! I finally did it! I'll show those motherfuckers that even a monster can find love! She's snuggling into my shoulder, a huge grin on her face, and I press a kiss to the top of her head and pull her close.

"Misaka wants to be your only. Basically, Misaka wants to be Accelerator's girlfriend, specifies Misaka as Misaka makes a request to the one she loves most." My heart swells with joy, and I pull her warm body flush against mine.

"You brat. You already were."