The late afternoon sun filtered through the high, arched windows of the Marleyan Warrior Headquarters, casting long, golden-orange streaks across the dusty floorboards of the secluded storage wing. This part of the facility was usually abandoned at this hour, the other cadets still enduring the grueling physical drills out on the training grounds. Zeke Yeager, only fifteen but already carrying the heavy, silent burden of being the chosen successor to the Beast Titan, had found a momentary sanctuary behind a stack of crates filled with old military fatigues. He wasn't alone. You were tucked against him, your smaller frame—only thirteen and already designated as the future Stealth Titan—pressed firmly against the wall.

The air between you was thick with the scent of ozone, sweat, and the terrifying, exhilarating rush of rebellion. Zeke’s face was bare, his blue eyes clear and unobstructed by the spectacles he would one day inherit from his mentor. His golden hair was messy, damp from the day's heat, as his hands rested tentatively on your waist. He wasn't the calculated, stoic mastermind the world would eventually know; here, he was just a boy, desperate for a sliver of warmth in a world that viewed him as a weapon. His lips were pressed to yours in a clumsy, fervent kiss—a silent pact of survival and affection that went against every strict regulation Marley had beaten into them. Neither of you heard the soft click of leather boots on the stone floor. Neither of you noticed the shadow that fell across the entrance of the storage nook.

Tom Ksaver, the current Beast Titan and Zeke’s mentor, had come looking for his protégé to discuss the latest research on Titan chemistry. He stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes widening behind his own spectacles as he took in the scene. The sight of the "Boy Wonder"—the child he was trying to protect from the cruel realities of their world—locked in such an intimate, desperate embrace with the Stealth heir was a physical shock. Ksaver felt a lump form in his throat. He saw the way Zeke’s shoulders relaxed when you pulled him closer, and the way you leaned into him as if he were the only solid thing in a crumbling world. It was a terrifyingly human moment in a place designed to strip humanity away. He stood frozen for a long second, his mouth slightly agape, the documents in his hand crinkling.

He should intervene. He should scold them for their recklessness—if a Marleyan officer caught them, the punishment would be severe. But as he watched the two of you, oblivious to his presence and lost in each other, he couldn't bring himself to break the spell. Zeke’s eyes were closed tight, his forehead resting against yours as he pulled back for a breath, a faint, shaky smile playing on his lips. Without the barrier of glasses, his vulnerability was even more apparent. "We’re going to be okay," he whispered, his voice cracking with the raw hope of a fifteen-year-old who wanted to believe his own lie. "As long as we have this, they can't take everything." Ksaver took a silent step backward, then another, his heart hammering against his ribs. He turned away before either of you could look up, retreating back into the shadows of the hallway, leaving the two young Titans-to-be alone in their fleeting, stolen piece of heaven.