The door creaked open as Angelo stepped inside, a little quieter than usual. His bag slid off his shoulder with a soft thump.

"Good evening, senior," he said, voice calm... but still a little unsure.

Adrien was already on his bed, back facing the room, headphones in. He didn't respond.

Angelo scratched the back of his neck. Awkward silence.

He headed to his corner, pulled out the folded assignment paper, and sat down at the desk. The only sound in the room was the scribble of his pen against the table not the paper, just the table. He hadn't even started writing.

Topic: "Free Will vs Determinism."

His pen hovered over the page for a while.

He exhaled. "This is... kinda deep," he mumbled to himself.

Another few minutes passed. He looked over at Adrien. Still unmoving.

Angelo bit his lip, hesitant.

"Um... Senior?" he asked gently.

No answer.

He tried again. "I-uh... I'm kinda stuck on this assignment. It's okay if you don't want to talk but... I was wondering what you think."

Adrien turned his head slightly. "About what?"

"The topic. Free will... or fate. Like... do you think people really choose who they become?"

Adrien's eyes stayed on the ceiling. For a second, Angelo thought he wouldn't reply.

Then:

"Depends."

Angelo leaned in, curious. "Depends on...?"

Adrien finally sat up, his face calm but unreadable. "On if people even know who they are in the first place."

Angelo blinked. "That's deep."

Silence.

He smiled a little. "Thanks, senior. That helped more than you think."

Adrien looked at him, eyes soft for a second-barely.

"Don't overthink it," he said.

Angelo nodded and went back to his desk, this time actually writing.

His thoughts spilled slowly onto the paper, this time with something real behind them.

Later, Angelo lay on his bed, eyes wide open, still shaking from a nightmare. The shadows in the room seemed heavier, his breath uneven as he stared at the ceiling.

Adrien, sitting quietly at his desk, reached for a pen and wrote a note on the corner of Angelo's assignment paper.

"Even fate needs you to make a move."

That one line was enough to melt a person's soul.

Short, yet deep He placed the note carefully where Angelo would see it.

-

Weeks later, sitting in his seat at school, Angelo reread his assignment one last time before submitting.

His eyes caught the neat, tiny handwriting in the corner.

His breath hitched.

No signature.

But Angelo knew exactly who it was from.

He smiled quietly, feeling a little less alone.