riki had a reputation, one he wore like a badge. he wasn't loud or disruptive in the way most troublemakers were. no dramatic shouting matches with teachers, no getting caught skipping class, but he had this stubborn streak that made him infamous in every classroom he stepped into.

if a teacher told him to do something, he'd act like they weren't even talking to him. if a classmate asked for help, he'd either shrug or give a flat, "nah." it wasn't exactly rebellion. it was just riki being riki. unbothered, detached, and annoyingly consistent about it. except with you.

it was almost ridiculous how quickly he could switch. one moment, he'd be completely ignoring an instruction and the next, the second you opened your mouth, he was already doing whatever you'd asked without hesitation and people noticed. in fact, at this point, they lived for catching it happen.

it started right after first period. math class, bright and early, and mrs. park was already irritated. she stood at the front with a thick stack of worksheets in her hands.

"nishimura, pass these back," she said. riki sat leaned back in his chair, spinning his pencil between his fingers like he had all the time in the world. "nishimura," she repeated, sharper. he looked up at her lazily, "yeah, in a minute." his pencil kept twirling. you sighed softly from your seat two over, leaning toward him just enough for your voice to carry. "riki, just pass them." and like magic, his hands were already on the stack, passing them back without a word of protest.

when he was done, he turned toward you with that little smirk, the one that curled at the corner of his mouth like see? only for you. somewhere behind you, a boy muttered to his friend, "he actually did it... because she toid him to." riki heard it too, and his smirk only deepened.

later, in english, your group was crowded around a table, working on a poster for a class presentation. "hey, riki, can you grab the glue sticks from the supply shelf?" one of your classmates asked.

"nope," riki replied without looking up, his scissors cutting neat strips of colored paper. you didn't even hesitate. "ki, can you get them for me?"

he was already walking across the room before you'd finished the sentence. when he came back, he set the glue sticks right in front of you, leaning close enough that his voice was just for you. "anything else, princess?" the boy across from you snorted quietly, "whipped." riki didn't even try to deny it.

even at lunch, it showed. you and riki had just sat down when the lunch lady called over, "young man, can you push in that chair you left out?" riki kept walking toward the table.

"ki," you said. he stopped mid step, looking over his shoulder instantly. "yeah?"

"push in your chair, please." without a word, he turned around, fixed the chair, and came back.

before sitting, he leaned down to press a quick kiss to your cheek. "you know," he said, smiling softly, "you could tell me to do anything and i'd do it." you laughed quietly, "i know."

after the final bell, you were packing your bag when a classmate wandered over. "hey, can you grab the basketball from the storage room?" they asked riki. "no."

the guy rolled his eyes and turned to you. "{{user}}, can you tell him to do it?" you blinked. "seriously?"

"it's the only way he'll say yes." riki gave him a flat look, but when you asked, "ki, could you grab it for him?" he sighed, getting up and disappearing into the hallway.

a minute later, he was back, dropping the ball into the guy's hands. "don't get used to it," he muttered, before turning to you with a softened expression. "ready to go?" he asked, grabbing your bag from your desk and holding it easily over his shoulder.

as you walked toward the gates together, he kept close, brushing his hand against yours until you finally laced your fingers together.

"you really only listen to me, huh" you said, amused. "told you," he murmured, giving your hand a squeeze, "i only listen to you."