❝Stars Aligned❞ » Katsuki Bakugou x Fem!Reader

83

The next morning came with a sleepy stretch of sunlight and the quiet sound of waves lapping the shore beyond your open window. You stirred slowly beneath the blankets, limbs tangled in warmth, the scent of the ocean lingering in the air. Bakugou was already up, again, though not far. You could hear him rummaging in the small backpack he'd brought with him for the trip, muttering something under his breath about sunscreen and water bottles.

"Are we going somewhere?" you asked groggily, voice muffled by the pillow.

Bakugou turned toward you with that same soft look he only ever gave you in private, one corner of his mouth tugged up. "Told you. No plans."

"You're such a liar," you muttered, burying your face again with a smile.

"Get dressed," he chuckled, tossing one of your more comfortable outfits onto the bed. "Swimsuit underneath. And good shoes this time, not those flimsy sandals."

"Sounds suspiciously like a hike," you mumbled.

"It's not just a hike," he called over his shoulder as he grabbed a towel and slung it over his shoulder. "But yeah, kind of."

It took maybe twenty minutes before the two of you were on the trail, winding through lush, green trees that swayed with the breeze. The path wasn't marked—clearly something locals knew about, tucked away from the usual tourist spots. Bakugou led confidently, sweat already starting to gather at his temples from the climb, though he didn't complain once.

"You really expect me to believe you found this trail by accident?" you asked, trying to catch your breath as you followed him around a steep curve.

"Nope," he replied bluntly. "Asked around. Paid some guy to tell me."

You laughed between gasps. "Why am I not surprised?"

"'Cause I don't do half-assed vacations," he said, shooting a look over his shoulder. "Especially not with you."

After a while, the trail opened into a clearing framed by tall stone cliffs and the soft roar of falling water. A waterfall, not massive, but tall and graceful, spilled into a pool of glimmering turquoise that looked almost too perfect to be real. Moss and vines clung to the rock walls, and beams of sunlight broke through the treetops in golden shafts. It was completely empty.

You stood in place, breath caught in your throat as you turned in a slow circle, taking in the view. "Katsuki... this is—"

"Yeah," he cut in, watching your reaction with a quiet kind of pride. "Figured you'd like it."

He dropped the backpack gently by the edge of a smooth boulder and grabbed a water bottle, tossing you one before toeing off his shoes. You followed suit, stepping closer to the edge of the water and crouching to dip your fingers in.

"It's warm," you said with a little laugh of surprise. "I expected it to be freezing."

"It's spring-fed," he replied as he joined you, crouching beside you and brushing his knuckles against the back of your hand. "And clean. You can swim."

For a few minutes, you both stripped down to your swimsuits and swam lazily in the quiet pool, letting the water cool your flushed skin, floating together beneath the shadow of the falls. At some point, Bakugou swam ahead and climbed up a flat ledge by the waterfall, motioning you up.

"Come here."

You hoisted yourself up beside him, water dripping from your limbs, and collapsed onto the rock with a sigh, your body already relaxing again. The waterfall roared beside you, but it wasn't overwhelming—it was rhythmic, grounding. Steady.