Chapter Text
The Ogasawara Islands, or the Bonin Islands, is an archipelago of over thirty subtropical and tropical islands in Micronesia, south of Tokyo’s Japanese capital. Despite its proximity to the city, getting to any one of these islands took some effort. For example, to reach the most populated of these islands, Chichijima, one had to take the ferry and arrive at Futami Port. Then from there, they could have access to any of the popular tourist attractions available to enjoy and take some time to wind down.
And for two individuals, they had come here for just that.
It wasn’t the most straightforward task in getting the disguised Autobot aboard the ferry, let alone for his “driver” to navigate him down to the shoreline, but this was the only time that either of them could come out. For, despite his status as a defender and savior of the planet Earth, the Autobot was being hunted, as was the woman he was with.
A blonde, American woman stepped out of the red semi-truck, a light breeze playing with her long hair. She wore a low-cut, black top with three white skulls with eyepatches (each with a heart inside) and a white bikini top underneath the shirt. In addition, she wore a pair of jean shorts, a pair of pink and black sandals, and a silver cross on a chain around her neck.
“Brr!” she said, hugging herself. “Why does it get so cold here in Japan? It’s still summer!”
“I apologize that I can only take you this late, Marissa.” the robot in disguise told the woman. “If it were possible, I’d bring you at an earlier time.”
“Oh no! Don’t worry about it, Optimus!” the blonde, Marissa Faireborn, told the Autobot leader. “Besides, I like surfing at night. With the moon out; and the stars…” she paused, looking up at the sky. While the moon was not complete, the stars were bright and shining in the black abyss above. “It’s beautiful.”
“Perhaps one day, I could try my hand at surfing again.” Optimus told the woman.
“Yeah, maybe,” she replied. “Wait.” she then realized what her “ride” had just said. “You tried surfing before?”
The truck chuckled, his deep voice still managing to send shivers through Marissa. Still, the baritone was surprisingly calm and gentle. It gave her a sense of ease around her fellow runaway. “You humans call it surfing, but I and the rest of us just thought that the air boards were the most efficient way to travel.”
He then proceeded to tell her of the incident involving Megatron attempting to pull Cybertron into Earth’s orbit. He didn’t think much of it at first, but when the whole event was over, he found himself complimented on his “surfing skills.”
“It was Spike who gave us all the history of the sport. Bumblebee wanted to try it immediately; Bluestreak then asked Spike for tips. Pretty soon, everyone aboard the Ark wanted to learn how to surf.”
Marrissa giggled, then moved to the back of the truck, bringing the panel down. “So, did any of them learn? Did you?” she questioned, intrigued.
Optimus chuckled again. “Some were more successful than others.” he admitted.
“And you?” she continued to ask, grabbing her surfboard. It was pink and black, matching her shirt.
“I’ll admit that I never officially learned how.” the Autobot leader answered. “Though I suppose I could try to learn. If you’re willing to teach me.”
Marissa thought about it for a moment. “Hmm…well, the first thing we would need to do is find a surfboard big enough for you,” she said, the panel putting itself back up. Sometimes it was handy having a truck that was “alive.” “And we would need one that could hold your weight.”
He knew what the human woman meant, but still, he had moments he liked to be humorous too. “Are you saying I’m fat?”
Marissa caught on and indulged him. “Well, you HAVE been taking up a lot of gas lately. So maybe I should have you switch over to a hybrid model.”
“Oh, so now I have a drinking problem, do I?” Optimus questioned.
“Hey, you’re the one who said it, not me!” Marissa told him.
He then transformed before her, towering over her petite form. Despite seeing it several times, the woman was still astonished at how the living machine altered his body so seamlessly from a vehicle to a more humanoid form. Well, humanoid was perhaps being a bit generous.
“Do you want me to discipline you again?”
The human paled. The last disciplinary session she had with him involved a good long tickling. She had no idea the Autobot Commander could be so ruthless with his digits.
“Uh…well, the night’s still young, and the waves are still good, so I should get going! Bye!” with that, she sped off towards the ocean, but not before stopping at the shore to take her top off and throwing it on the sand and revealing a toned, muscular but feminine figure, the moonlight highlighting her features. Even from a distance, Optimus could see her figure.
Out at Sea
The water was a suitable temperature: not too cold but with just enough chill to let Marissa know that the depths were unexplored territory. But she had no intention of diving deep down; she would stick much closer to the surface.
Seeing a perfect wave coming in, Marissa swam towards it and got atop her board, immediately riding the water and being propelled further by it. As she surfed wave after wave, the woman felt exhilarated. There was nothing more satisfying than conquering the ocean with just a surfboard, riding the waves, and hearing the endless sound of water and the scent of salt.
It was heaven. But it was a heaven that she could only experience alone.
As she continued surfing, Marissa found her thoughts turning to Optimus. The image of him surfing was quite humorous to her, yet she was curious about how well he would be at it: no fancy, Cybertronian gadgets, just him and a board. Well, one big enough for him anyway. Yet the image of him surfing alongside her seemed to plague her mind. She and him, riding together, side by side underneath the blazing sun and a clear sky. Or, as she was doing now, underneath the darkened abyss lit up by stars.
Someday. she thought to herself. Someday…I’ll take you out with me. We’ll both ride the waves together.
Pondering the scenario of the Autobot leader surfing, Marissa was utterly unaware of the danger that lurked beneath her.
The unseen creature had sensed her the moment she had stepped into the water. There was an energy signature radiating off of her. Something that it had seen before long ago. One that reminded it of the glimmering, shining light of the Matrix.
She was one of those who could channel and harness the power of her guardian.
She was a Kiss Player.
Its hunger grew insatiable as it observed from below, rising from the depths and inching closer and closer to her unsuspecting form.
Perhaps I should take up some surfing lessons. So Optimus thought, gazing out into the ocean, keeping track of Marissa’s shape as she rode the water.
She was gorgeous. Her toned body complimented her white bikini, golden hair that traveled in a beautiful wave as she surfed, the way the moonlight reflected off of her skin…
Had one asked Optimus when the Autobots first came to Earth, he would’ve dismissed the idea of being attracted to a human. But, ironically enough, Spike asked him that question when he had proposed to Carly.
At first, Optimus found the idea hilarious. While humans were indeed trusted allies and creatures that deserved his and the Autobots’ protection, there was a barrier between them and Cybertronians that he didn’t believe could be crossed. After all, even if their efforts contributed significantly to their cause, humans were still small, fleshy, and easy to maim or kill. Moreover, to develop romantic affections for one was utterly foreign to him.
That was all before she had awakened him.
She had rescued him from the clutches of the EDC, and since then, they both have been on the run from the organization. She knew what she was risking, she knew she would be labeled a terrorist, but the blonde woman continued through the guards and incoming projectiles—only armed with a pair of knives—all to save him.
And the first sensation he became aware of was the sensation of her lips against his face mask.
Just then, he was drawn from his thoughts by the sight of something in the water, as well as someone missing. Marissa’s surfboard was tossed around by the ocean, yet the woman was nowhere to be seen.
“Marissa?” Optimus transformed out of vehicle mode, standing tall and looking further into the sea. She was gone. “Marissa?!”
The Autobot wasted no time running to the ocean, his larger form allowing him to traverse depths and still feel the sand underneath his peds. “Marissa!!!” he called out, booming voice echoing through the night. He knew that there was a potential risk that someone could hear him, though the beach they had come to was relatively isolated. Meaning that, likely, even if he was heard, any potential help wouldn’t make it in time.
“Marissa!!! MARISSA!!!” Optimus called out, but still, he couldn’t get a response from her.
It was then that he noticed bubbles. He looked down and saw the vague but identifiable sight of a humanoid form underneath the water’s surface. He saw Marissa steadily rising, but she held her breath, unable to swim up.
What was holding her down was soon revealed, bursting out from the depths with the ensnared Marissa in its tentacles.