Unfiltered Fascinating Chemistry

"And that's a bad miss from Clara. Gonna leave her open to a hold now," the first announcer said.

"Unfortunately Bob. Sadly, the investment in this match has dipped with the poor display from Dallas during the first half. Most eyes on the stadium seem to be on their phones."

"It hasn't been the most eventful of matches, Sally. The fighters have been rather defensive all day and at this point, it's a matter of endurance. Let's hope tomorrow's match is a bit more eventful."

"It's looking to be a good one. Beca Mitchell versus Chloe Beale. Two of the more modest fighters in the tournament. They've both been working up the ladder without making too much noise. I was commentating for one of Mitchell's matches and that girl puts in work."

"Yeah, Beale is an up close and personal fighter and her strength seems to be holds. Mitchell's go-to punches and kicks should be easy to pull off considering Beale will want to be as close as possible but a poorly executed move from Mitchell could spell disaster," Bob said.

Beca switched off the television in her hotel room. She concurred with the announcers that the fight was rather boring. She didn't need to hear about the strengths and weaknesses of her opponent, she already knew them pretty well. It had been pointless to tape the fight, neither were in her group anyway.

Nerves. They always got to her the night before any fight. During it, she was calm and collected, one with her body. The night before was a problem. She usually had to take sleeping pills and it didn't make her body feel great in the morning. She didn't want to take them tonight.

An hour of tossing and turning, changing the thermostat, counting sheep and going to the bathroom later, she got up from the bed. Putting on cloths, she decided to go for a walk. It was around one o'clock so the chances of her encountering any fans were low. Not that her fan base was very big. The ones that talked to her were intimately familiar with fighting and seemed to appreciate her craft. She wasn't envious of the popular fighters who got the 'BRO THAT WAS SICK' type of fans who would crowd around them endlessly.

Making her way down to the lobby, she was greeted by a rather warm smile from the girl behind the receptionist counter who had no business being that happy this late into the night. The lobby was mostly empty, a lonely old man and a janitor the only souls visible.

She wasn't overly familiar with Vegas. Sure, she had been here multiple times but they were all for fights. The receptionist was extremely helpful in directing the brunette to the more interesting destinations around the city.

Just as she was about to leave the lobby, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She figured it was probably a fan who recognized her. It was a welcome distraction. Her fans were enjoyable to talk to, they didn't shower her with praise and seemed to be rather intelligent.

It wasn't a fan but she did recognize the person easily. Chloe Beale, her opponent. Her red hair was tied into a loose ponytail that sat on her shoulder. She had a big grin on her face and was closer to Beca than she was comfortable with.

"I think it's bad luck if we see each other before the fight," the redhead said.

"You're thinking of a wedding. Not a fight."

"What do you think marriage is?" she joked.

Beca recognized all the things about the other girl she had studied during her training for the event. Firstly, Chloe was taller than her, which also meant that she had more reach. This didn't necessarily mean she was stronger though as they were in the same weight class.

Second, the scar on her forehead from a particularly difficult fight where she had been forced quite violently against the ground. Beca had studied the fight because it showed that Chloe was a fighter with more resolve than most. The redhead had fainted at the end of the fight from the blood loss but she had come out victorious. The ring that ended up being painted red displayed her inability to give up.

Finally, the proximity to the shorter girl. Beca knew that Chloe was an up close fighter but apparently, it extended into her normal life too. She had yet to take her eyes off Beca, still grinning.

Beca was pulled out her thoughts and quite literally pulled along by the redhead.

"Come on, we're going up to my room," she instructed before tugging again.

"What?! Why?"

"Let's see. It's one o'clock, it's the night before our fight and you're still up. This means that you're having trouble sleeping," she answered.

"How'd you know?"

"I'm up too, remember."

Chloe led the brunette to her room. Against her better judgement, Beca decided to follow. The chances of this ending badly were low. They'll probably talk, perhaps have a drink and maybe she will feel tired enough to finally go to bed.

The other fighter's room was similar to Beca's. Neither of them were top ranked fighters so they couldn't afford the nicest hotels. It was a relatively small room with a queen sized bed, a large screen window that led into a balcony and a small dresser. There was also an assortment of clothing strewn across the room.

"Now what?" Beca asked.

"Now I get you a drink and you sit on the bed looking adorable."

Chloe opened the mini-fridge under the dresser and pulled out a bottle of champagne.

"I was saving this for tomorrow in case I win but I might as well share it with you," she said. "Think of it as a toast to a good fight."

She poured the drink into two plastic cups and handed one to Beca before sitting down next to her. Beca attempted to take a sip from the cup when she felt her upper arm being touched. The touch moved to her shoulder and traced its way to her back.

"Your lats, pecs and biceps are strong. It's hard to see from a distance but they're well defined." Chloe was looking at the muscles closely. "It's probably why people underestimate your punches. You're tiny so people don't expect such a big force."

She stopped touching and downed her drink in one gulp. "I'm gonna need to be extra careful tomorrow, my training partner's punches are going to be nothing compared to yours."

"You're weird, you know that?"

The redhead giggled. "How come?"

"I've never had an opponent who invites me to their hotel room to have a drink with them on the night before our fight."

"Well, then you're weird too," Chloe replied. "You're the first opponent of mine to accept my offer."

The two fighters launched into discussion of each other's strengths and weaknesses. Beca found the experience surreal. It was like they were cheating each other. The redhead was revealing all the strategies she was going to use on the other girl tomorrow and Beca couldn't help but do the same. They were turning what would have been a practiced and strategic fight into one that would require on the fly strategies. It was strangely exciting to basically handicap herself.

Beca wasn't one for watching interviews of other fighters. It didn't really help her fighting technique. Talking to Chloe, she understood why other mixed-martial artists underestimated the girl. She was definitely physically fit but not incredibly muscly like their peers. She looked more like a keen runner than a fighter. That wouldn't be a cause for underestimation though, it was the way she spoke.

She was cheerful and incredibly friendly. For two people who would be at each other's throats tomorrow, they were conversing like new friends. She wasn't stupid either. There was a clear understanding of their craft within the taller girl. Chloe seemed to be more knowledgeable about muscle groups while Beca's focus was on technique. The brunette found herself learning new things and even teaching a couple. The excursion ended up being rather rewarding.

All throughout the discussion, the redhead's eyes seemed to flicker around Beca's muscles, observing them pretty closely. Was she trying to find some sort of weakness?

"You're incredibly tense," Chloe said out of the blue. Beca gave her a confused look. "We've been talking for a while now and you're muscles have still not relaxed. Are you ok?" She seemed to be genuinely concerned.

"I'm like this the night before any fight."

Chloe frowned. "That's not a good thing."

The next thing she knew, Beca was being pushed down onto the bed. Chloe then lifted her legs and turned her so she was laying comfortably. Then, again without warning, Beca was flipped over so she was laying on her stomach and before she could even begin to protest, the redhead got onto the bed and began straddling her.

Coming out of her confusion, Beca decided to ask a sane question in the hopes of figuring out the strange girl now on top of her.

"What are you doing and is it going to hurt?"

"It's called a massage and no," Chloe said. Beca then heard her huff. "I should have taken off your shirt before putting you in this position. Oh well." The taller girl slipped her hands under Beca's stomach and started unbuttoning her shirt. Soft fingers started impressing against her skin, the more buttons removed, the more skin was touched. To reach the buttons near the top of the shirt, Chloe had to lean down slightly, pressing herself against Beca.

If the idea of a massage was to make one more relaxed, Beca concluded that this was not doing the job. She had never been more aware of sensations on her body.

Eventually the shirt was removed and the brunette had a short time to process what had happened before Chloe's hands found their way onto her back.

"I'd complain but you've made aware that you don't really care about what I want," Beca said.

"I'm more interested in what you need. Right now, you need a massage. I knew there was no way of giving you one without forcing you."

Beca grumbled, she had been figured out already.

Chloe worked silently during the massage, occasionally asking about how something feels when pressed or pushed. Once the brunette allowed herself to enjoy it, the effects were immediately noticeable. Her neck became looser, her back muscles felt like jelly and her biceps and triceps relaxed.

She was flipped over once again to work on her front. Beca had begun to fall asleep towards the end and in this position, she felt like it was going to happen faster. Chloe started working on her stomach, her fingers far more delicate than before. Now that Beca could see the redhead's face, she noted that the other girl's eyes had softened.

"Is something wrong?" Beca asked.

Chloe's eyes looked suddenly at Beca's, her face looking like she had been caught.

"Sorry." Her fingers moved further, to Beca's collarbone. "How'd you get this scar?"

Said scar, barely visible, was just above her collarbone.

"Sparring accident last week. Still hurts a little when I press on it." Despite the warning, Chloe did just that which elicited a wince from the brunette.

"Argh!"

Chloe giggled. "Quit being a baby, I need to check it before I apply any pressure."

The next stage of the massage was somewhat painful as her hands began to work around the injury. Beca just closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, waiting for it to be over. Pressure was initially applied to the whole of the shoulder, then fingertips pressed around the scar and finally, her hand ghosted over the actual injury. It was a soothing action.

Beca thought the massage was complete. Her whole body felt much better and she felt like she would fall asleep within seconds. Chloe had yet to get up from her position above her. In fact, she had begun to take her shirt off.

"My turn now," she said.

Beca attempted to get up into a sitting position. Unfortunately, there was a girl on top of her. A girl who was currently stopping the normal procedure for getting up. When Beca was close to upright, she felt an enormous pain in her back. Chloe, now just in her bra, picked up on the pain instantly.

"You idiot," Chloe said. Getting off the smaller girl, the redhead slowly lifted her into a sitting position and rested the brunette's body against her chest. She then lifted Beca's arms and placed them around her neck.

"Keep your arms there, I'm gonna need to work on your back." Beca compiled, the pain making her silent. Chloe began pressing her hands up her spinal column. The relieving sensation was instantaneous. Beca found it difficult to not push her body against the other girl, wrapping her arms more firmly around Chloe's neck. The actions Chloe was performing on her were beginning to make her weak.

About two thirds of the way up her back, the redhead managed to hit the source of the problem. The intoxicating wave of joy that came from the simple touch on that spot was unexpected. So much so that Beca moaned, involuntarily of course.

Normally, this wouldn't be a problem. Moaning is a common enough reaction to a massage. The problem was where the moan occurred. Specifically against Chloe's neck. Just to add to the issue, Beca apparently lost control of her jaw for a second as a small amount of saliva found it's way onto the other girl's neck.

Beca needed to rectify her mistake. At this point though, her brain had gone numb from the pleasure of the massage. She placed her lips where she had drooled and lapped up the saliva from Chloe's neck.

A moan came from the redhead.

It was a distinct sweet sound, wanting in nature.

Beca could feel Chloe's grip become a little firmer.

"I'm so sorry," Beca said. Her mind caught up, realizing she had basically kissed the fighter's neck.

Chloe seemed to collect herself, blinking a couple of times before answering. "It's fine."

The next few moments were an awkward affair, neither really knowing what to say. Chloe was blushing, refusing to make eye contact. Beca noticed just how beautiful the taller girl was when she was blushing. It was captivating.

"Could you do it again?" The redhead asked.

Breathing is something that is so deeply ingrained into ourselves that we do not need to actually think about the process. It happens automatically. Beca didn't want to believe it because once that question was uttered, she stopped breathing. And she wasn't really sure she knew how to start again.

She didn't need to answer the question though, not that she would have been able to. Her capacity to speak was stopped by the lips of the redhead making contact with hers.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it-" Chloe said.

Another kiss, this time a little breathier.

"You were so cute-"

Another kiss. Beca unable to close her mouth thereby granting Chloe access.

"Stop me if I'm making you-"

The redhead's tongue slipped in. The previous kiss had been for exploration. This one was with purpose, lasting longer, hoping to taste the shorter girl.

"Uncomfortable."

The pair gasped for breath. Something in Beca clicked. Chloe kisses were fantastic for sure. There was something different about them though. They were filled with desire, not the type of desire Beca was familiar with. They didn't feel commanding or overpowering. There was no force behind them, more like they were begging. Begging for the brunette to enjoy them, almost like Chloe was looking for approval. Asking her for permission.

Beca decided to answer in the form of a kiss, her body moving of its own accord. The consequences of making out with her opponent on the night before the fight were irrelevant at this point.

Her lips landed softly on the redhead's. The girl in question, initially startled, let out another moan before returning the kiss.

"You weren't," the brunette finally answered.

Chloe was on her instantly, pushing her down on the bed. Another kiss to silence any protests. Using her hand, she reached behind Beca's back and unclasped her bra. Breaking the kiss allowed a whimper to escape the shorter girl.

"You are so goddamn adorable," Chloe said, now sitting up again and removing her bra. "I'm going keep kissing you and touching you and tasting you to find out what other cute sounds come out."

The redhead began peppering kisses down Beca's neck, lingering between her breasts before reaching her navel.

"I hope you're not this submissive tomorrow," the other girl teased. "It'll be a really short match otherwise."

The brunette could only blush. Chloe was clearly in charge of the proceedings and Beca was more than happy to let her lead.

Beca reached down to Chloe, who was still scattering kisses on her belly, and pulled her up. She slipped her hands around the taller girl's waist, pressing their bare upper halves together. Chloe's hands found their way around the brunette's neck and she initiated another kiss.

The feeling of Chloe's body against her combined with the kiss made her conscious brain hiccup. Her legs parted slightly, allowing the redhead to slip in between them. Instinctively, Beca's legs wrapped around Chloe's lower half, cocooning them together.

Chloe awoke first. She was enveloped in Beca's embrace. The brunette was holding her rather tightly against her chest. It was incredibly comfortable and she would have been happy to be trapped normally but she needed to talk to her coach. Waking Beca was out of the question though. She looked so peaceful.

Slowly untangling herself from the other girl, she made her way to the bathroom and freshened up as quietly as possible. She needed to cover up a few hickeys, thankful that Beca had placed them in easy to disguise places. She also felt a little sore which wouldn't help during the fight. Luckily, her bedmate had suffered a far worse fate. Chloe actually felt bad. Hopefully they would both recover before the event.

Stepping back into her room, she found Beca hugging her pillow, still asleep.

They had stayed up after their passionate antics. Chloe had talked endlessly while they watched television from the bed. She could tell that the other girl was fighting sleep but still trying to listen to her. The redhead had figured that Beca would leave as soon they were finished. She hadn't wanted her to go but wasn't willing to vocalize it. She didn't want to sound needy after a one-night stand. Curiously, Beca had stayed.

Quickly writing down a note on a napkin, Chloe approached the door. Just before leaving, she walked back to the bed. Leaning down, she gave a soft kiss to Beca's cheek. A grin formed on her face. Even as she had left the room and was walking through the hallway to her destination, she was unable to shake the smile.

"Bob, it's the fight you and I have been quietly anticipating all week. Beca Mitchell versus Chloe Beale."

"That's right, Sally. And it's looking to be a real showdown."

Chloe wasn't a big fan of the pre-fight commentary. A mix of pleasantries, meaningless sentences and obvious observations meant to fill the time before the actual fight.

She was nervous. It probably wasn't the case but she couldn't help but feel like she was perhaps the first mixed-martial arts fighter to have slept with her opponent the night prior to a bout.

"You know, I had a chance to speak with Mitchell earlier today. She didn't seem completely aware and she was smiling a lot. When I tried asking some questions, she gave some non-committal answers and jetted. It was surreal," Sally said.

"That's Mitchell, she's never been good with interviews of any kind."

Beca was seen stepping into the ring. Her coach was Stacie Conrad, a tall brunette and a complete unknown in the MMA world. Chloe had looked up information about her in the hopes of finding the techniques she taught. She discovered that Stacie has had no prior coaching experience, studied Biology in college and was currently working as a researcher for a human interaction lab.

Stacie seemed to be giving words of encouragement to Beca who looked anxious.

Chloe hopped into the ring and gave a quick wink to the other girl. The brunette went red almost immediately and tried to play it off by doing some jumping jacks. Turning behind her, the disapproving look from her own Coach, Aubrey Posen, told her that this wasn't appropriate pre-fight behaviour. Chloe thought about going up and kissing Beca just to annoy the blonde a little more.

The conversation with Aubrey had not gone fantastically. Predictably, the blonde had been furious with her. The next part of the conversation wasn't really a conversation. A conversation usually involves two or more people talking. What Aubrey did was referred to as a rant. A rant which Chloe daydreamed all the way through.

A short time later, the referee stepped into the ring and the fight began.

"Beale starts with a shove followed by a kick. It looks as if she is trying to knock Mitchell off balance. Very unorthodox from her usually grapple orientated open," Bob commented.

"She's realized that her normal setup would leave her open to a lot of swings from Mitchell and has decided to force her onto the ground. The strength of those punches are going to be limited from that position."

"Indeed."

Beca didn't look adorable anymore.

Fine, she still looked mostly adorable.

However, there was a venom to her. She had leapt at Chloe as soon as the fight started, attempting to get hits on her. The redhead barely managed to get out of the way of the first hit but the second one landed and she could tell that it was intended to be the stronger punch.

Most of Chloe's tactics for getting her opponent on the floor involved grabs which weren't going to work amazingly on Beca. The next punch from the brunette was coming in hard and Chloe had but a moment to decide on her next action.

She decided to take the blow, hoping that force didn't disorient her too much. When it connected, she struggled to maintain her balance but otherwise managed to execute her strategy. The punch had left Beca vulnerable to a grab. Chloe suspected that the other girl intended the punch to discombobulate her opponent enough that they would not be able to react sufficiently.

Chloe did grab her though, the shock becoming evident on Beca's face. She used the confusion to slam the other girl onto the ground harshly. She winced, feeling bad. She had already done this to the brunette but that had been on a soft bed.

Not wasting a moment, she shifted until she was above Beca, pinning her to the ground. Chloe just had to maintain the ground position and she had the advantage.

She didn't expect the enormous strength of the smaller girl, who managed to shove her away quickly, stand and try to punch her. She rolled out the way just in time, Beca's fist sounding off against the mat.

Chloe stood up during the recovery period and faked a punch. Beca dodged, bring her closer to the redhead. She used the opportunity to deliver a high kick to the cheek. Putting all her strength behind it caused her to not only knock her opponent on the ground but also fly into the air slightly and land on top of Beca.

Red, some on the ground, some on the brunette's cheek. The kick had cut her face and was bleeding. What's more, Beca didn't seem to be as quick to return to her feet like before, the strength of the blow momentarily staggering her.

"That looks like blood on the floor, Sally. It's not looking good for Mitchell."

Chloe shifted until she was above Beca again, this time pinning her arms to the ground. The other girl had yet to respond.

"Mitchell is surprisingly slow to react to the kick. She seems to just be just staring at Beale," said Sally.

Beca was indeed just looking at her, smiling. Despite the circumstances, Chloe found herself smiling back.

"You ok?" Chloe inquired.

"Mostly, how about you?" Beca said it so casually.

"Can't complain."

"I'm getting word from the ringside reporter that the two are talking. He can't seem to make out any details," Sally stated, confused. "Now I'm getting that they're just smiling at each other."

Chloe signalled to Aubrey. Moving her hands away from the hold. A small wet towel was thrown their way. She started wiping away the blood from Beca's face who made no attempt to get up.

The blood was thoroughly removed. Chloe even cleaned the sweat off the other girl's face. "You ready to continue?" Chloe asked. Beca just stared up at her. It was surprisingly hard not to just stare back. Her dark blue eyes looked like little pools in this position and Chloe wanted to drown in them.

"You were the one who stopped it." Beca seemed completely unfazed by her injury.

"And you allowed it to happen," she retorted. "I told you being submissive was going to hurt your chances."

"You don't often see good sportsmanship like that."

The fight had been stopped long enough. The referee was looking at the pair of them strangely and the stadium had gone a little quiet. Before continuing, Chloe had one thing she wanted to do.

Bending down, she captured Beca's lips in another kiss. A free stray hairs that had escaped the tie fell onto the brunette's face.

"This is going beyond good sportsmanship, Sally."

She reciprocated slowly. The flashing sounds of cameras accompanied by their light surrounded them.

When Chloe finally broke the kiss, the other girl was staring back at her dreamily.

Chloe had never been happy during a fight, even the ones she was winning. It wasn't the mindset that was required during combat. In fact, it was unlikely that she displayed any strong emotions, her brain would be too busy trying to process the current situation. Her smile from earlier, the one that took her too long to break had reappeared.

"That was for good luck," she winked.

"Don't need it anymore," Beca whispered. Chloe was confused. "I've already won."

The fight ended in a split draw. One judge decided Beca had won, one judge felt Chloe won and the final one wasn't able to come to a decision on a winner and decided to call it a draw.

Beca didn't really care. It seemed fair and she had two more fights to come out of the group stages of the tournament. Right now, she was looking for her opponent, on her way to the other dressing room.

She found Chloe with her coach. Much like Beca, she looked exhausted. Her posture was slanted and her eyes a little droopy.

"Hey, could I talk to you?" Beca asked.

The redhead gestured to her coach for some privacy. Beca was familiar with the coach, she was known to be quite harsh which made her wonder how she got on with someone like Chloe.

"What's up?"

Beca let out a breath she had been holding. "I was wondering if you wanted to come have a drink in my room later, to celebrate."

"I've never celebrated a tie before," she giggled. "Sure."

The brunette braced herself for her next question. "Could you also not leave in the morning without telling me? I was hoping we could maybe get some coffee, or even breakfast." She then looked down at her feet. "If you're interested, that is."

Chloe beamed at her. "I'd love to." Taking the smaller girl's face, she placed another kiss on her lips. "Afterwards, there's this dance show I wanted to go see. Do you want to come with me?"

"Absolutely."

I don't understand a thing about MMA or UFC and I have no idea where this came from but I'm happy with it. If I've gotten stuff about MMA or UFC wrong, let me know.

Also, thank you all for reading. If you liked this, you might like my ongoing fic 'I'm Glad You Exist'.

Edit - Song lyrics removed due to copyright.