Love is a chemical process not yet fully understood by scientists, though a variety of theories exist. In the minds of today's leaders of the science world, the truth is quite probably a combination of many of the ideas presented; instead of merely being an evolutionary boon or a neurological phenomenon, it is likely both.
Jemma slides the paper away from her, rubbing her eyes and sighing. She knows the facts, the numbers, the chemical compositions and molecular masses of each and every one of the chemicals involved in love. But she can't write about it, can't find the words to explain the feeling pounding through her heart.
It's not usually this difficult to finish a paper; in fact, papers are her favorite sort of work. There was a format, a set of rules to follow, and a topic to discuss. But here and now, sitting at her dorm room desk with only the light of her desk lamp to guide her, the last thing Jemma wanted to do was write.
From the chemical perspective, the possibilities are endless; serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine are commonly regarded as the three largest components of the attraction phase.
Yet it feels so wrong to be listing out chemical names when Skye is playing with her hair, giggling from behind her. Jemma can picture the smile on the girl's face without even having to see it, can imagine the way her lower lip lies bitten between her teeth and how the corners of her eyes scrunch in amusement and concentration. It's a distraction, she tells herself: she's used to working in peace and quiet, and that's why she can't focus. But no part of her is willing to put a stop to any of it.
She's not even fully sure why Skye is there: the girl is a technology student, living down the hall and in precisely none of Jemma's classes, yet she's been appearing more and more frequently. And there's something about her eyes, her smile, that makes Jemma's heart beat a bit faster and her mind question when she got so incredibly sappy. Comparing eyes to pools of liquid chocolate isn't befitting of a SHIELD scientist, she reminds herself.
Oxytocin, specifically, is a chemical compound released after orgasm that has biochemical roles as far reaching as fright and anxiety.
She scribbles furiously: C43H66N12O12S2; medicinal uses; injected nasally. She recites the facts and analyzes them. And then she pauses and takes a deep breath and spins so she's facing Skye.
"I don't know what I'm writing," Jemma admits.
Skye raises her eyebrows and shrugs one shoulder. "What're you 'sposed to be writing about?"
"Love. Or, at least, the chemical processes behind it. I'm exploring the divide between the biological and chemical theories behind the phenomenon and how they interact to form our view of what lo-"
Skye cuts her off with a finger against her lips and scoffs quietly. "Love is love. Does everything have to have a perfectly logical explanation?"
Jemma goes to open her mouth, goes to say "yes, of course," but she doesn't because Skye has taken to tapping her shoulder, started drumming three fingers against the clothed skin in some rhythm Jemma's probably supposed to recognize.
She swallows with some difficulty and swears that Skye looks almost proud. "I don't know, but that's the assignment."
"Well I think it's a dumb assignment."
Jemma flicks Skye away with a laugh and turns slowly back to her paper. She agrees, truly: it's a dumb assignment. But it's the assignment nevertheless.
From an evolutionary standpoint, love takes two main forms: parental love and partner love. Parental love is commonly attributed to survival, for a parent must impart its knowledge and skills unto its child in order to assure a successful life. Yet there are many species - a great deal of which are cold-blooded - that do not do so; this difference too may be a survival mechanism, but instead for the parent.
Skye is not patient in any sense of the word, and within minutes she's back to toying with Jemma's hair and necklace and skin. "I'm bored."
"I can tell," Jemma laughs, dropping the paper to the desk and spinning once more. "You must have homework to do too."
"Did it already, plus you're way more interesting."
Jemma's thankful for the dimness of her room, for she can feel the burning of her cheeks as it deepens. She hesitates for a split second too long, and the chance to respond is gone. So she sits and notices just how close their faces are.
She's not sure when it happened, how her nose is nearly bumping Skye's and how she can feel the air pass through the other girl's lips, but Skye quirks her lips and smiles in that utterly adorable fashion, and there's nothing for Jemma to do but kiss her.
She's got love on the brain, after all.
It's barely a kiss and more a taunt, Skye thinks: Jemma's lips ghost above her own, and there is a beat of indecision before they plunge. Jemma's elbow slides across the table and catches the paper, crumpling it up and sending it down to the floor. She breaks the kiss with a whimper.
"My paper," she gasps.
Skye grabs it and smooths it against the table, but the creases remain clearly visible. "Damn."
And it's frustrating, extremely so, yet Jemma doesn't mind as much as she would've expected. She finds herself shaking her head. "It's alright. It wasn't very good anyway. I think I've got a better idea now, really."
Skye takes this as an okay to hang around, to go back to playing with Jemma's hair. Only now she leans down every minute or so, presses the softest kiss under the scientist's ear, and laughs. Finally she leans forward and rests her head on Jemma's shoulder, reading the words as they're written:
There are a great variety of biochemical explanations for love and just as much discussion about each of them. It is a survival mechanism and a neurological process, and it is a societal bonding exercise. Yet it surpasses each one of these theories and models, for love can neither be explained by a list of chemical formulas nor an analysis of sociological responses. There is no doubt that dopamine and serotonin, oxytocin and nerve growth factor, and estrogen and testosterone all play a role in the feeling we call love, but to distill it to these parts is to lose why we place so much importance on it. The heart may supply blood to the body, but no person can deny that it supplies love as well.
Jemma can feel Skye's breath on her neck, can feel her nod as she murmurs, "I like it."
She's silent for a moment as she looks at her work. "I like it too."