Beyond Education [Jemily]

In the Vault

October 13, 2021
— JJ's POV
"You're sure you don't need any help unpacking?" Emily asked me as we stood outside my dorm room after returning from NYC.

"No, Em, that's all right. I'll recruit Penelope if I have to."

The door flew open, "I heard my name?" Penelope's eavesdropping face greeted us.

I jokingly rolled my eyes, "You're so nosy sometimes."

"I heard. My. Name."

"I was just telling Emily you'd help me unpack if I needed you to, that's all. Calm yourself."

Emily sarcastically chuckled, "Thanks for welcoming us back, Garcia."

Penelope relented, "Welcome back, lovebirds. How was the trip?"

Emily smiled, "I'm sure JJ will tell you all about it."

She giggled, "Oooh enchanté." I blushed and leaned up to kiss Emily's goodbye before retreating to my dorm with Pen.

I plopped my bag down on the bed and told Penelope, "That was the best weekend ever."

She excitedly crashed onto our bean bag chair and demanded, "Tell me everything right now!"

"Okay so after we dropped everything at the hotel we went out right away and ate lunch in Central Park—"

"Picnic?"

"Yep."

"That's so cuteee!"

"I know! So then we walked to the NY library and just strolled around for a little bit in there to talk and after that we went to the MET and we were there for a while looking at all the exhibits but Emily practically dragged me back to the hotel so we could... you know... and then we ordered room service and stayed in for the rest of the night but we didn't get that much sleep because we were talking and talking and then doing some... other things... but oh my god, Penelope, it was incredible."

She giggled, "I'm sure it was, especially with those 'other things.'" She suggestively wiggled her eyebrows up and down, causing me to throw a pillow at her. I zipped open my small suitcase and started to take everything out as Penelope sat next to it on the bed and made conversation with me. I made the mistake of opening up a pocket that held something I didn't want her to see: condoms. I couldn't get rid of them in time— she'd already spotted them. Pen furrowed her brows and pointed to them, "Hey... If you were away with Emily then why did you bring condoms?"

My face flushed red and I had no idea what to say. Penelope didn't know Emily was intersex yet, and I wasn't 100% sure if it was all right to tell her. Nevertheless, I needed to say something in response to her question. I nervously replied, "Um... It's kind of a... long story."

"I've got time."

"Pen it's just... I don't know if I can really tell you this."

"Come on, it's just me. I'll lock it in my vault." She mocked the motion of locking a door over her lips, implying that her "lips were sealed." I sighed and sat on the edge of the bed next to her.

I quietly mumbled, "Emily is intersex. She has a penis."

"She what?"

I said more clearly, "She has a penis." Garcia's mouth fell open but no words came out. I nodded, "I know. That's what I did too."

"Sh-She... She has a? How?"

"She was born with it."

"I didn't know that could happen."