The Uchiwa family sat sieza at their formal table, enjoying a traditional meal for the first time together since the boys had moved into interdimensional space. The occasion for their visit was Minoru’s qualifying run on American Ninja Warrior - which would happen in just a couple of days. But until then, there was much to catch up on!

Itaru was particularly interested in his son’s studies, as he always was. It was the reason for their move to the Nexus, after all, a sabbatical of sorts in the pursuit of a more traditional doctorate. Chichi listened respectfully, nodding and affirming with each subject.

“... so yes, the IRIS has definitely challenged my mind in ways that I could not have possibly foreseen. However, dare I suggest that the greatest revelation I have encountered while living in the Nexus, came not from the laboratory, but rather from Minoru. I do not know if he has shared the exciting news, but he is currently dating someone.”

Minoru blushed a little at Isamu’s knowing smirk. The older twin had a mischievous look in his eyes that begged not to be questioned.

“Yeah. I guess I am.” He nodded to his parents, who both blinked in honest surprise. “My well, my koibito... his name is Ziggy.”

The change in topic immediately captured their parents’ attention, but Isamu waited until their father had picked up his mug of tea before continuing.

“Indeed, I had the same reaction when Minoru first confessed romantic interest in someone. But it was far more shocking when he returned home an entire morning after his usual shift to reveal he’d spent the night in Ziggy’s bed.”

“Oh my!” Chichi gasped. Itaru, unfortunately, had just taken a rather large sip of tea, and immediately choked. With no desire to aspirate a lung full of matcha, the tea went the only place it could go - out, over everything, in a cartoonish spit-take that rivaled Isamu’s several months before.

Isamu, however, pretended not to notice tea splattering over the rice and pickled vegetables.

“As I was naturally concerned over having not heard from my brother, I questioned where he had been. He revealed, without hesitation I might add, that he had slept with Ziggy.”

“Excuse me, what?” Their father coughed, spitting and sputtering. Chichi patted her husband firmly on the back.

“Exactly what I said, Papa. Minoru revealed that he had slept with Ziggy.”

“But...”

They both stared at Minoru. Their son had a nervous smile on his face, and was scratching his head - mannerisms that were in no way out of character. But the words themselves - the behavior Isamu had just referenced - did not line up with anything they knew about their child. He absolutely clueless when it came to advances from either gender, seemingly uninterested in pursuing anyone. He also had an unusual distaste for certain textures on his skin. By the time he was three, he squirmed out of every kiss they ever tried to give him. When he was little, it was a chore just to get sunscreen on him or to get him to wash that always-tousled head of hair.

“Minoru, you... um... slept with... this... Ziggy?” Chichi ventured, albeit softly.

The younger twin nodded, with Isamu filling in verbally. “He did, indeed, Mama. Ziggy. Him. In his bed. Together.”

You could hear the gears inside both of their parents’ minds grinding to a complete halt.

“Oh, my...”

“Forgive me if that sounds... incredibly sudden.” Itaru finally managed to get a more complete sentence out.

“On the one hand, I do agree with you, Papa. But Minoru was quick to explain to me that Ziggy had recently lost his fiancé, and needed an anchor to help ground him and help him cope. He was quite adamant that any friend would have behaved in the same chivalrous manner.”

“But...”

“Oh! And that our years of doing yoga together proved very beneficial.” Isamu added. He glanced at Minoru, who nodded.

“It really helped!”

“I... I see.” Itaru nodded slowly, the gesture so out of place it didn’t take a genius to tell otherwise. At all. Same with his wife, whose jaw was now hanging open and slack.

“Dare I say that was my first reaction. Minoru, do tell them what you told me when Ziggy’s father came in and found you two in bed together.”

“Heavens!”
“...Excuse me?”

“Oh yeah. He tucked us both in and made me a sandwich.”

As a father himself, Itaru could hardly imagine something as ordinary as a sandwich being the logical conclusion of that discovery. The other boy just lost his fiancé, was he even in a place to be intimate? Was Minoru pressured into doing something he did not understand? Or was there a side of their son they simply never noticed? Were they long, LONG overdue for a very important talk?

“You okay, Papa?” Minoru asked, shaking Itaru out of his thoughts.

“I am fine.” He stuttered nervously. “Absolutely fine, Minoru. I just... you must admit, this is a little hard for us to believe...”

“Seriously. What’s so hard to believe?!” He grinned, looking over at Isamu.

“Indeed.” Isamu concurred. “The facts are the facts.”

“To begin with... You... YOU... slept with... Ziggy, I believe you said his name was?”

“Yes, Ziggy...” Chichi put a hand on top of her husband’s.

Finally, Isamu’s straight face faltered. His lips curled up in a devious smile. “Oh! Pardon my word choice. I did not mean it like that.”

“Yeah, not like THAT!” Minoru chuckled.

Once again, their parents were caught off guard. Itaru questioned both of his boys. “Then, what, specifically, did you mean?”

“I sat on Ziggy’s bed as he cried, and held him in my arms for hours until he fell asleep on top of me. Didn’t want to wake him, and I was so exhausted after my shift, I pretty much just passed out too.”

“Honestly, Mama. Papa... What did you THINK Minoru was doing?!”

Both of their parents blushed. The twins, unable to contain themselves any longer, burst out laughing at their own joke.

It took a moment for Itaru to recover his voice. “...You boys did that on purpose.”

Chichi merely shook her head. “I thought jokes were supposed to be funny.”

“Oh, believe me.” Isamu caught his breath in between sizable laughter. “This one finally was.”