- How the hell am I supposed to tell them that? D'you think that's easy? - Neji almost chewed his fingernail to the flesh.

- No, I don't. Did you talk to Ino? - Naruto knew that he visited the psychologist and was now curious about the conclusions Hyuuga has got from this conversation.

- What do you think? - He snarled.

- Sooooo?

-She gave me a stupid assignment. That's all she ever does: Neji think about it, Neji, write down how you feel... I'm sick of it!

-It's her job to help you get to know yourself and deal with it. - Naruto had to suppress a sigh, or the brunette would realize that he'd pissed Uzumaki off quite a bit with his whiny reaction.

Sure, he's only seventeen, practically a genius - top grades in all his studies, in the contests. Sure, he's stressed out by the proximity of his final exams - they are only seven months to go. Sure, his family wasn't easy - the Hyuuga is one of the noblest clans in town, and in such a family, to find yourself gay was close to suicide. Still - life certainly will go on. But Naruto's patience probably will not.

- Would you like to do it now?

Neji considered the thought. They planned he will meet some guys today. It was exciting for him - he wanted it, though it was still kinda scary. And talking to his parents was something he'd like to put off...

- Well, she told me to think about and to write down their possible reactions. - Hyuuga felt sad instantly. - And I know too good a kind of reaction I will get. My father would kill me and my mother would be upset.

-That's one of them. What other ones?

-Well, maybe my mom will kill me and my dad will be upset.

- Same stuff. Let's diversify. Try to fantasize. What kind of reaction would you like to see?

Neji's eyes rose and squinted, the corners of her mouth pulled open in a smile.

- I'd like them to ignore it altogether. Like I told them I signed up for the swim team,- the brunette explained, noticing the questioning look on Naruto's face.

-Is that possible?

-I don't know, I'm not sure, - the teen said. - Mom would probably get over it, but Dad...

-Okay. What could he say or do?

- Surely, he'll pull an arrogant face, like you owe him a lot of money. And then, his favorite - to threaten to leave you without it if something doesn't go his way.

-You think he'll cut your money once he finds out you're gay? - Yeah, it's going to be tough for the young Hyuuga. Anyway, it's his final year at school, and his tuition (over a million yen a year, by the way) is fully paid, so that's problem is out of the way.

Uzumaki thought hard about how to smooth over Neji's situation.

-Come on, write down three possible outcomes: the most fucked up, the most likely, and the most awesome.

-You said I'm gonna get some dates today! I wanna get my dating skills up. Who cares what my parents will say?!

- The thing is that you have to calculate the consequences of your actions. You're out of age, you're still living with them. If you lose their support, anything may happen.

-So maybe I shouldn't tell them yet. - That was an option, too. But Naruto had a feeling coming out would play the best for Neji. He had discussed Hyuuga's parents with Ino, and he had the impression that it was possible to find common ground with them. With the right pitch. With presence of Naruto himself, his charm, charisma and a knack for giving out the information in the way he needed.

For more than an hour Neji sat and made up his mind, and then wrote down what could happen. His imagination was wild; he had not three, but eight possibilities for the course of events. From "all his family bonds would be severed and he'd have to sell his body to survive" to "his parents would be so happy that they'd introduce him to guys themselves."

Naruto just sat there asking from time to time, "And what will you do if that happens?", "Is there anyone you could ask about it?", "What else can you do?", "Maybe you should put it in other words?"

In that hour his opinion of Hyuuga had changed dramatically.

He wasn't at all the nerdy nerd Naruto thought about first. Since his studies were easy, Hyuuga had enough time for sports and to meet his friends. So far, he hadn't confessed to any of them. But as he mapped out his options, he decided that he could stay with a few of them for a while. And that most wouldn't turn away if he opened up. Uzumaki could see that Neji was encouraged, too, knowing that he would not be left alone on the margins of life, even if his parents rejected him completely.

-Thank you, thank you very much, Naruto! - With glowing eyes Hyuuga couldn't stop thanking Uzumaki.

-You did it all by yourself - I just...

-I couldn't have done it without you, you were so supportive! - Neji hugged the blond man tightly.

And was in no hurry to break the embrace. Naruto fidgeted, trying to free himself a little.

-This is the first time ever I hug a guy like this. - Whispered Neji. - Turns out it feels really good. You smell good, Naruto.

Hyuuga dabbed his nose into the hollow between his neck and collarbone. He took a deep breath. Dropped his hands from his shoulders to his back. Slid them lower. He felt the tight top of Naruto's bum.

Several possible scenarios flashed through Uzumaki's mind. He chuckled mentally: What took the brunette an hour to deal with, he needed seconds to go - so familiar was this action. And also - he remembered a similar situation with another client, just a couple of days ago.

-Neji, I don't think we should rush into this. - he breathed a sigh of relief when hands got off.

-But we can do it, right? - asked Neji hopefully.

-Yes, we can. When did you say is your birthday?