(no subject)
Monday, early afternoon.
Kakashi sighed at Iruka's cupboard as the other rattled around somewhere, trying to find his lost equipment. He ignored the chuunin's ramblings and mutters, more concerned with what he saw in front of him.
He had searched without permission. Oh yes he did. It was hidden behind a false wall, but Hatake Kakashi could not be outwitted so easily. He was getting suspicious... and good gods, was there reason! He would not admit out loud, but he was a little more then concerned for Iruka - after finishing his hot chocolate and three gooey pancakes this morning, and that tablet of pre-breakfast, he had fished out another tablet of the sweet stuff little more than ten minutes after having left Kumo... and in seconds, Kakashi saw it depart from this world into his friend's belly.
They had stopped to shop after breakfast, because Kakashi had nothing at home, and to the jounin's horror, he saw the sensei sneak two bars and three tablets into his basket, trying to hide them beneath the carrots and next to the milk, if he remembered correctly.
He also bought a pack of gummi bears when they were waiting in the line.
"Damn..." He grumbled, as he began fumbling around in the cupboard, taking sweet after sweet out, and he could have sworn the chuunin had one of every kind that ever existed, if not two.
...
Make that three, he decided when he found a second false wall.
~ ~ ~
Monday, late afternoon.
The copy nin watched, in even more growing horror now, how the tablet of chocolate disappeared from his counter while Iruka was buried in his fridge, cursing the jounin occasionally. Today’s count was at eight, and Kakashi had managed to repress the urge to sprint to the whereabouts of his Hokage with a tied up Iruka on his shoulder so far.
So far.
Because now that he noticed it, it was blaringly obvious.
But how? And why? And how come he had not taken note of it before? Had it flared up while he was away on his mission, or was it always there? If it was, when did it start? He always knew of Iruka's sweet tooth, but it had never shown itself to such a degree… what was the reason behind it? Was it perhaps just some purely biological happening? Some sort of odd way for Iruka’s system to get to, get to…
Tryptophan?
Kakashi raised an eyebrow at himself. That was all he could remember, though he was quite sure there were more things in chocolate than mood altering amino acids… Mood altering?
Maybe Iruka felt rejected, was going through some sort of emotional crisis… Kakashi read a study a year ago (on May 26th, when he was ironically enough waiting for Iruka to finish manning the Purgatory) about chocolate obsession that the Akimichi clan had submitted, its contents, reasons and the associated…
“Hysteroid dysphoria is a name given to repeated episodes of depressed mood in response to feeling rejected, and a craving for sweets, especially chocolate. This condition is a stereotype often attributed to women and gay men.”
Kakashi blinked, and recited the memory.
“Damn it, Kakashi, I swear to… to… ugh, I’m never fixing your fridge again! Why do you keep on doing this?! Oh, wait, I know… Sniff… you are using me, aren’t you? Oh, Kakashi-sama!”
Iruka ranted, still halfway in his fridge, channeling his anger into mockery and fun by the end. The jounin did not respond, however. He kept on staring at…
“Kakashi? You fixed on my bum or something?” The sensei laughed from inside, and something banged loudly.
The former ANBU snapped his head away, blushing mad. Oh gods.
… was Iruka… gay?
~ ~ ~