It all started so innocently really. Well, actually maybe it wasn't entirely innocent since Kakashi snuck into the Mission's office break room to steal a few of the brownies that he knew would be sitting in the Tupperware container. It was Tuesday after all, and Iruka-sensei was as predictable as the lunar cycle. This is probably why he enjoyed tormenting and teasing the man. He slipped in through the window and was polishing off his third brownie when he over heard loud, feminine laughter outside the room. Anko, by the sound of it. He pulled his mask up quickly and set the brownies down, with a sigh. He slipped out of the room, onto a branch outside of the break room, out of view. He was about to drop to the ground when he caught a bit of conversation, and for whatever bit of insanity took hold of him, he paused to listen.

"-Oh! You should have heard our little chuunin last night!" Anko laughed, whispering to someone inside the break room. Kakashi had to admit, he was vaguely curious now.

"What?" Another voice laughed co-conspiratorially. Kakashi identified Genma voice and chakra signature.

"We were drinking sake at his place last night." Anko giggled again. "He cannot hold his liquor! You won't believe what he said!"

"Iruka?" Genma inquired.

Kakashi was definitely curious and found himself leaning forward slightly, ears straining to hear the conversation. Oh? What had Iruka said drunkenly that had gotten Anko so curiously amused?

"I think he has a crush!"Anko stated.

"Well, that's not so weird, Anko. You know half the village thinks Iruka is gorgeous." Genma said in a way that it seemed to include himself in that half the village. "I wouldn't mind being held for some detention." There was laughter. "Or some extra long, hard tutoring sessions. Oh, Iruka, I've been naughty..!" They laughed.

Kakashi's felt his eyes widen. Oh, this was better than an Icha Icha novel.

There was more ribald laughter and Anko paused, "No, seriously, listen. I don't remember how it came up, but we started talking about Kakashi!"

Kakashi almost fell of the damn tree. Almost. It took all of his nin skill to stay put. Seriously, this would've been bad for his reputation if he was to have fallen off a damn tree because he was listening to gossip. How would that look on his resume?

"Kakashi? That uptight jounin?" Genma dismissed with a snort. Kakashi reminded himself to let a few shuriken hit Genma next they were on a mission. "And he's so old". Kakashi imagined allowing a kunai hitting Genma in the back. "And the mask? Oooo! I'm sooo mysterious! Psssht!" Kakashi really wasn't going to help Genma at all next mission. He fingered his mask while he frowned. Did people really think of him that way? "What a cold fish! And walking around reading porn all the time. And I don't think he has any friends."

"Oh, don't be an ass, Genma. You're just jealous." Anko stopped him with a hiss. "But listen to this! I haven't gotten to the best part." She paused for dramatic effect.

"Iruka said he dreams of burying his fingers in his hair."

Kakashi's felt his heart tripping, beating faster in his chest. Well, it always felt like that when you overheard gossip about yourself, he thought. Especially when you heard that someone found you attractive. Iruka? Really? Flashes of the man came unbidden to mind. Yelling at him for turning missing reports in late, face flushed with anger. Had it been merely anger? Oh, god, now his mind was reeling.

Genma burst out laughing. "Wait…What?"

"Yes, seriously!"

"No, wait, back up a minute." Genma paused. "Iruka wants to 'burry his fingers in Kakashi's hair'…He said that?"

There was more laughter. "Yes! He actually described Kakashi's hair as 'wild and untamed with wanton abandon' before he passed out. I nearly pissed myself laughing!" Anko and Gemna giggled.

Kakashi found himself reaching up to touch his hair. He couldn't remember anyone actually liking it particularly before, it was always an oddity. He could still remember insults from his childhood about it. And, like Genma most recently, people calling him old. He was only 26, damnit.

"Oh my god, the brownies are so fucking good." Anko said, her mouth obviously full. "I almost wish Iruka was straight. I could be so hot for teacher!"

"Tell me about it!" Genma added grumpily. "He turned me down. Now I know why! I guess he only likes old perverts!"

"Genma, you're totally not right for Iruka. And you're just horny! Stop being ridiculous." Anko laughed suddenly. "Let's go see if there are any missions we can do. I'm bored!"

Kakashi heard them leave the room but he stayed in the tree with one hand in his hair, not even really thinking. It was like his orderly little world was a neat a tidy place and someone had just shook it up. He was used to people thinking highly of his fighting prowess and thinking very little of his people skills. That had been part of his whole life since he was a kid. Part of being Hakate and as smart as he was. He had a few encounters over the years. He would hesitate to even call them lovers. It had always seemed awkward. Uncomfortable. Messy. Certainly no second dates. He did not seek prostitutes. Frankly he didn't even masturbate. His title of pervert was actually one that amused him since he was probably someone that had the least amount of sex in all of Konoha. He smiled underneath his mask.

There was a small sound behind him that sounded like an angry squirrel.

"Kakashi! I see you!" Angry yelling. "Don't you DARE try to hide from me!"

Kakashi almost fell of the tree branch for the second time span of time, and came face to face with a very angry Iruka-sensei who had now perched himself on the window sill to see him in the tree.

"Yo." He answered calmly, although he was really anything but calm. He had never really noticed it before but Iruka was really quite pretty. Not pretty in a girly way, but a manly way. He smiled to himself at his own thoughts. Especially when he gets angry like that. All flushed. Kakashi could feel his pulse racing. Kami, what am I thinking?

"Did you eat all of my brownies?" Iruka asked with a deceptively calm voice.

"I may have had one." Kakashi answered.

"One?" Iruka stated, "One? One! The entire container is empty!" He easily jumped from the sill over to the branch that Kakashi was sitting on.

"I may have had two or three." Kakashi amended with a nod of his head, watching Iruka come closer on the branch through hooded eyes.

"I made those brownies for EVERYONE to enjoy!" Iruka exploded, sitting on the tree branch in front of Kakashi.

"Ugh!" He seemed to have run out of anger now. And he smiled slightly to himself. "I can see the frosting on your damn mask." Iruka leaned a little forward and brushed the frosting and crumbs off the front of your mask.

Kakashi froze, never quite seen this side of Iruka before. Iruka frowned, "Well, can't have the copy nin running around with frosting on his mask." Kakashi felt hot fingers whipping the frosting off his mouth through the fabric. He actually felt it down to his toes. Was this poison? Why were his toes tingling?

Iruka tilted back his head and laughed. It was a very happy sound and quite infectious. Kakashi found himself chuckling. "I could've left the frosting on your mask, you know." Iruka said.

"I could've left the frosting on your mask, you know." Iruka said.

"Thank-you." Kakashi said, looking at Iruka with an inscrutable gaze. "I didn't eat all of them. Anko and Genma ate some." Kakashi added.

"Oh." Iruka said, and flushed beet red. "I'm sorry Kakashi-san."

Kakashi looked at Iruka. His pony tail had come undone and his hair was around his face, longer than Kakashi would've guessed that it was. It was shiny and the dark brown looked very nice against Iruka's golden tanned skin. Iruka's face was blushing, his eyes downcast. He reached up and he rubbed the scar on his nose. Kakashi watched in fascination. He had seen him do this a thousand of times, sure, but it seemed so much…more fascinating, now.

"No problem." Kakashi said, finally, realizing he should probably say something in return.

"Sorry for the confusion, Kakashi-san." Iruka moved, and jumped with agility back to the window sill. "Have a great day!"

Kakashi sat there and smiled to himself, then slowly walked down the path to his house. People stared at him, but that wasn't unusual. He was used to it. He was the copy-nin, after all. But people skittered away, laughing. Okay, that was a little odd. He was used to the looks and the fear, but not outright laughter. He stopped at a bar to get a drink.

Asuma was sitting at the bar and he sat down next to him. Kakashi didn't have close friends, but Asuma was someone who he had worked well with previously; he was a good ninja. He would have a drink with him.

"Yo." He ordered sake and sipped it slowly.

Asuma stared at him quizzically. "Kakashi-san, what's all over your hair?"

"What?" Kakashi asked. "My hair?"

"It looks like some sort of…brown goop?" Asuma frowned and peered closer. "Smells…chocolaty."

Kakashi thought back…he must have got frosting on his glove, that was how he got it on his mask, and it must have been in his hair when he started touching his hair during the conversation he had overheard. Of course Iruka had noticed. That chuunin had let him leave knowing he had looked like this! On purpose! This was his revenge! Kakashi slammed the sake back, put the tip on the bar and laughed and laughed. Probably for the first time that hard in years. Didn't matter that he was the butt of the joke, it was a good joke after all, and Iruka had done a remarkably good job acting.

Asuma looked at him funny. "Good joke, Kakashi-san?"

"Very." Kakashi felt himself smiling to himself.