Me: I got inspired by a line in Kichi Hisaki's fic "Cold" where Iruka freaks about Kakashi calling him "Chan" and Kakashi asks if Iruka would rather be called "sweetie pie." I cracked up, and I have no idea why.

Iruka walked into the classroom early. He was a fast eater, and he had a few papers wanted to work on while he could, so that he could have the rest of the afternoon to himself. Heading to his desk, he paused when he spotted the brightly colored paper on his desk. He hesitated, knowing the general contents of the note already. He had received several of the brightly colored notes over the past few weeks, each with their own (in Iruka's opinion) alarmingly terrible poems. After the moment long hesitation, his curiosity got the better of him. Picking the neon green paper up, he unfolded it warily, as if afraid it would blow up on him. It read:

I see you walking down the street

I wish that you and I could meet.

Your eyes like chocolate,

Your hair like sable,

I'd kiss you senseless if I were able.

And so for now I'll say goodbye,

I'll see you later, sweetie pie.

Iruka raised an eyebrow at the last word. Sweetie pie? Who ever was doing this was obviously running out of words. He wasn't really sure what to do about the poems. At first he had thought it was a joke by one of his students (the handwriting certainly looked like something that would come out of his younger classes.) And yet he couldn't shale the feeling he had seen the hand writing some where else. One again he had chalked it up to being one of his students, but his teacher ability at recognizing different handwritings kept nagging at him, telling him he had seen it somewhere out side the class room. But where! Sighing, he put this note in the top drawer of his desk. He would have to think about this later. The bell was about to ring. So much for getting his extra work done.

Iruka yawned, glad that his shift in the mission room was almost over. It was a slow night, and he was finally getting some of his grading done. Maybe he would have some time to himself after all.

He looked up as a shadow fell over his paper and found himself face-to-mask with none other than the Sharingan Kakashi. Who, Iruka assumed by the twitch of his mask and the way his eye curved into an upside down U, was smiling at him.

"Good evening, Kakashi-San." Iruka said politely, startled, slightly uncomfortable with how close they were, and blushing furiously. He would have bowed, but that would have meant getting closer to Kakashi, and he wasn't really willing to do that. Thankfully, after a few minuets of silent observation, during which Iruka's face steadily turned a deep crimson, Kakashi leaned back, still smiling, and resumed his usual slouching, laidback position, hands in pockets.

"Maa, Iruka-sensei, you're trying to imitate a brick wall. Try and relax a little, ne?" Kakashi said with an odd laugh. Iruka blinked and gave Kakashi a puzzled look, not only because Kakashi was teasing him again, but also because his laugh, for just a moment, had sounded…..nervous? No, that couldn't have been it. This was the Sharingan Kakashi, as I have said before. It was impossible. He pushed it to the back of his mind and tried to force his blush away. He gave up after a few minuets.

"Of course, Kakashi-san." he said softly, smiling politely, his heart fluttering a little like it always did whenever Kakashi came in to hand in his report. Just to get to see the famed ninja in person, be this close to him, even if it was over a desk was exciting. Even if Kakashi would never see him too. Or, at least, never as anything more than a desk chunnin. Even if he never felt the same way about Iruka as Iruka felt for him….

"Do you have your report on team seven?" He asked when the slightly uncomfortable silence extended for several moments. Iruka vaguely noticed that they were the only two left in the mission room. Kakashi seemed slightly startled, as if he had been thinking about something and had forgotten he was there. He nodded and thrust the paper at Iruka in a hurried, uncharacteristic motion. Iruka took it, looking up at Kakashi curiously before glancing at the report. It was a good thing he was a teacher, or else he probably wouldn't be able to read the tattered, crumpled, sloppily written report. Iruka smoothed it out on the table top and skimmed over it. Something started to nag at him in the back of his mind. He frowned, stamping the report and filing it away.

"Thank you for all your hard work, Kakashi-san." He said, bowing this time. Kakashi hesitated for a moment, as if he were about to say something, but then he seemed to think better of it. He turned and, with a casual wave over his shoulder, headed for the door. The thing that had been pushing at the back of Iruka's mind suddenly broke free, and his eyes widened. Then he smiled.

"Kakashi-san." He called. The jounin, who was reaching for the doorknob, paused, but didn't bother to look over his shoulder.

"Yes, Iruka-sensei?" He asked casually. Iruka took a deep breath, telling himself that he was not wrong, and that his teacher instincts were never wrong. Going out on a limb, Iruka stated, as confidently as he could,

"I think sweetie pie was laying it on a little thick." He said before really thinking it out. He saw the jounin tense for a moment, before turning his head slightly to look over his shoulder at Iruka.

"Maa, I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about, Iruka-sensei." He said, but something in his voice said other wise. Iruka simply gave another polite bow.

"Of course not, Kakashi-san. I must have gotten confused. Forgive me." He said. Kakashi gave a boneless shrug before walking out the door. Iruka sighed and slumped forward, staring at the papers on the desk before looking back up at the clock. Time to call it night.

Iruka walked in the classroom. He had finished lunch early as usual. He was beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, he had been wrong about the notes being from Kakashi-sensei. Maybe his crush on the older jounin had clouded his judgment, or something. Maybe he had just anted the notes to be from the lazy pervert badly enough, and his eyes had plaid tricks on him. And now, he had probably either insulted the other man, or had confused him terribly. Either way, he had defiantly embarrassed himself. This was why he needed to learn to keep his mouth shut around the jounin. Ha always seemed to say something stupid when he did.

Slightly distracted by his thoughts, he didn't notice the bright orange paper on his desk until he had sat down and had been staring at it for at least five minuets. Blinking, he picked it up and opened it.

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

I never thought

I'd get caught by you.

Iruka blinked, puzzled, before realizing that someone was standing behind him. He whirled around to find Kakashi reading over his shoulder. He could feel himself beginning to blush again.

"Maa, Iruka-sensei, I think my poetry needs some work." The mask on the bridge of his nose scrunched slightly. "I would have asked Gai for help, but I didn't think you would appreciate ones that long." The man leaned back and scratched the back of his head, his eye curved down in another U. Iruka finally broke out of his stupor and gave him a nervous smile.

"Ahhh, I don't know, yours isn't that bad. You should see some of the stuff I get from my students." he reached up and began to rub the scare on his nose. Kakashi watched him. The silence stretched for a few more minuets, until Kakashi finally broke the it. The bell was about to ring and he wanted to get this over with…..

" Iruka-sensei, would you like to go out to dinner with me tonight?" He asked, looking at the other end of the room as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. Iruka was staring at Kakashi in surprise. He reached up and pinched himself on the cheek. It hurt, so chances were he wasn't dreaming. Kakashi, who had glanced at him from the corner of his eye, laughed softly, and Iruka blushed harder.

"S-sure, I'd love to, Kakashi-san." He said softly. Kakashi beamed at him. That hadn't been so bad.

""Great! I'll pick you up at eight." He said cheerfully. Iruka wasn't sure if Kakashi was playing a joke or not, but he would go with it. Iruka nodded.

"Well, I'll leave you alone now." Kakashi said, turning to go and waving over his shoulder. Before he could leave, however, Iruka called to him, just as he had the night before.

"Kakashi-san? What was with the poetry anyway?" He asked curiously. Surely if Kakashi had wanted a date he would have just asked?

"Oh, that was Gai-sensei's suggestion. I have never asked some one out before. If I want to get together with some one, It usually just happens. You never seemed to even look my way before." Iruka blinked at him

"Oh." Was all he could come up with. Kakashi just shrugged and headed out the door, but turned before exiting. The mask twitched almost violently.

"Pick you up at eight…..sweetie pie!" he called before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

Me OMG That sucked badly. I'm sorry. Please review and tell me how I could have done better on that…..