Generic Dude here with a new fanfiction! If any of you have read my other Advance Wars fic, Black Coffee, then you may know that Hawke is my favourite character in the series. But this story, although it does contain Hawke, has no relation to Black Coffee whatsoever. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride (and the strange pairing).

Hawke's Blind Date

Chapter 1

"The troops have been moved to their respective positions. Yes, supplies and ammunition have been sent from the factories and are currently being delivered to the defense posts as we speak. Now? They have sufficient supplies to ward off any small attacks. Under my command, Green Earth shall be safe. Okay. Yes, I will. Thank you. Goodbye, Jess"

Putting the phone down, he pondered over the map that was sprawled out in front of him. It displayed the land of Green Earth in its entirety, including the sea and the border which separated the nation from Yellow Comet.

It had been a year since the great war of Omega Land had finished. Hawke, who had defected from Black Hole during the war, had recently taken up a new position as one of the commanders of Green Earth, under the watchful eye of Jess, the newly appointed Green Earth Secretary of Defence. Hawke had been offered the position by Jess, who was wary of his unparalleled skill as a CO. His invasion of Green Earth during the Macro Land War was unrelenting, and newcomer Jess had to fend off his attacks many times. Now in a higher position of command, she knew that Hawke's mind would be beneficial to the defense of Green Earth. In addition, remnants of Black Hole forces were banding together under an unknown new leader in a new, yet weaker attempt to gain land and instigate a new war.

Hawke was satisfied with his new position with Green Earth. Not only had it allowed him to make amends with Jess, Eagle and Drake, but he also felt that he was atoning for his war crimes during the Macro Land invasion. Looking on the positions that he had set out on the map, he was certain that no Black Hole forces could penetrate the deep shield that he had set out. He wasn't one to praise himself, but he had to admit to himself that he had done a flawless job this time. Everything had been accounted for; the different units that defended every front, the numbers of troops, registers had been taken on ammunition, rations and fuel, and even maintenance checks had been performed under Hawke's command to ensure that there would be no flaw.

Leaning back in his chair, he felt somewhat fulfilled by his job. All he had to do now was wait for the phone to call with orders for his next objective.

The door suddenly opened and Lash came walking in, with her usual happy go lucky smile and her mischievous attitude, her large thick black coat waving behind her. Since the end of the Omega Land war, Hawke had remained in contact with Lash and hired her as his secretary. The two had a rather father-daughter like relationship; Hawke would usually have to put up with Lash's shenanigans and lack of sophistication whilst Lash would complain about Hawke's well mannered nature. But Hawke and Lash were very good friends, even if it didn't show at times. When Hawke got his position within Green Earth, Lash was accepted as Hawke's secretary and assistant. She was also hired as Green Earth's chief technician, in charge of the new technology being developed by the country, based on the machines that Lash had designed in the past for Black Hole.

"Hawke!" she shouted as she walked in. Hawke closed his eyes, attempting the cull the sharpness of her yell. He opened his eyes once more, looking right at Lash's frizzy dark hair.

"...Must you do that every time you enter my office?" he said in his usual, serious voice. Lash giggled slightly, as she would usually do, swivelling about on the heightened boots of her heels.

"Sorry, boss!" she said, saluting mockingly. Hawke's who had sat up tensely throughout the short exchange dropped back into his large leather chair.

"Why is it you're here?" Hawke asked, trying to recount the many times he had said the same phrase before. Lash then leant on his desk, clearing her throat.

"Well, I just got a fax" she said, brining up a piece of paper. "Apparently, Orange Star are planning to have a blind date night, and they've invited all the CO's of the Omega Land war to take part in it! And the best part is, all the dates are happening here in Green Earth!" she explained. "Convenient, huh?"

"...Is that so?" Hawke said quietly, seemingly uninterested.

"Sure is!" Lash answered. "I haven't been on a date in a long time, so I'm doing it!"

"I shall have to pass" Hawke said suddenly. "I have far too much work to do. I cannot allow the Green Earth defences to droop one bit. For all we know, we could fall under a severe attack. Even worse, there could be a hiccup in the transportation of supplies, which in turn prevents the troops from working at full capacity, decreasing the overall defence of the nation and making us more susceptible to attack, and..."

"Will you lighten up?" Lash shot out, frowning at Hawke. Hawke suddenly fell silent. "I bring in messages requesting you to turn up for dinners and stuff, and you say no 'cause you're afraid we're gonna get attacked! Tell me, when was the last time we got attacked, huh?"

Hawke looked down, trying to think of an answer. He hated to lie, and he admitted that Lash had him there.

"...Okay, you have a point, but..." Hawke protested.

"So come on!" Lash persisted. "It'll be fun! Eagle and Drake are doing it, and even Jess is taking the night off to have some fun as well! We're not going to get attacked, and even if so, the troops you positioned will take care of it! So don't be such a sourpuss and take part, will you?" Lash continued. Hawke felt reluctance build inside him as he looked for a way out. He knew that if he didn't have a good argument, Lash would force him to take part. He closed his eyes and did what he usually did when forced into something by Lash. He just let out an elongated sigh, keeping his mouth shut and allowing the air to seep out slowly from his nose.

"...I haven't been on a date in a very long time" Hawke said, opening his eyes again. "Plus, I can't interact with women as well as many of the other commanding officers. I'm not one events" he complained.

"But you can talk to me fine, right?" Lash asked.

"Yes, but..." Hawke protested. Lash then crossed her arms.

"Well, you're coming anyway, because I told Rachel and Nell that you were in. Your name's been put in the list" she explained.

Hawke felt as if he had run into a brick wall. He felt tempted to raise his voice at Lash. Such treachery! Such disobedience!

"Lash..." Hawke begun. "I know you to be a mischievous person. But nobody has ever gone and done something on my behalf without my authorization. You should be ashamed of yourself" he said. Lash started to giggle at that moment, which only served to annoy Hawke even more.

"Stop giggling!" he commanded. "Do you think that this is funny? I could report you to higher command, and you could be suspended for breach of contract! As your superior, I command you to cease this childish giggling!"

"Hawke, it's just a date" Lash parried. Hawke grimaced at the parry, knowing Lash was indeed right. He was making a meal out of a date, a little insignificant meeting, in his mind.

"...I apologise for raising my voice" Hawke said. "I'm just not a very...sociable person, you see"

"You'll be fine, I bet!" Lash said, pushing away from the table she leant on. Standing straight, she shoved the paper in her pocket.

" you have any information about this blind date?" Hawke asked. "Time and place?"

"Well, according to the fax..." she said, pulling out the now crumpled paper again, looking at it. "...Your blind date's arriving outside your house in two day's time, 7:30 pm. The taxi's then gonna take you to a place called Le Gallows" she explained.

"Ugh...what a striking name for a restaurant" Hawke uttered. He then realised that the list could have had other names on it as well. He felt he needed to decipher who his blind date was beforehand.

"Does it give the directions of other participants as well?" Hawke asked.

"Yeah...but the pairs aren't shown here" Lash explained. "Sorry Hawke, but it looks like you'll have to wait to find out who your mystery date is! Maybe you'll get stuck with Sensei" she joked before bursting out into laughter. Hawke watched as she held her stomach as she laughed, before she stumbled out of the room, closing the door behind her. Upon watching the door close, Hawke placed a hand to his head, trying to comprehend the situation he was placed in. He hadn't been on a date since he had become a commanding officer, and his nerves were starting to show as his hand would involuntarily move to his head and flick his hair backwards. He really hoped that his mystery date wasn't Sensei.