As you can tell this fic is pretty much Yuri, so that's not your cup of tea you don't have to read it. Or flame me.

Elika was never the sort of person that bothered too much with having the day completely charted out with a list of all the activities that needed doing. Being naturally gifted with a great memory and always having her chores done ahead of any schedules that may have been set up. A childhood being filled with rigorous studying and countless mock exams made sure of that. In truth, even after being appointed to the role of vice-captain her duties were relatively underwhelming, at least compared to the sort of work she usually performed back in Korea. Even now on the return chopper to HQ after a mission she was still no less focused on the duties she needed to perform over the week despite her mild fatigue.
To her right was captain Julius, arms crossed and busy issuing out orders to the pilot as the Far east came into view. To her right was Ciel who was quietly reading through a book titled 'Blood and Fenrir, PR'. Ordinarily she never pegged the Silvette for one that cared much for politics over improving the quality of their field performance but the news seemed to pertain to God Eaters, namely blood which wasn't a common occurrence, so she could understand Ciel's curiosity. Opposite the three were the other half of the team, namely, Romeo, Nana and Gilbert. The two formers were engaging in some casual chit chat while Gilbert seemed to be buried in his thoughts in much of the same way Elika was.

A minute later she was pulled out of her reverie by the roar of the blood chopper's engine as they touched down on the Helipad and Julius pulled open the door for the rest of the Blood squad to step out and make their way along the friar Balcony towards the entrance.

"Ahh, I can't wait to get a bite of that Oden sandwich. Who wants to join me?" Nana said happily as she swung her God arc around in her usual boisterous manner. In response Romeo eagerly chimed in.

"Sure, Matsumi's cooking is always good so count me in" the blonde said in response.

Grabbing her long blade, Elika stepped onto the ground alongside the rest of the squad, the midday sun warming up body while cool wind gently tickled her sleeveless arms. Add the faint smell off concrete and the base gave off an oddly homely atmosphere, despite being what was essentially a Fort.
Ciel shook her head while offering an apologetic look, while Julius, Elika and Gilbert kept their eyes ahead. Gilbert also shook his head stating that he had a private matter to attend to. Glancing over the other two Nana gave them a hopful look but was soon crushed by a dismissing wave from Julius and an apologetic smile from Elika.

"I'm sorry Nana, but I have some experimenting to do with the blood bullets with Licca" Ciel said.

"And Julius and I have to handle the debriefing" Elika said

"Well then I guess it's just me and Romeo then" Nana said with a smile as they headed inside and went their separate ways. The two team leaders made a beeline for Dr Rachel's office and gave a quick debriefing. At this point Elika had been the second in command for over a month so the work was far more mechanical at this point.

Next up was the paperwork which was equally divided between herself and Julius. After about an hour or so of signing the young man stood up from his seat and excused himself for a bathroom break. With a smile and nod Elika resumed her work for another twenty minutes when she heard her cell phone vibrate. Reaching into her pockets she answered and put the electronic device to her ear while still signing with her other hand.

"Hello" she said into the phone. What followed was the sound of muffled whispering in the background before the familiar voice spoke through.

"Hey Elie, its Kota here. I'm sure you must be busy but Julius needs you" he said in a slightly distressed tone that sent sirens through her ears.

"Julius, he did seem to be taking a while to get here. Did something happen?" she asked in concern

"Yeah. He slipped on his way back up and had a concussion… It's pretty bad" the young captain said in grim tone that only served to heighten her distress. There was also some faint muttering in the background but red head was quick to disregard it as thoughts of Julius going through

"What. I'll be right there. Where are you?" she asked dropping her pen and standing up.

"Were at the lounge right now, get here fast" he said with a lot of urgency

Wasting no time in rushing out the door and taking the elevator down to the lobby. Walking at a brisk pace she couldn't help but wonder how an accident like that would even happen considering clumsiness was the furthest word one could use to describe Julius. His footwork was never off even when they fought on slippery terrain, his body would always contort to stop that from happening. Which was quite frankly, more than she could say for herself.
Furthermore, there was something off about this that was scratching the back of her head. Namely, if Julius was hurt then why not take him straight to the infirmary which was just a floor above. The lounge was completely out of the way and what was all the static muttering she kept hearing in the background of those phone calls. Though Kota certainly wasn't as professional as his rank would lead most to believe she couldn't help but sense a hint of mischievous intent in his tone.

Soon enough she was pulled from her thoughts as she stepped into the Den and immediately noticed that room was lacking the usual presence of other God Eaters land staff like Damian, Licca or Emil. Even Hibari seemed to be absent. At this point every siren in her body was ringing as she stood at the lounge entrance and noting the unsettling lack of sound coming from the other side and pushed the electronic door open

The first thing she noted was the absence of any light which made the room almost completely dark. Letting a surprised sound her hands blindly reached out for the light switch when suddenly all the light came back to the room followed by the chorus of a dozen or so voices all shouting "SURPRISE" in unison, startling her instantly.

"Huh" she said dumbfounded as everyone gathered around her while cheering happy birthday to her. It took her a full three seconds before it dawned on her what was happening and covered her mouth with her hand in a mixture of pleasant surprise and embarrassment as numerous arms from all her teammates and friends patted her back.

"Happy birthday Ellie" Nana said as she embraced the redhead from the side while happily giggling. Elika in spite of light pink blush on her face managed to laugh lightly and hug back.

"You guys shouldn't have." she said with a sheepish smile as she regarded everyone. To the back she could see Julius, Kota, Soma and Alisa all giving her smiles, heck even the cradle unit leader Yu was there, a young man that though she didn't know well she was still pleased he was here anyway.

"Are you kidding me. You've done us solids more times than we can count. I wouldn't miss this for anything" Licca said accompanied by various cheers of agreement as Nana pushed her over to the armrest where everyone could see her.

"But how did you guys even know today was my birthday?" she asked in bewilderment as she had never even stated her age let alone her birthday to anyone.

"Well Ciel told us" Kota replied grinning from ear to ear. At that her gaze went over to her silver haired teammate who seemed to shrink back slightly from Elika's gaze.

-Perspective shift-

The instant Elika's gaze shifted to her Ciel couldn't help but shrink slightly as she wasn't expecting to have much attention drawn to her though she was pretty sure everyone else was staring at her now as well.

"I just happened to stumble on it back when I was checking everyone's profile on the terminal" she said breaking eye contact. In truth, she'd only just told the rest of blood but Romeo passed on the information to Kota who pretty much told everyone. Next thing she knew they were setting preparations for a big surprise party for her. With Yuno playing a new piece as entertainment.

"So, if you don't mind me asking. How old are you know Ell?" Soma asked from his spot by the counter, his expression calm and relaxed as he leaned back against it.

"hey now, its rude to ask a lady her age" Haruomi said teasingly to which Soma simply rolled his eyes. Elika let out a soft chuckle at the display and answered.

"20" she replied.

"Woah, I thought you were just a year older than me" Nana said in surprise, not realising her vice-captain was already an adult. What came after that was everyone making room as Matsumi walked in with a huge cake with happy Birthday written on it next to her initials. The young girl giving Elika a hug before they proceeded to cut the cake into pieces and shared it among them. After that Satsuki had them all gather round Elika for photos. First a team shot with Blood which Ciel loved mainly due to the opportunity it provided for her to sit next to her. Then a group shot with everyone else. Then a bunch of random photos with everyone else. Once all the cake had been shared and Yuno performed her piano solo the drinks were pulled out and people proceeded with mingling.

Presents weren't mandatory but more than few them had something for the vice-captain Ciel included, but with a little something extra she new she'd love. And with the attention finally shifted away from Elika it seemed like a great opportunity for her to give her present.

She was currently sitting by the window next to Alisa, Yu and Soma. The two formers seemed to be chatting about something though it sounded more like Alisa was berating Yu about a certain reckless stunt he did while Soma held a half empty glass in his hand.

Yu for his part tried to defend himself but wasn't really making any progress other than further infuriating the Russian girl. But at the same time it sounded less like arguing and more like they were low key flirting with the way sits he blushed when he brought up some of her own stunts.

Tuning their chatter out she glanced down at the small DVD pack in her hand. Its disk containing a list of songs that she hoped the red head would like. She'd noted that she seemed to be fan of pop rock and Jazz so Ciel put a healthy mix of both inside as well as a few of her own personal favourites.

Gathering up her courage she took a deep breath and stood up, making a beeline for the bar where the rest of blood was stationed, pushing through the crowd and trying to get closer. The smell of alcohol was almost suffocating near the centre, in truth Ciel didn't drink, finding the taste to be rather repulsive to her tongue so it was anything but pleasant. Once she finally pushed through and had her leaders in sight her throat went dry at the site Elika and Julius embracing each other which warranted low whistles from around.

The slight smirk on Julius's face and Elikas arms wrapped around him so tight made her feel bad for reasons she couldn't comprehend, the subtle burn in her chest and the overwhelming desire to look away at how close their faces were when they pulled back. And so she did, until she was noticed by Elika who looked over at her after separating from Julius.

"Oh hey. Come on over" she said smiling as Ciel regained her composure and walked forward.

"I just wanted to… Um. Give this to you Vice-captain" she said holding out the disk to Elika whose eyes widened in surprise as she smiled and took it.

"Aw, Ciel. Your such a sweetheart, you didn't have to".

"It's the least I could do after all the help you gave me Elika" she said as she felt Elika pull her into a hug. It was hardly a feeling she was accustomed to but it was far from unwelcome as she took in the pleasant cent of her strawberry perfume and hair conditioner. Relishing every second of it and missing its absence when Elika eventually pulled away. That was when she saw another tape in her hand, Julius's gift to be exact. Though she could feel the temptation to ask what he got her she refrained and tried to brush off the image of them embracing out of her mind. Why did something like that even bother her so much?
After all the two of them were constantly working together even shared a lot of the same hobbies, she and the captain were perfectly compatible for each other. Besides she was pretty sure Ellie was straight and wasn't interested in the other girls. Why was she even curious about her orientation?

The rest of the day passed by and party eventually ended with a last group shot being taken before separating to spend the rest of their evening handling other responsibilities. Nightfall came and Everyone had already headed back to their quarters but Ciel still wasn't quite done and still had one last thing to take care of with Elika. Taking a wrapped wine bottle from her room she walked across the hallway of the blood section and knocked on her vice captain's door. At least now that all the excitement from the party was behind them she could manage to squeeze in some alone time with her as they usually did when there wasn't much work to be done. But seeing as today was a special one for Ciel she handled all her paperwork and handed in her latest strategy report in to Licca to add a few adjustments to her God arc.

A moment passed before a beeping could be heard from the other side as door slid open for her with Elika standing on the other side, having changed out of her blood uniform and was now dressed in her nightwear, namely a white sleeveless vest with a V-neck and some shorts that only fell to her thighs.

"Hey Ciel, make yourself at home" she said stepping aside for the younger girl to step in with the door sliding shut behind her. This was far from an uncommon situation between the two of them as they tended to spend their nights in each other's company, either working on new strategies that would give them the edge in future battles or just messing around as friends. On some of there earlier nights she could recall how much she tended to blush when she saw Ellie in her nightwear and constantly averting her gaze despite the others insistence that it was alright since they were both girls to begin with but at the same time it was no secret that Elika got a few good kicks out of seeing her get flustered, though it was all in good spirit. In many ways though their relationship was could be likened more to that of sisters than close friends, enough that she was now well adjusted to her thin layers of clothes that didn't leave much to the imagination.

Taking a seat in by the couch in her room she dropped the bottle container on the table as Elika plopped down next to her, an amused smirk forming on her lips.

"So much Alcohol, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were trying to seduce me, Ciel" she said as took the bottle and examined the brand, her smile only widening as she realised where it was from.

"Of course not. I simply just wanted to give you a nice gift" Ciel replied having grown used to her occasional teasing. A small smile forming on her lips as she felt her shoulders relax. Elika had this natural skill for putting others at ease, a person she always felt she could be herself around without always being formal.

"Ha of course you wouldn't. But on another note, you guys really went all out for just me… I hadn't realised I was so popular" she said with a sheepish look as she scratched her head. At hearing that she felt an instant urge to rebuke her on not realising just how much of a positive impact she left on everyone but instead simply sighing in mild exasperation. For one so capable she could be shockingly dense sometimes, but of course that was part of Elika's charm. Modest to a fault.

"No no, you shouldn't be thanking me. It was all captain Fujiki and Miss Yuno's doing. Without them it wouldn't have been nearly as grand" she said griping the fabric of her green skirt and looking away.

"Perhaps, but it wouldn't have happened without you…" there was a brief pause in which Elika seemed to take a deep breath before continuing. "… Truth is, I haven't had good birthday since I was ten. I've never felt so wanted and liked, ever. It was like I was a kid again" she said causing Ciel to glance up and see a genuine smile on Elika's face.

"I see. Do you want to talk about it?" she asked in concern to which the redhead shook her head.

"Maybe another time, now's just not the best time. Not with a fantastic drink in front of me" she said tearing the foil off and unscrewing the bottle. She then grabbed a pair of glassed from the cupboard, handing Ciel one and pouring the red wine into both their glasses.

"How on earth did you get your hands on this brand? I searched all over the place for it after the Korean brewery got destroyed by the Aragami" she said looking over at her in pleasant bewilderment. Her green inquisitive orbs digging into her soul for answers.

"It was for sale at a town auction. It wasn't very popular so I managed to get it cheap" she explained though she lied about it being cheap since she had to part with three thousand yen for it, a pretty penny for her meagre wallet but well worth it for the ecstatic look in her eyes.

"I hadn't known there were any auctions being held in town. You'll have to show me around next time were in town" Elika said taking a sip of her glass and swallowing the full contents in one swig before wiping her mouth with a napkin. "That hit the spot" she said prompting Ciel to also take a sip though far more hesitantly due to her disinterest in all intoxicants. The taste was soft and cool at first having that familiar throat burning sensation other drinks had but in the span of six seconds throat burn intensified causing her to stop drinking and run a hand through her sore throat. It was so intense it almost felt like fire in her throat, then just quickly as it came the burn and replaced with a sweet after taste that left her bewildered.

"It's quite intense to say the least" Ciel managed as she crossed her legs to which Elika nodded.

"Yup, I don't know much about alcohol brewing but the creator somehow managed to fit a variety of flavours into the mix that would provide drinkers was a sort of 'taste high' all without overwhelming the senses. But I understand if you don't want anymore. It can be a little rough on first timers but it grows on you" she explained refilling her glass and taking another more controlled sip, how exactly she could drink that without so much wincing from the burn was beyond Ciel, but bot being one to give up easily she also refilled her glass and took another cautious sip. Hoping to ease her taste buds into it before finishing the contents of her glass.

Elika gave her nod of approval as she again finished her glass and switched on her little flat screen Tv, flicking through the channels idly. Glancing to the side Ciel could see the huge pile of paperwork had been tended to and neatly set aside on her shelf. How she could burn through all that in the span of an hour was feet to behold but at the same time it was so typical of the vice-captain.

"Nothing catching your interest?" Ciel asked seeing Elika scroll through all twenty channels until they eventually looped back around.

"Pretty much, but that's only when I haven't a far more interesting specimen next to me" she said switching it off and drinking once again. Feeling her cheeks heat up again she retreated to her glass to avoid risking a flustered reply, but at the same time she could feel her head was getting lighter.

'Is this how it feels to be drunk?' she pondered to herself as downed yet another glass. She already felt so light already yet the bottle still had more to offer.

"I must not be very good at holding my liquor, the bottles only just half empty now".

"Nu uh, its half full" Ellie said drinking again.

"Right, sorry. Half full" Ciel corrected herself only half amused while the other was just her knee-jerk urge to apologise. Smiling Elika suddenly stood up and walked over to the stereo and pulling out the music CD, or at least that was what it looked like, the room was a bit spiny for her right now. But she snapped back into reality when she heard the soft jazz coming from the speakers as Elika turned the volume up just a bit. And the vocalists booming voice on the other side. It was the CD she gave her earlier.

"Frank Sinatra, 'fly me to the moon'. I love this one" the redhead said cheerily as she did a little twirl, glass still in hand. Ciel couldn't help but smile at the sight of Ellie enjoying the songs, her hunches were on point after all.

As the song began to rise intensity so too did Ellies body sway just a bit following the rhythm, glass now empty yet again. Ellie was always an outgoing woman, but she was never quite this loose which lead Ciel to believe that she must have been pretty drunk. She continued watching Elika throw her hands and spin to the piano, giggling in amusement at her antics. Or at least she was, until she felt Ellie grab her hand and pull her close.

"huh? No, I can't dance Elika" she said in protest as the colour left her, but her pleas fell on deaf ears as Elika intertwined their fingers and swayed her along.

"There's a first time for everything Ciel. Now shake those hips for big sis" she said with a wicked grin causing the colour in Ciel's face to fade even faster, her gaze averted as Elika pulled her along. Thankfully Elika kept them moving at a slow pace, mostly just swaying from side to side at a comfortable pace. Occasionally Ellie would raise her hand and spin her around. Ciel couldn't help but feel like a rag doll being moved around, constantly sputtering apologies when she stubbed the older girl's toes. But in spite of all the initial awkwardness she gradually started to enjoy it, the closeness they were sharing was nice and quite fun with just the two of them. It just felt so natural, their arms locked together and the sweet scent of her hair.

She could almost forgive the embrace with Julius earlier. As the minutes passed by she found herself resting her head against Elika's shoulder, taking in her natural scent which pleasantly reminded her of the smell of peaches.

"It's getting pretty late now, I think we should get some shut eye soon" Elika said after a long pause of them just standing with slow sways to the side, motioning to the clock which marked 1:00am. But Ciel, in her trance like state didn't really hear it. The alcohol wasn't helping much either. Instead pulling back and staring into Elika green orbs, at her full height she was only just up to her nose. Ellie smiled back at her.

"Something on my face? Your staring daggers at me" she asked smiling. Practically every fibre of her being was asking her to turn away, yet they were so close she couldn't bring herself to do it. A second later Ciel pressed her lips against Elika's, letting her eyes flutter close and her body pressing up against Ellies as she deepened the kiss.

In response the redhead remained frozen in place as her eyes widened in shock, the action catching her off guard. Ciel could taste the alcohol on her lips raised her hands to gently cup and caress her cheeks. It wasn't until several seconds later that she felt Elika arms gently push her away that she realised what she'd just done and gasped pulling away.

"I'm sorry! It was an accident" she said trying to explain herself, but it was an exercise in futility as Elika felt her lips where the kiss still lingered for both of them. She could feel a mix of dread and fear building up. What if this threw a wrench in their relationship? What if Elika didn't want to speak to her anymore now that she'd made things so awkward between them?

"Ciel…?" Elika said looking at her wide eyed. She didn't know what to say to explain herself, she COULDN'T explain herself so she did the only thing left to do. She ran out the door while muttering apologies. Hurrying into her room and locking the door, the burying her face in her pillow in shame, feeling fresh tears stream down her face at her stupidity.

And that concludes the first chapter of this one-shot series. I couldn't help but notice that almost every fic involves mainly the God eater burst cast and stories centred around God Eater 2 are kinda rare, even less so with the female protagonist who's almost non-existent save for Soma related fics. And thus, this series was born.

Most chapters will be self-contained but there'll be the occasional two-parter just like this one. Feel free to follow or like and if you feel so inclined leave a review telling me what you all think of it.