A/N: This was actually an idea I saw on tumblr. It was an idea of an AU where a character happens to stand next to their cute neighbor, who happens to be wearing boxers, at 3 am after a fire alarm. I imagined Connor and Ellie right away and I ran with it.
She saw him almost every day, yet she didn't have the courage to just talk to him.
Ellie would always shut the door to her apartment as she was leaving for class and look to see him locking his own or see his tall, broad form already walking down the hall toward the stairs.
To say her neighbor was cute would have been an understatement. Ellie couldn't remember a time she was this attracted to a guy. Connor Kenway was different from any guy she had ever seen. It was to the point to where she was nervous to even see him and that wasn't like her at all.
Ellie was hardly ever nervous and anxious about anything, but her heart thundered in a way she couldn't control when she was around her neighbor and she never worried about how someone saw her before. She unconsciously started to try to look her best when she walked out her door in the morning and her heart would drop when she didn't see him.
She had only been living at these apartments for a month now. They were convenient when it came to pricing and how close they were to campus so she jumped on the deal. She had first met Connor when she was moving in.
One of her boxes was particularly heavy and Ellie's petite frame wasn't enough to get it up the three flights of stairs. She practically slipped on a step and a large, tan hand happened to catch her.
"Are you okay?" a soft, deep voice asked.
Ellie whipped her head around to see who perhaps the tallest person she had ever seen was standing behind her. His dark hair was halfway pulled back and his dark brown eyes were wide with concern. Ellie even managed to see the splash of freckles that stood out on his skin, despite his darker complexion.
"Y-Yeah! Thanks," she managed to stutter out, trying to readjust her grip on the box.
"Do you need help?" he asked.
"No, I'm good. I—"
He was already scooping the box out of her hands before she could say anything. "What apartment?" he asked, nodding his head toward the stairs.
Ellie cleared her throat bashfully. "I'm up on the third floor. I'm so sorry you have to go out of your way."
"It's not. I live there too."
"Which apartment?"
"3B."
Ellie grinned and started to lead him up the stairs. "Well, I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Ellie Johnston. I'm going to be living in 3C."
"Welcome to Creed Apartments then," he said with a soft smile.
They made it up to the third floor and they stopped in front of apartment 3C. He set the box down and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Do you need any more help?"
Ellie's couldn't help but smile at his now-bashful demeanor. "Actually, this was the last one. Thank you though."
"Oh."
They stood in an awkward silence for a few moments before Ellie finally cleared her throat again. "Well, I better get to unpacking. Thanks again."
Connor jerked his thumb toward his apartment door. "If you ever need help with anything, don't be afraid to knock."
Ellie was incredulous at first, arching a brow at him. She heard about overly helpful guys like this not being as helpful as they seem.
Connor noticed her look. "Oh! I'm not a crazy guy, I promise," he quickly said, holding his hands up, eyes going wide.
Ellie wasn't the type to be overly suspicious, so she wasn't. She laughed and picked up her box. "I believe you. Same goes to you."
That was a month ago and Ellie was now wondering how to approach her good looking neighbor. Should she bake him some cookies? Should she just knock on the door?
She sighed and collapsed into one the few chairs she owned. She had never thought so much about one guy in her whole life! Sure, she dated, but she was never nervous or shy there. Here, she almost didn't know what to do with herself.
Deciding to fix the situation once and for all, Ellie grabbed her purse and left to make a quick trip to the grocery store a block away. When she left, she stared at Connor's apartment. She ran into another problem at the grocery store. What in the world would he like? Peanut butter? No, he might be allergic. Funfetti? No, too sweet. Ellie stared at her many choices in the baking aisle at the store and she already felt overwhelmed. How hard was it to bake something for a guy?!
Granted, she never did specifically bake for any of the boys she liked in the past. Stop thinking of it that way and just do it as a thank you. You're getting ahead of yourself, Ellie chided. She thought about the impression Connor gave her and she finally just grabbed a large bag of semisweet chocolate chips. He seemed like a simple guy, so a simple chocolate chip cookie would work. When she made it back to the apartments, she couldn't help but look at his door again as she was walking back.
Placing the ingredients she bought on the table, Ellie took a deep breath before pulling her light brown hair up into a messy bun before getting to work. Ellie never had a chance to bake that much anymore due to school and limited funds, but that didn't stop her love for it.
She had the dough whipped up in almost no time at all and she had the cookies in the oven in record time. She sighed and wiped the flour off her hands, staring down at the small clump of dough she had left. Shrugging, Ellie plucked a little out of the bowl and popped it into her mouth.
Leaning her hip against the counter, Ellie started to wonder about her neighbor. What did he do for a living? Was he as nice as he seemed? Was he going to school here? Why was he living alone?
The beeping timer from her phone pulled her out of her question reverie and he quickly took the cookies out. She turned off the over and smiled at the batch. They looked perfect and she couldn't wait to give them away, despite her nervousness to do so.
Unfortunately, time wasn't on her side. It was almost 10 o' clock and it would be too late to do anything of the sort.
Looks like the morning would have to do.
Ellie chickened out the next morning.
She had a good excuse though. She woke up late and she couldn't be late to the school she was a student teacher at. Being on her last semester of school was a relief and a burden at the same time somehow. Ellie hadn't been late yet and she wasn't going to break that tradition for some cookies that she could easily give away later.
The group of kindergarteners were more rambunctious than usual that day too and Ellie felt like she was dragging as she walked up the steps toward her apartment.
The cookies sat in their tub, completely forgotten, as she collapsed on her bed, still in her clothes.
It was dark when Ellie woke up and she groaned when she looked at the clock. It was 1 in the morning and she still had homework to do. And she fell asleep in her nice clothes. She pulled herself out of bed and she changed into a comfy pair of sweats and a tank top. She padded out to the living room and pulled her laptop toward her and got to work.
It was almost 3 by the time she was done and Ellie set her computer on the couch with a sigh. Well, she could take a Zzzquil and try to sleep some more at least.
A loud, blaring tone suddenly sounded throughout her apartment and she could hear the echo of many more right after it.
Without thinking, she stepped into her moccasins, grabbed her cellphone and keys, and raced out of the apartment. She hurried down the stairs to see a large group of sleepy people already standing in the complex's yard.
Ellie looked around and instantly felt bewildered. Why wasn't anyone panicking? Was it a false alarm?
She hugged herself and turned only to bump into Connor. Her eyes widened when she saw his open robe revealing a broad chest. The duckling boxers only made the sight in front of her even better.
"You okay?" he asked.
Ellie found herself floundering in those big, brown eyes and she barely managed to breathe out, "Yeah. You?"
Connor huffed out a laugh and Ellie felt a shiver go down her spine at the sound. His laugh had that breathy, soft sound that made her feel warm inside. "I'm fine. I was more worried about everyone else." He turned and looked up at the building. "I bet that it's a false alarm."
Ellie hummed in thought. If living in the dorms taught her anything, it was that it was not a false alarm usually. "I bet someone was doing something they weren't supposed to."
Connor glanced down at her. Ellie tried to keep her focus on his face and not on his open robe and boxers. His face wasn't a bad sight either.
His deadpan expression finally broke and he grinned. "Want to bet what it was?"
Ellie giggled and waved the idea away. "Nope, school teachers don't gamble."
"You teach?"
Ellie smiled sheepishly. "Well, I'm student teaching right now. I have a year to go before becoming official."
Connor nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I'm in the same situation right now. I'm a TA for some history classes at the campus nearby. I can't wait until I can teach myself."
So he was cute and smart. Ellie was in trouble. Before she could stop herself, she gestured to his boxers. "One of my kindergarteners would kill for those, by the way. He loves ducks."
Connor suddenly seemed to realize his state of undress and he quickly closed his robe, clearing his throat. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to—I normally wouldn't—"
He kept rambling on as he apologized and Ellie almost didn't know what to do with herself. This guy had to literally be somewhere around 7 feet tall and he was a shy mess in front of her barely over 5 foot frame.
He was too adorable.
His rambling was cut off by the voice of one of the firefighters on a loudspeaker. "Everything is safe folks. You may return to your homes."
Ellie's heart sunk a little. She finally got to talk to Connor more and it was cut short way too soon.
Connor walked her up to their floor and Ellie waved goodbye as she reached her apartment. The fatigue of her day was suddenly swamping her again and she needed to get to bed if she wanted to be ready for class tomorrow.
"Ellie?"
Ellie's hand froze before she could unlock her apartment. She looked up to see Connor stepping closer to her from his door. "I-I was wondering if you would like to get dinner sometime?"
His voice sounded so small and nervous and Ellie didn't feel bad about feeling nervous anymore. "I would love to."
Connor's eyes widened and he looked shocked. "Oh! Well, would Friday work for you?"
Ellie smiled and finally opened the door to her apartment. "Yes, it would."
Connor nodded and started to slowly back away. "I guess I'll see you Friday."
Ellie nodded and stepped into her apartment, waving at him shyly before closing her door. She collapsed back against her door with a beaming smile on her face.
Tonight was her lucky night.