#zeethebooknerd

[tawaifeddiediaz]

babe you're already gonna be in it as zeethebooknerd. you know how. i've told you how. thank u for the explicit permission tho ily

i can't tell you to have fun or what

[catdadeddie]

- bucky barnes

Happy Birthday, @zeethebooknerd​ !! 🥰

[madamewriterofwrongs]

That Would Be Enough

For @zeethebooknerd on... my birthday...

Read on Ao3

“I’m not asking you out. I’m saying we’ve been going out for months – years, probably.”

That declaration did break through the fog of math headaches and papercuts, and Eddie found himself turning to face his friend with dreaded curiosity.

“And how, exactly, did you come to that conclusion?”

In response, Buck simply huffed and held out his hand. Was he supposed to take it?

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Buck overthinks and Eddie comforts him. Because that's what they do.

[nilshki]

insp. from @zeethebooknerd

[tripleaxeldiaz]

Hello I miss you but:

we actually won so hard this season

I MISS YOU BUT I AM STILL SHOOK ABOUT THIS!!!! LOOK AT HIM!!!! HOT AND FLOOFY WHAT A WINNER

[captain-hen]

for your gif meme request: 🤡🤡🤠🤡🤠🤠🤠🤡🐢🐢🐢

posted here! ❤

[edensrebecca]

No, you don’t know what it’s like

[extasiswings]

39 won! xD thank you ❤️❤️

“If we meet each other in Hell, it’s not Hell.” You know, at first I imagined this was gonna be angsty af, but then I was thinking about it in the shower and my brain threw this at me like “lol u thought” so have an AU meet cute. 

When Eddie agrees to join one of the LAFD strike teams to provide wildfire assistance, he’s thinking about two things—overtime and hazard pay.  The last thing he expects is—

“Hey.  It’s Diaz, right? From the 136?  I’m Evan Buckley—Buck—118.”

—blond hair and blue eyes and a thousand-watt smile that makes his pulse skip.

It takes Eddie a minute to respond, clearing his throat and rubbing at the back of his neck.

“I—yeah, that’s me,” he says.  “Buckley—wait, from the truck bombing a little while back?”

He swears internally when Buck’s bright blue eyes dim, that smile slipping briefly before he fixes it.

“Yeah,” Buck acknowledges.  “All fixed up now though.”

Eddie clears his throat and searches for a less fraught conversation topic.

“You know, I almost ended up at the 118 myself.”

“I know,” Buck replies.  “It came up after you were a big damn hero during the tsunami—free-climbing ferris wheels your specialty?”

“Nah, just something I like to do for fun,” Eddie shoots back, grinning when Buck laughs.  

“Well…”  Buck bites his lip and gives Eddie a once-over that makes him blink and flush.  “I suppose if it takes fighting some wildfires for us to finally meet, it will have been worth it.”  

Eddie looks away, rubbing at his neck again.  He gets flirted with a fair amount on calls, but rarely does he actually want to be.  It’s been over a year since Shannon died and he hasn’t tried actually dating since then, hasn’t really felt like putting himself out there despite the fact that he undoubtedly has nights where he feels the ache of loneliness that Christopher alone can’t completely fill.  But, for the first time, he almost—well, he’s…intrigued.

“Yeah, well, see how you feel after we’ve spent fourteen days together and are tired and cranky.”

Buck grins wider.  “Somehow I don’t think that’ll change anything, but sure, we’ll see.”

Sure enough, fourteen days later, Buck’s shoulder bumps against his as they make their way back to the transport trucks home.

“So…dinner?”

Eddie ducks his head and smiles, enjoying the flicker of warmth in his stomach that has nothing to do with the heat of the day or the still-raging, albeit manageable, wildfire in the distance.

“You know…” Eddie wets his lips.  “I have a kid.  He’s nine.”

Buck’s expression doesn’t change.  “I love kids.  And, more importantly, kids love me.”

“Oh, is that so,” Eddie laughs.

“I hear the skepticism, and frankly, rude.”  Buck’s arm brushes Eddie’s again, but Buck clears his throat before Eddie can respond.

“But um…I get it,” Buck assures.  “And you know, it—it doesn’t have to be a date or anything like that, I’d just…like to get to know you more.  When we can wear regular clothes and aren’t covered in ash all the time.  Because I think you’re pretty great.”

Eddie swallows and glances at the trucks.  They’re almost there.  

He looks back at Buck.  “And if—if I wanted it to be?  A date?”

Buck’s smile is radiant.  “Well, in that case…name your day.”

And it’s…a start.  

[reyescarlos]

9, 16 and 24!!

hey, zee! thanks! 💜

9) what, if anything, do you do for inspiration?

I comb through Spotify! I am so bad at coming up with my own stories/plots so I just listen to songs until a title or lyric(s) speak to me and I can draw a story out of it

16) are there any characters who haunt you?

Hmm, I don’t think so. I have characters that I adore but feel too nervous to fully write for because I’m not sure I could do them justice or get their voice down well. So I just stick to what I know and sprinkle those characters in when I can.

24) have you ever become an expert on something you previously knew nothing about, in order to better a scene or a story?

Soccer! I’ve got this tarlos au that has been in my docs for so long. This story isn’t even remotely close to being anything of note but I have been doing my research on the sport so that whenever I do actually begin writing it, I’ll actually know a thing or two

[buttercupbuck]

Ya think we can claim these two promos for our birthday or…? 😂

absolutely 😂

[adamngoodbuck]

19 for the sensory prompts!

19. Satin on candlelight for the sensory prompts

slow dancing in a burning room

link to ao3

“Cheers,” Buck greets Eddie for the fiftieth time that night and places a champagne flute in front of him. He downs his own flute and takes a deep breath, “wanna dance?”

It’s a slow song. It might be the last slow song for the night since Chim and Maddie already danced to one, and then Buck danced with Maddie for half a song before their father stepped up and took over.

So Buck knows what he’s doing, even if Eddie looks puzzled. “With you?”

“No,” Buck smirks, “with my mother,” he rolls his eyes playfully.

“Your mother is dancing with you dad, Buck.”

“Oh my god, yes, with me, you dumbass.” Buck hopes he got this right. He hopes he’s read the signs correctly for the past couple of weeks and he’s not placing a bet to the wrong horse here. He holds his breath for a second too long until Eddie’s eyes soften and Buck feels relief take over.

“Oh,” Eddie says and his eyes are wide open, “now?”

And he’s not asking if now they are going to dance. He’s asking if now they are taking this step. If now is the right time to make this statement: after years of dancing around each other, they are now ready to dance together.

Buck gives Eddie a curt nod and holds out his hand for him to take.

Eddie takes a sip of his champagne and goes to stand from his chair. He grabs Buck by the arm, sliding his hand down, his fingers brushing through Buck’s rolled up sleeve, reaching his forearm skin, tracing his tattoo until he intertwines their fingers. They walk together to the middle of the dancefloor. To Buck’s surprise, Eddie puts a hand on his waist, tentatively. As Buck relaxes under his touch, he places the other on his shoulder.

After a beat, Eddie starts swaying them to the music.

...like in your eyes, I see my future in an instant

And there it goes

I think I found my best friend...

Buck runs his fingers over the lapel of Eddie’s tuxedo as it shimmers under the candlelight. The movement is intimate and Buck feels his cheek go from pink to a scandalous shade of red. But Eddie pulls Buck closer by the waist and he’s reassured of his decision. The sentiment is mutual and he knows he’s now grazing the rest of their lives together with the tip of his fingers.

“We’re going to be so happy together,” Eddie whispers into Buck’s ear and the words make him dizzy.

“Hmmm,” Buck nods to Chimney and Maddie, bride and groom laughing hysterically at something going on backstage, “I hope as happy as them.”

“Yes. And even more.”

...and in your eyes

I see the missing pieces I'm searching for

I think I've found my way home…

[catdadeddie]

look what terrified me this morning

AHAHA I wanna know what he was thinking when posted those like, sir 🥴😭

Anyways, here's this

[madamewriterofwrongs]

Sending you all my hugs 🥰🥰🥰😍 How about...Buddie having the time of their lives being absolute shit at arcade games.

I remember I asked for fluffy prompts the night my boss passed away. That was months ago but I did not forget. Thank you everyone who sent me prompts while I was processing some tough emotions.

911/Buddie 

1v1 Co-op Matchmaking

Read on Ao3

“Are you sure this is the place?” Eddie tried to peer through one of the windows with the scratched off signage but the tinted glass made it impossible to see anything beyond vague shapes in evenly marked spaces.

“Absolutely.” Buck joined him in looking through the glass but seemed to be satisfied with what he saw there. “I found this place my first year in L.A.” He went on to explain as Eddie followed him to the blacked out double doors. “I promise you’re going to love it.”

As with most things in Eddie’s life, he had no choice but to follow his partner. He entered first, a blast of cool air hitting his face, bringing with it the scent of French fries and old pennies. Beyond the sound of whirs and buzzes was quiet chatter and the occasional exclamation of excitement or disappointment (usually accompanied by a string of barely recognizable curses – no doubt, due to the ‘No Swearing’ sign hanging on the cash register in the corner). All around him were a collection of game machines in nearly straight aisles reaching several rows down and across. Interspersed between the machines were tables and chairs with folded signs informing guests that food and drinks were not to be taken to the game machines.

“It’s an arcade.” Eddie dumbly informed his friend.

Buck stood beside him, chest puffed with pride as he examined the terrain. “One of the last in the city that hasn’t been overrun by hipsters.”

“So you’re saying you found this place before it was cool?” Eddie strolled towards the register knowing Buck would be glaring at him all the way. As predicted, Buck paid for both of them and converted twenty dollars into quarters for the two of them two split.

“Oh, this place is old school.” Eddie, once again, exclaimed the obvious while pocketing his share of the coins. “How did you find this place?” he asked as they wandered the aisles looking for their first game. “I didn’t think you would be old enough to remember ‘Ms. Pacman’.”

Buck bumped his shoulder with a playful gasp. “You are being so mean to me today.” He chided before falling more somber. “When I first moved here and started training, I needed a place to study. I had, like, six roommates so there was no way I could concentrate there. So, I wandered around looking for something a little less chaotic and I found this place.”

“And this place was quieter than your house?” Eddie hadn’t lived with roommates in a few years – not since his army days – but he couldn’t imagine one house being that overwhelming.

“No.” Buck rolled his eyes at Eddie’s internal monologue. “I ended up at the library a few blocks away. But I came here once or twice when I needed to get out of the house. Obviously, work keeps me pretty busy, but I like coming here from time to time.”

All of it made sense, but Eddie heard the softness in his friend’s tone, the way he spoke about this place as though it were something precious. He was being handed a gift and he would not turn it down.

“Thank you for sharing it with me.” When Buck looked up at his partner through long eyelashes (when did he start noticing Buck’s eyelashes?), Eddie felt goosebumps rise and wash down his body. Like awakening from a long nap, his limbs tingled and he felt every step as they continued their journey to find the perfect game.

It wasn’t the first time he felt that flash of lightning through his veins at the sight of his friend – he was a single man and his partner was very attractive – but it had been happening more often than he cared to admit. Noticing the little details of Buck’s appearance (his eyelashes, for example) was new. Feeling his heart beat faster and his skin burn with a desire he hadn’t felt in a long time…was less new. In fact, Eddie was nearly ready to put a label on the feelings stirring in his chest.

Last winter, when his sisters were visiting and the three siblings got to have a big family dinner with all the cousins and aunts and uncles, he’d spent a little too long talking about Buck. Or, maybe, Christopher had. Either way, Sophia managed to corner him in the kitchen after dessert had knocked out the majority of the children, and asked Eddie how long he’d been with Buck. Romantically. It was sometime after midnight (and a bottle of wine between the three of them) that Eddie finally admitted to both of his sisters that he had feelings for his best friend. Adriana had cooed and asked if Buck felt the same and, on some tipsy instinct, he’d answered “Yes.”

Of course, he didn’t know for certain – he’d never come out and said “Hey, Buck, I want to bend you over the railing and then grow old with you. What do you say?” – but he knew Buck. He knew Buck better than anyone (Maddie might give him a run for his money, but he’s fairly certain there’s a few stories Buck hasn’t told his sister about his time travelling the country). When that man loved, he loved with all his heart, and Eddie figured out a long time ago that Buck had given at least part of himself to the Diaz boys. Why not his heart?

So, yes, Eddie had a pretty good idea of how he felt, and was nearly certain that Buck felt the same way. And now, they were standing in an arcade – the location of which Buck hadn’t shared with anyone else in his life – occasionally making extended eye contact through the aisles. It wasn’t a matter of ‘if’. It was a matter of ‘when’.

So now, when not staring longingly into his friend’s eyes, Eddie scanned the names listed above each game. Some of the names were ones he recognized (‘Frogger’, ‘Pacman’, the aforementioned ‘Ms. Pacman’, ‘Centipede’). Others, were less familiar (‘Inferno’, ‘Dig Dug’, ‘1942’) and looked…confusing. His eye caught on a ‘Space Invaders’-looking game and he called his partner to his side.

“Want to be a member of the ‘Moon Patrol’?” He bumped Buck’s shoulder with the smile he reserved just for his friend, and dug for a quarter.

“Nope!” Buck declared as he retrieved his own quarter and inserted it into the appropriate slot, bumping Eddie out of the way so he could stand centered at the controls. “I call first game!”

Though he rolled his eyes in annoyance, Eddie took the loss as an opportunity to watch his partner work. He loved watching Buck work (nearly as much as he enjoyed working beside him). There were times when the man’s focus was hypnotizing. The firm set of his jaw, the piercing eyes that seemed unblinking, the way every part of his body tensed in concentration. He’d seen Buck excited, anxious, worried, panicked, even numb – when it came to the uncontrollable dangers of their job, they had been through a lot together. Every emotion showed Eddie how much his friend cared about his work.

This expression, however, was one he doubted many other members of the Los Angeles Fire Department had seen on the young firefighter. It was one Eddie had been privy to on more than one occasion when Christopher had brought over a particularly difficult puzzle or science question. He wasn’t sure he was ever meant to see it but he happened to be standing in the doorway after putting away leftovers from dinner and he’d seen it: the desire to win, the earnest focus, the eagerness and seriousness of his intent. The first time he saw, it was an accident.  Every other time he rushed to finish his chores whenever he thought that face might emerge… that was less of an accident.

He was pulled from his fond musings by a minor key jingle and light-hearted groan of disappointment.

“Only got to Point Q on the Champion Course.” Buck exclaimed, throwing his hands in defeat.

Eddie couldn’t help himself – or at least, that’s what he told himself. His partner was too genuine. But that was one of his favourite things about the man. Where Eddie could usually keep his outward appearance neutral in the face of adversity (a skill he’d used nearly every day since joining the LAFD), Buck never shied away from letting his face show just exactly what was on his mind – even if he never said anything.

And so, Eddie laughed. Only a small chuckle, but his heart never felt so light as when he was with Buck. It was easy to see, however, that his laugh could be misconstrued as mocking. Perhaps it was both.

“Think you can do better?” The newly-defeated champion bowed and offered the center position to his friend and Eddie stepped into place with another fond eyeroll (he made a mental note to ask his optometrist if too many eyerolls could cause nerve damage).

All right, Eddie thought as he tried to get a handle on the controls, so it wasn’t as easy as he thought. The joystick was rigid and the control pad was sticky and the graphics were definitely from an era long-passed. If he hadn’t been raised with an infinite amount of patience (according to his aunt), he might have given up. As it was, he died before reaching the first checkpoint.

Buck’s laughter could not be interpreted as anything other than mocking, and he didn’t bother to hide it. “You are truly terrible.” He informed Eddie with a slap on the shoulder.

Though he knew he didn’t need an excuse, it was too easy to play when Buck was around. “I’m used to the console at home. Unlike some people, I don’t spend my time playing with technology from the Reagan-era.”

“Well then let me show you.” Before Eddie could properly interpret Buck’s offer, the man had come to stand behind him, chin hovering over his shoulder, arms palming his elbows and guiding him back towards the console. “One more round.” Buck declared, enthusiastically. At his prompting, Eddie gripped the joystick and placed his hands just above the cluster of buttons on his left side. The now-familiar starting music began and Eddie focused all of his energy into game before him. Every few moments, he heard Buck mutter a command or offer advice and he took it without question. The joystick was still rigid and the buttons were still sticky but together, they made it to the second checkpoint. And then the third. By the fourth, Eddie had all but forgotten the world around them. The only things that existed were Eddie, the game, and Buck’s voice in his ear. It was soothing, almost, to fall into that rhythm. So long as he navigated the bumpy terrain and dodged the alien invasion, nothing else mattered.

Until he missed jumping over a landmine and was blown to smithereens.

“Damn!” Buck’s voice was suddenly too close. The air around him electrified on an exhale and the heat of his chest warmed Eddie to his core. As quickly as the world had fallen away in Buck’s arms, it came rushing back, more vibrant and alive than before. Every sound of electronics whirring, Buck’s steady breathing, and people shouting – even the rumble of the cars outside the arcade – was amplified. Every smell of old metal, sweat, and smoke hidden under Buck’s aftershave was overwhelming. Every touch of his scratchy jeans, the clammy plastic in his hand, and the warm presence at his back, made Eddie close his eyes to shut out one of his senses. The only one left was taste.

Buck and Eddie had held each other plenty of times over the years. They were partners and friends who worked in close contact with one another. At the end of a hard day, in the middle of a daring rescue, at the beginning of a heated glance as they stood in front of a game machine. They had shaken hands, hugged tightly, gripped for dear life at the edge of a cliff, even bumped shoulders often enough that he had a Buck-shaped indent near his heart. But standing in this loose hold – the other man’s arms barely brushing his, his back pressed against the other’s front – Eddie had never felt the overwhelming urge to taste more fervently than he did in that moment.

He knew that Buck was an attractive man – he was repressed, he wasn’t dead – and though he’d been contemplating thinking about maybe working up to taking some next step, he hadn’t counted on standing in Buck’s arms and feeling his heart flutter like a school girl with a crush.

Upon slowly dragging his eyes to meet his friend’s Eddie found himself breathlessly overtaken by the sensation of hope. Buck’s eyes were bright and round (earnest, just as he’d known them to be) His eyelashes closed and opened slowly, seemingly disbelieving of his circumstance. If Eddie knew Buck as well as he hoped he did, then there was a question in his friend’s eyes that was begging to be asked. A question Eddie was more than happy to answer.

“We make a pretty good team.” He felt his own breath reverberate off of Buck’s cheek and it stuttered in time with his heart.

“I’ve always thought so.” Buck’s lips twitched with suppressing a smile.

Then, came the moment of truth. Eddie felt a brief flicker of panic as he took one last breath before diving in.

“What should we do about it?”

In reality, Buck only contemplated his response for a few seconds but for Eddie, the silence stretched for years – three years, in fact. He felt the world move in slow motion and within it, he watched as Buck’s face flicked with a thousand emotions: fear, anxiety, excitement, contentment, desire, hope, doubt; finally, he settled on quiet happiness.

“I think we need to find a game we can play together. As partners. What do you say?”

As if there were any other response, Eddie smiled at Buck. “Partners.”

The rest of their time at the arcade was locked away, inaccessible to even Eddie, who recalled nothing more than laughter and flirtatious eye contact as they made their way through the aisles of games. At the end of the night, Eddie would get down the block before turning back to Buck’s door. He would run a nervous hand through his hair while he knocked with the other, and waited for the answer. And then, he would blush as he asked if Buck wanted to go on a date with him tomorrow. Buck would blush harder and assure Eddie that he would happily attend, but warn that he no longer kissed on the first date.

But maybe on their second date tomorrow, he’d get lucky.

[tabbytabbytabby]

A Buddie Cop AU for @zeethebooknerd

[firstdegreefangirl]

Last Seven Lines Tag Game

so this was ... ages ago, but I’m awful at answering things lol. I was tagged by @from-nova @oneawkwardcookie and @zeethebooknerd to post the last seven lines of my WIP ((sorry, babes, I know we’re all together by way of Buddie, but I’m writing for Chenford right now))

-

Because there isn’t anything more he can say; he is worried about Lucy. More worried than he’s been about anyone since Isabel. And he’d known that her addiction wasn’t anything to do with him.

But he did this to Lucy. He landed her in this mess, and now it’s his fault that she’s --

“Hey,” Jackson hangs up the phone and greets Angela, jarring Tim back to the present. “Well, my last two callers either believe that Lucy was abducted by mole people or kidnapped to be the new host body for Hugh Hefner.”

Angela says something back to him, but Tim doesn’t catch the words from her mouth.  

-

I’ll tag @stargazerdaisy @gonzo-the-okay @loveyourownsmiilee @meloingly @shlesinger @rebeccaofsbfarm and @woodchoc-magnum

[tripleaxeldiaz]

LAUREN MY FRIEND IN FLOOF CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️ can I have 🌟 and #zee writes?

Also I followed you because you wrote a fic that made me cry aksksksks 😘😘 love you babe! Congratulations ❤️

ZEEE I LOVE YOU AND OUR LOVE FOR EDDIE'S SUPERIOR FLOOFY HAIR 😂😂🥰🥰 and i ALSO followed you because you wrote a fic that made me cry so!! i'm glad we're even!!! and i'm glad now we can yell about eddie and buddie and the RWRB AU fic neither of us will ever write 😅😅 you're queued up bby and maybe i teared up again reading through some of your fics idk. ilyyyyyyy 😘😘

1.5k follower celebration 🥳🥳