"Do you think we could have been friends?" bounces around Zuko's head for days after the failed rescue-and-recapture of the Avatar.
It's foolish - he doesn't need to be thinking of this; it isn't one hundred years ago and the people of the Fire Nation can't be friends with the other nations, to say nothing of Fire Nation royalty - and Zuko needs the Avatar to be able to go home, finally, which sort of axes any sort of chance at friendship.
But... it does sound nice, is the thing; a friend of his own, as bubbly and cheerful as Ty Lee but with none of the loyalty to Azula; Zuko probably wouldn't be any good at being a friend, since he hasn't had one, but, maybe, if things changed -
it still doesn't matter, because Zuko's circumstances won't and can't change, but he does think it would be nice. To be the Avatar's friend.
ATLA
It's foolish - he doesn't need to be thinking of this; it isn't one hundred years ago and the people of the Fire Nation can't be friends with the other nations, to say nothing of Fire Nation royalty - and Zuko needs the Avatar to be able to go home, finally, which sort of axes any sort of chance at friendship.
But... it does sound nice, is the thing; a friend of his own, as bubbly and cheerful as Ty Lee but with none of the loyalty to Azula; Zuko probably wouldn't be any good at being a friend, since he hasn't had one, but, maybe, if things changed -
it still doesn't matter, because Zuko's circumstances won't and can't change, but he does think it would be nice. To be the Avatar's friend.