riyaa

"We're basically soulmates, aren't we?" James asked the ceiling.

"Obviously," Sirius agreed lazily. He was sprawled on his back on the carpet of James's bedroom, tossing a Galleon in the air and catching it.

"Do you think..." James hesitated, shifting on his mattress and hanging his upper body off the edge so he could look down at Sirius upside down. "Do you think if one of us had been a girl, we'd have ended up together?"

Sirius caught the coin and closed his fingers around it, letting his hand rest on his chest. He didn't hesitate. "Yeah."

"Yeah?"

"I'd definitely want to be the girl, though."

James snorted, grinning. "Why's that?"

Sirius stopped moving. He looked up, meeting James's upside-down gaze. He is so beautiful, James couldn't help but think.

"Because I wouldn't want you to be any different."

James's smile faltered. He searched Sirius's face for the grin that usually followed one of his ridiculous comments, but it never came. Instead, there was only that unwavering look in his grey eyes, so open and certain that James felt something inside him shift.

"Sirius," James managed to mumble.

Sirius pushed himself up off the floor and flopped onto the bed beside him, as if he hadn't just turned James's world upside down.

"Anyway," he said. "Move over."

The way Bryke and antis describe it, it's some toxic barrage of arguments where both parties treat each other horribly. And that's just... Not true? If anything, that's closer to canon Maiko. Or even Kataang considering that Aang's technically lashed out at Katara more than Zuko has post-redemption.

Zuko and Katara admittedly did have a rough start, but they worked out their differences and she forgave him. After that, I would argue they're actually fairly close. Katara felt comfortable teasing him multiple times. She confided in him during TSR before even forgiving him. They were close enough to the point where she was the one he trusted to take down Azula.

She talks about how growing up, she always had hope that the avatar would return and end the war. For her, he was a symbol before he was a person. She believes he is the only way to end the war, not because of any traits he possesses, but because he is the avatar. And therefore, protecting him is her life's mission. And even though that develops into a relatively healthy friendship, it creates imbalance in the romantic sides of their relationship, which we see in canon.

She feels she has to take care of him, talking him down from his rages when he enters the avatar state and constantly standing by his side and giving him advice and providing a safe place for him, no matter what she is feeling. And to some degree, Aang takes advantage of that, as seen in the Ember Island Players when he kisses her without her consent. And while Aang feels comfortable talking to Katara about his feelings, she rarely reciprocates by confiding in him, and rarely reciprocates his romantic interest in general. She constantly supports him, but is ambiguous in her exact feelings towards him. Does she see him as a boyfriend, little brother, or simply as the savior of the world who she has a close friendship with?

And shouldn’t have to either !!! 🗣️🗣️

Meanwhile most OG creators will deadass stare at you like this when you ask them for any broad elaboration on side characters that aren’t immediately relevant to the story: