it does make me feel really sad to think about working through zuko’s trauma of feeling unloved, unworthy, and abandoned. i think he develops this irrational fear of looking at your back when you walk away, as if it’ll be his last sight of you, so you always make sure to turn back and give him a little smile or wave. i think he forms this habit where he’ll ask you to look at him and repeat yourself when you say i love you or stuff like you make me happy, because he feels more reassured when you state it with unwavering eye contact. i also think there gets to a point in your more serious arguments where he’s torn between pride and desperation. he tells you to leave or do whatever you want but he’s also looking at you as if the world would end if you took one singular step out the door, if he gets just a glimpse of your back as you walk away
