𝐖𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 | 𝐓𝐥𝐨𝐊

XVIII

"You were right."

Sora's head snapped up, her attention shifting from her bowl of noodles to her brother. She raised an eyebrow at the younger boy.

"I'm right about a lot of things, Bo. You'll have to be more specific," the white-haired girl said calmly, setting her chopsticks down in her bowl. "I was right when I warned you to stay away from gangs; I was right to be upset when you got kidnapped by said gangs; I was right when I picked a fight with that older boy who threw you to the ground when we were kids..." She ticked off her fingers, her tone light and teasing.

"You were right when you said Korra didn't feel the same way about me..." Bolin murmured, his head down.

Like his sister, the boy had a large bowl of noodles—actually, several of them—piled around him and covering half the table. Too young to drink (though he had practically begged his sister to let him), Bolin had decided to drown his heartbreak in food instead.

After seeing Mako and Korra kissing, he'd dropped the gifts he'd brought for the young Avatar and run as far away from the scene as he could. Not long after, Sora had found him crying on a bench and decided to take him to Mrs. Liu's restaurant in hopes of mending her little brother's broken heart.

Upon arriving, they were immediately greeted by the older woman they'd known since childhood, along with her daughter, who led them to a table. From then on, they sat there—well, Bolin mostly—eating nonstop as the hours passed. Customers came and went, and by the time the night settled, only the two of them and Pabu remained. The little red ferret sat beside Bolin, happily munching from his own tiny bowl of noodles.

"Seeing you like this... I almost wish I hadn't been right," Sora muttered, pressing a hand to her face as she rubbed her tired eyes. Through the gap between her fingers, she watched her brother's slumped shoulders and heavy expression. A quiet sigh escaped her lips before she shifted in her seat.

"Look, Bolin... maybe this is for the best."

Bolin's head snapped up, disbelief flashing across his face. "You're saying my heartbreak was for the best? Wow, what a great sister you turned out to be." His tone dripped with wounded sarcasm, his voice caught somewhere between a scoff and a tremor. 

"You're supposed to be comforting me, not kicking me while I'm down. If that's the case, maybe I should go find Mako and Korra and thank them—hell, maybe I'll ask them to kiss again while they're at it!"

The white-haired girl arched an eyebrow at her brother's tone, her expression shifting. "I'd advise you to watch your tone. And if you like Mako that much, then find him—break your heart all over again when you see him with Korra. That way, you'll save me from sitting here for hours, listening to your tantrums while you practically drown yourself in noodles," Sora snapped, irritation creeping into her voice.

She already had plenty on her plate, and this whole situation only added more to worry about—especially now that she had to take care of her younger brother, who was handling his first heartbreak in the worst way possible. But when she saw Bolin's face fall even further at the mention of Mako's name, Sora's frustration softened. She sighed, running a hand through her hair.

Heartbroken Bolin was exhausting—far more exhausting than sick Bolin. And if someone ever asked her which one she'd rather deal with, Sora would pick the feverish, sniffly version of her brother over the one sitting across from her now, drowning in misery and noodles. 

"Look, I know this isn't easy for you—it's your first heartbreak, after all," Sora said, her voice steady but gentle. "But sitting here and spiraling isn't going to help you." Just as Bolin opened his mouth to interrupt, she raised a hand to stop him. "And before you say it—yes, you're allowed to feel hurt and upset. What happened wasn't fair. But... things like this happen."