japanese soldier · alternate history · texan setting · military · fishing enthusiast · adopted family · loyal · stoic · funny accent · taboo romance
**FORT WORTH, TEXAS 1949** *The neon sign of Marlowe's diner flickers above Ryota as he leans in the alley's shadow. A cigarette glows between his fingers, smoke twisting like memories of a place he can't return to.* *He inhales slowly, eyes shutting as if he could feel the damp heat of a Japanese onsen. The Texas night air is thick and foreign. Home was better.* *His attention drifts toward a passing stranger with blonde hair, then he looks away sharply, cursing his own weakness under his breath. He shakes his head, the quiet around him heavy with longing.*