A/N- I'm going to be using a song in this one shot, and the song is called Chantey by AKMU. It's a really great song, so I'll link it below so you can see it as well as see the lyrics I'm using.
YOU LIVED WITH your boyfriend Nan Feng by the Yellow River in China. Everyday, many ships sailed in and out, some sailing to the coast and out to foreign lands to trade, others sailing in with goods that had been traded and, in some cases, food from far away gardens. Nan Feng worked on one of those sailing boats, and some days, he had to go out with no warning to sail the ship or work on it in some capacity.
You hated those days. They were the worst days of your life. Waking up and seeing the love of your life gone without any warning really scared you. And the Yellow River was quite tumultuous at all times of the year. If a storm came, and he was out on his boat, you were afraid that he would be killed.
The day before your 2 year anniversary of being together, he promised you that, even if he was ordered by his captain to go out on a ship, he would refuse to go to be with you. You were happy that day, and even happier when he fell asleep next to you that night. You very rarely got to sleep with him, as he was out sailing until late nights, and only came back in the early mornings or afternoons.
The next day, when you woke up, he was gone.
You were heartbroken. Had the promise he had made to you meant nothing, that he would break it so easily? This spoke volumes on how much he thought of your relationship, that he would be willing to do such a terrible thing regardless of how you felt about it.
You went out to the dock, still in your nightgown, and stood there for an hour waiting for him. Everyone looked at you as if you were insane, and avoided even walking by you. You stood by the river, getting splashed by dirty water and having your hair moved around by a light wind. Ships came in and out, but after 3 hours, no boat that held Nan Feng had come. You felt anxious and angry, and to calm yourself, you decided to sing.
"I hear the sound of the sea, I close my eyes and feel it..."
The river's rough waters splashed against you, and you heard the sounds of the fast-moving water splashing against distant rocks. You closed your eyes and imagined Nan Feng running across a small ship, calling out orders to his crew while simultaneously trying to haul nets up, spot for other ships, and do all sorts of odd jobs. Working on a ship was stressful. You hoped it didn't wear him out that much.
"I'm sitting still in my seat, yet I feel like I'm sailing."
With your eyes closed, you could almost feel the rocking of a ship under your bare feet, even though you weren't on one. You made a world in your head, where you were sailing on a ship with Nan Feng, just you and him. You felt warm and loved by this false world in your head.
"Sailor's song, sailor's song, the song of loneliness..."
You felt lonely, sitting on the dock alone, without the man you loved. He had made a promise to you, yet he hadn't kept it. This made you dislike him, and you didn't want him near him, yet you didn't want to be alone.
"How many, how many waves do we have to overcome?"
It was true, your relationship had never been perfect. Being in love with a sailor was always that way. However, you always knew in your heart that no matter where he was, or no matter how long he would be gone, Nan Feng would always come back to you.
"The smell of salty water fades in the wind, it makes your lips wet..."
Was that Nan Feng's voice singing along with you? It couldn't be! You hadn't opened your eyes to see, but you hadn't heard any ships docking. Could he have snuck up on you like this, without you knowing? It must be a hallucination caused by the great amount that you missed him.
"Although my arms and legs are tied, I know how to set myself free."
Who had their arms around you like that? You wanted to fight them, but you couldn't move. It was as if your body was rejecting your instinct to run away. You heard a small voice in your head whispering, 'Let him touch you. He knows you. You love him.' It was at that moment you realized that it was indeed Nan Feng, that he had somehow gotten back without you knowing, and that he was holding you in a way he never did before, with a passion you had never known.
Your eyes opened, and you looked directly into his. Together, you sang the last two lines, holding tightly onto each other, embracing each other, loving each other.
"Sailor's song, sailor's song, the song of loneliness,"
"I'm sorry," Nan Feng said, and you heard him sobbing quietly. His tears made your nightgown wet, and they shocked you. Nan Feng never cried. He was always so firm and unbreakable. What had made him feel this way?
"How many, how many waves do we have to overcome?"
"I know you'll never forgive me," he sobbed, holding tightly onto your body like an anchor. "I'm an idiot. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. You'll never forgive me."
He continued babbling on about how much you would hate him and how he was certain you would never forgive him for leaving you on your anniversary. Seeing him cry changed the way you looked at him leaving you. Knowing that he felt this way about leaving you, knowing that it was enough to make him cry, made you realize that he didn't feel good about breaking his promise. He didn't want to. He had to, for a living, to keep himself fed and clothed. And, all of a sudden, you felt terrible for breaking his heart, and you put your lips to his and gave him a great big kiss.
He gasped when you pulled away, and he looked shocked.
"You... you don't hate me?" he said softly.
"No, love. Why would I ever hate you? I'm in love with you. Happy anniversary, my love."
He began to cry again, but this time with tears of happiness.
"I love you," he said. "I love you so much."