Longing for You - a PangWave fanfiction

five

Pang agreed to pick Wave up from his grandmother's house at eight in the evening on Saturday. His grandmother was skeptical when he said he was going out for drinks with a friend. It was almost like she didn't believe that Wave had friends. Wave was still slightly offended even if she was right.

Wave sat down in the passenger seat of Pang's barely-working car in a dark blue button-down shirt and a pair of black skinny jeans. A little warm for the humid weather in Thailand, but it was a rather cool night, so Wave wasn't uncomfortable. Pang had on khakis and a blue shirt. Pang smiled at him when he got into the car.

"So I know driving and drinking aren't a great combination so I was hoping it would be okay if I just picked you up then parked next to my building again," Pang said.

"Sure," Wave shrugged. "I could just take the bus back home."

Pang laughed and drove away from Wave's grandmother's house. Wave didn't know what was so funny, but he loved it when Pang laughed.

Pang hummed along to the radio as he drove. The traffic wasn't so bad for a Saturday night, so they arrived at Pang's building rather quickly. They got out of the car and started walking down the sidewalk.

"So this bar," Pang started. "It's not exactly a gay bar, but I know a lot of LGBT people frequent it, so don't be surprised if we see a drag queen or three when we get there."

"Okay," Wave said simply.

"The music can get a little obnoxious so if you want to leave we can leave at any time. But I swear, I've never had a better cocktail in my life. This place really knows how to mix a drink."

"I'm more of a shots guy," Wave commented with a shrug.

"Fair," Pang said. He stopped in front of a bar that had a line out the door. "My friend works here so I can get us in through the back. Is that okay?"

"Sure." Pang took Wave's hand and led him through the alley next to the bar. Wave wasn't too keen on going into a crowded bar for his "first" date with Pang, but Pang planned the date so Wave wasn't about to complain.

Hand-in-hand, they walked in through the unlocked back entrance. They were behind the bar in a small kitchen area with a couch, maybe a break room. Wave didn't have time to look around because Pang was pulling him out into the open space with drunk people dancing on a makeshift dance floor to what might have been Britney Spears. Wave wrinkled his nose at the smell of sweat and sex. He definitely wasn't going to be dancing anytime soon if he could help it.

"Do you want a shot?" Pang asked into his ear.

Wave shuddered at the proximity then nodded. Pang kept his hand in Wave's as he ordered two shots of tequila. There were a few tables open off to the side of the room near the bathrooms, so Pang led them in that direction after handing Wave his shot.

Wave knocked the shot back without a chaser. He was going to need more alcohol if he wanted to keep a conversation going, especially with the bass of the music pounding through his head. Pang, who was sitting across from him, cringed at the drink.

"This is so gross," Pang said as he sucked on a small glass of juice he had also ordered. "How did you just knock that back like it was nothing? I am thoroughly impressed."

"I'm not a fan of sweet drinks," he replied. "And I don't like beer. I'm pretty used to the hard stuff by now."

"What about wine?"

Wave shrugged. "It's alright, but I don't like being drunk off of wine."

Pang nodded in agreement. "Being wine-drunk is just awful. I like the fruity girly drinks, honestly. Like the hard lemonades."

Wave laughed. "Do you want me to buy you a Long Island iced tea, then?"

Pang nodded. "That would be nice, yes."

Wave stood up to order Pang's drink and a glass of whiskey for himself. While he was waiting, he was stopped by a small girl with dyed brown hair.

"Hey! I saw you walk in with Pang. Are you guys friends?"

Wave looked around then back at the girl. "What?"

"I'm Prae, a junior from his university. I never thought I would see him here with someone. He's always been pretty reserved when it came to dating, but I never knew he was gay!" she rambled. "Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course. How do you know him, by the way?"

Wave picked up the drinks. He really didn't want to talk to this girl, so he said in English, "I have no idea what you're talking about. Please leave me alone."

The girl looked like she was trying to translate what he said in her head, but he didn't stick around to find out if she actually understood him. He sat the drinks on the table and looked at Pang who was laughing.

"What?"

"You... that girl..." Pang wheezed. "I've been trying to get her to stop following me for months, and she never shuts up. I've never seen her so confused. What did you even say?"

"Just something in English. My guess is that her scores weren't very good," he said while sipping his whiskey.

"I guess your English has to be good if you've been living in the States for so long," Pang mused. "What was it like living there?"

"Boring," Wave said. "There's nothing to do unless you like sports."

"You don't like sports?"

Wave shrugged. "Not really. Do you like sports?"

"I played soccer for my faculty's team. We weren't very good though."

Wave and Pang continued to talk like this for another hour. Wave managed to drink enough to feel lightheaded and happy, but not completely incoherent. Pang didn't drink much after his second, but he still seemed to be feeling the alcohol in his system.

A Blackpink song started pouring through the speakers, and Pang's eyes lit up. "Oh, Blackpink! Wave, let's go dance!"

Wave frowned. "I'd really rather not."

Pang actually pouted. Wave knew he was done for. "But it's Blackpink! You can't just not dance!"

Wave tried to resist, really he did, but he couldn't stand it if Pang was feeling sad. He never could. He groaned and got out of his seat. Pang pulled him to the dance floor, which had significantly fewer people on it than when they first arrived. Pang pulled Wave in by the hips and started swaying to the beat of the song. Wave had never heard the song; he wasn't really interested in music in general, let alone k-pop. He could only stare as Pang shouted broked Korean and English lyrics with the people around them. Wave's hands found Pang's neck in an attempt to hold on to something. It didn't feel real, being here with Pang. He felt, right then, that everything they've ever had together was leading up to this moment. Every careful touch and stolen kiss as teenagers, forgotten through the horrors of their youth, led them to adulthood, two parallel souls finding each other, for good this time.

Kissing Pang again after five years felt surreal. It felt like nostalgia, sounded like deep bass, tasted like lemonade and alcohol. Pang kissed him back, despite being surprised. His hands stayed in place at Wave's hips, trying not to stray and potentially ruin the moment. Wave tried to keep his head above water. He had drowned in Pang before but now wasn't the time or place. His hands had moved to the back of Pang's neck, trying to pull him closer. The world around them dissolved, then materialized again as the song ended.

Pang pulled away with a stupid, endearing grin on his face, and Wave thought that he wouldn't mind if he drowned in Pang again, five years later.