AU Gay Fanfic (Krystian Wang of Now United)

Chapter 13: A Different Kind of Ceremony

Since Hafiz's marriage proposal to Krystian caught everyone by surprise, including their boss Simon Fuller, the other Now United members made a pact with Simon to give the newly engaged couple some payback with a surprise Zoom meeting while they were in bed. Given the new restrictions brought about by the ongoing pandemic, engagement & wedding ceremonies, along with most other group activities, had to be shifted online so as to minimize the spread of the virus. Hafiz was woken up by an incoming Zoom ringtone at about 7 on a Saturday morning, the day after his 25th birthday; he accepted the call, only to be startled to see Josh & the others on Krystian's computer screen. "SURPRISE!!!!!" The boys exclaimed in unison, startling Krystian awake, "Hey!! What's going on, hubby?? I was sleeping.." Hafiz turned to comfort Krys, "It's okay, baby.. It's just Now United dropping by unexpectedly." "AHEM!!! You proposed to Krys without telling us, huh?" Sina asked while in her Wonder Woman pose. The choreographer cackled at her posture, "It was supposed to be done the day before yesterday, to coincide with our anniversary, but I decided I couldn't wait any longer so I almost immediately went to propose right after buying the engagement rings." Hafiz then lifted both his & Krys's left hands to flaunt their rings as he said, "Twenty carat diamonds.. The wedding bands will be twenty five carats once the date and everything else have been finalised; speaking of which, we intend to host it in Taipei. Just a stone's throw away from Beijing; easy to manage."

The girls immediately squealed upon hearing their favorite word, diamonds, with Any even asking, "You're literally all out in ensuring Krys gets the best quality, aren't you?" Hafiz smiled & replied, "Well, you're right, Any. But truth be told, Mrs Wang saved my butt that day by topping up on my behalf just when I realized I was short of a few yuan to get both rings. I suspect it was maternal instinct that drove her to help me out at the last minute." Krys gasped, "No wonder Ma told me that she'd be right back as Pa and I were at that shoe shop!! She went to help YOU instead of running to the restroom!!" Hafiz chuckled upon realizing he'd accidentally let the cat out of the bag, "Whoops!! Yeah, she did. But it turned out well, right? By the way, I'm sorry again if I hurt you with that pounce I did." "Hubby, I already said there's no need to apologize. I enjoyed the surprise, but you made me blush so hard that day." Sina gushed, "Aaaawwwww.. You guys are truly the sweetest couple we've ever come across, and we're glad to be able to call you our best friends." This compliment caught the couple off guard, causing them to hide their faces behind each other's hands as they blushed; their reaction induced wide-spread laughter. Just then, however, Simon joined in, "Hi, everyone. Hafiz, Krystian, congratulations on your engagement but I must chastise you, Hafiz, on keeping this proposal plan from me. I understand you can't bear to leave Krystian's side, but you still need to remember that our group's success depends on everyone's contributions. I can't afford to have you two scurry off spontaneously on dates without at least telling me or one of the other Now United members beforehand, no matter which country we travel to. Your constant disappearing acts always end up worrying everyone about your safety."

Hafiz gulped as he & Krys listened attentively with their heads bowed down; after some silence, the choreographer finally responded, "On that note, Krys and I would like to apologize to everyone, from the co-members to the production crew, for constantly worrying about us whenever we vanish for couple outings. We promise to start informing you about where we go in between filming sessions and whatnot." Simon smiled, "Apology accepted, boys. Now, I have a very special surprise for you two: an official engagement ceremony held, via this app, and I've even invited your family over, Hafiz. The official will join us shortly, too." The choreographer gasped in disbelief, "But why??? You didn't have to trouble yourselves with all this." Josh smiled as he replied, "Well, Fiz, you've always been looking after us ever since you became our choreographer. From scaring us awake to ensure we checked out on time, to helping manage our diets... Somewhat. We've already discussed amongst ourselves and agreed that this was the least we could do to repay your kindness." Upon hearing this, Hafiz started crying tears of joy and gratitude, "My gosh, y'all..... Thank you!! Krys and I are truly touched." Noah shook his head, "Nah, bro. We should be thanking YOU for everything you've done for us thus far. We practically owe you our lives, man. On top of that, your bold decision to come out about your relationship with Krystian on our group's YouTube channel a few years back is a truly amazing achievement. Like Hina once told you, you've become beacons of hope for our LGBTQ+ fans out there." Krys & Hafiz embraced each other tightly as the latter's family finally came online just before the official joined in.

"Mummy!! Daddy!! Kak! Hi!!" Hafiz exclaimed as he turned back to face the screen while still hugging Krys; the former's sister, Aishah, shook her head while their parents were shocked into silence, "Lil bro, you've been very sneaky, huh?? Keeping us in the dark about your engagement till the very last moment." "Whoops!! Hahaha!! Sorry, sis, but it was meant to be a surprise. Ahh!! I see my babies in the background. Kak!! Bring them forth." His 3 nephews & 2 nieces promptly sat on their grandparents' laps as their grandmother finally said, "About time you took your relationship to the next level, adik!! Your daddy and I literally bet against each other on how soon you'd pop the question to Krystian; I won the bet." Hafiz laughed, "Mummy... Aiyoo!!" The mother-son bantering was abruptly cut short, however, when the official announced his arrival in the Zoom meeting; Krys quickly called his parents in to sit behind him & Hafiz. The engagement ceremony was underway not long after, with the traditions & cultures of both families being melded to create a one-of-a-kind tradition; halfway through, Fluffy jumped onto Hafiz's lap unexpectedly, apparently after realizing she was all alone in the living room. The official was caught off guard momentarily and even asked, "Is that a munchkin?" Hafiz nodded as he stroked Fluffy's back; the ceremony then proceeded as planned till the very end, after which the official thanked everyone for attending and then leaving the meeting.

The moment he left, the NU girls & Hafiz's little ones all squealed in unison, "FLUFFFFYYYYYYYYY!!! We've missed you so much!!! You're a really big girl now, aren't you?" Fluffy was startled by the spontaneous squeal, but was immediately comforted by her papa Hafiz who kissed her forehead while her daddy Krys cheekily played with her tail. Fluffy purred as she eventually fell asleep on Hafiz's lap; the latter then said, "Keep it down, everyone. It's one of her nap times; I can't wait for Now United to meet her in person." Josh raised an eyebrow, "Don't tell me your family already met her first, Fiz." Hafiz nodded, "Yup; towards the end of last year, I booked a bunch of two-way flight tickets so they could come to Beijing and get to know Krystian's parents as well as bond with our furry daughter." Heyoon then pouted, "Aww, man. Now I'm jealous that your nephews and nieces got to play with her first." Hafiz giggled, "No worries, Heyoon. Y'all will get the chance to meet, play with and bond with my big girl here soon enough. Provided things get better over time with this stupid pandemic. By the way, Lamar, how's lockdown?"

Lamar shook his head, "Not fun at all, man! I miss hanging out with my co-members, but I can't travel out of my country right now. It sucks, really does." Hafiz sighed, "I understand, man. Lockdowns and quarantines are taking a toll on all of us, but as long as we remember to sanitize our hands and abide by the new health regulations, we should be fine. Now, I need to put my big girl on our bed first as Krys and I didn't manage to take a shower thanks to you." Bailey giggled, "We're sorry about that, man. But we figured it was payback time, haha!" "Nah, it's fine. We've missed y'all too. Well, we gotta get going. Bye for now." After the Zoom meeting had officially ended, Mr Wang accompanied his wife out to the market while letting the engaged couple take a shower &, ehem, other things.

PS: "adik" means younger sibling, & "kakak" older sister, in Malay.