The Red Tie

Flint was like Zane in many ways but he was secretive like Rikki. The two parents knew their now adult son was hiding something from them but they weren't sure what it was. Like hell they were going to find out before Flint was ready to tell them.

Flint attended college in the States but returned home for holidays with his family. He had surprised both Rikki and Zane when he had come back with a beautiful American girl named Ava for Christmas after his first year. Ava was friendly but a bit prickly, not the easiest person to talk to. Rikki wondered what her son saw in this girl. He was never one to hop into a relationship.

"I don't know why you're surprised," Zane had told her later that night. "She reminds me a lot of you."

Ava came for nearly every holiday after that and was slowly but surely opening up to their family. Ava and Brenna would take turns sharing embarrassing stories about Flint, she and Zane had bonded over business since Ava was studying business at university but Rikki couldn't figure out how she would relate to the girl. That was until she learned Ava was also brought up in a home one would describe as rags rather than riches. Everyone in the family seemed to like Ava. She brought out the best in Flint. He seemed much happier with her, a better man with her.

Once they had graduated, Flint returned to Gold Coast and started working at a local resort. Ava had taken a job back in the States and Flint was heartbroken. They stayed together but the distance was hard. After about a year, she had surprised him by taking a job at a business firm in Gold Coast. Things seemed to move fast for the pair after that. They moved in together as soon as Ava had arrived. Flint had been over at his parents' house with his laptop when Zane had called him to help him with something. Rikki passed by the open computer and saw he was looking at diamond rings. Brenna had gotten married earlier that year and now it seemed it was going to be Flint's turn soon.

Rikki and Zane were enjoying a night to themselves when Flint burst through their front door dressed in a suit with a red tie.

"Flint?" Zane had asked. "What's the matter, mate?"

"I can't do it." Flint said in between breaths. He looked like he had just finished a marathon.

"Can't do what?" Rikki asked.

"I..." he started, now pacing between the main room and the entry way. "I was... well, I was going to propose to Ava."

"That's great, Flint!" Rikki had said.

"Was, Mum, was." Flint said back to her.

"What do you mean?" Rikki asked. "Did something happen?"

"No, I... no nothing happened it's just..." Flint started. "I just can't think of a good idea. Dad, how did you propose to Mum?"

"In the moon pool." Zane said.

"Great, yeah because the moon pool would work perfectly with Ava." Flint said. "I swear, this family of mermaids..."

"I know the feeling," Zane said as he stepped past Rikki and gave her an apologetic look. She reckoned hers and Brenna's mermaid identities never made anything easy.

"Look, when I proposed to your mum, I just...did it." Zane said. "I honestly didn't mean to, but I meant it. You don't need to overthink it, mate. If she's the one, she'll love whatever you do."

Rikki smiled at her husband. He really had been a fantastic father all these years. It felt like their life as parents had happened in different lifetimes. It felt like a different lifetime when she had dressed Flint up in his suit his grandpa had gotten him, just because. It felt like a lifetime ago she and Flint had a one on one at her dad's funeral. It felt like a lifetime ago they were carrying him out of his first gala and took care of him during his first hangover. It all felt so long, but then again, not very long ago that all of that had happened.

"That's what they all say." Flint groaned as her turned around and left the house.

"Where did he get the flare of drama from?" Zane asked Rikki as he turned back to face his wife.

"Oh, please when have I ever been dramatic?" Rikki said.

Zane's eyes widened. "I've been with you long enough to know you're dramatic when you want to be, Rikki Bennett."

"That may be true but you're the one who's been dramatic since I stole your Zodiac, Zane Bennett." Rikki told him.

"Ah, my very first example." Zane said as he wrapped an arm around her. Rikki smiled as he gently pressed his lips to hers.

"You are the best father, you know." Rikki said.

"Nice to know I haven't gone rusty after all these years."

Rikki and Zane had gone about their weekend day as normal. They did a little bit of work to get ready for the next week, spent more time talking, mostly about Flint, and engaged in their separate activities. Rikki still went on swims almost daily and Zane had recently repaired an old motorcycle he would take around the town on occasion. Brenna had called it his mid-life crisis.

They were in the middle of dinner when Flint again burst through the door wearing the same suit and tie from before. This time, he had Ava in tow.

"Mum, Dad," Flint started once the pair had entered the breakfast nook. He had a very excited and very telling look on his face. It was the same look he wore when Zane presented him with a motorbike, Rikki noted. "We wanted to come by to tell you-"

"We're engaged!" Ava had cut him off and showed them the ring.

Rikki and Zane offered their congratulations to the newly engaged couple. They were about to discuss the details of the night when Ava got a phone call from one of her friends in America.

"So how did you do it?" Rikki asked her son.

"Well, I took Dad's advice," Flint said. "I pretty much just asked as soon as I got back to the apartment. She must have liked it because she started crying before I even opened the box."

"I knew you could do it." Zane said. "It wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Oh no, it was terrifying." Flint said. "You weren't scared, Dad?"

"Definitely." Zane replied.

Rikki rolled her eyes as she collected their dirty dishes and put them in the sink. She watched from the kitchen as her husband and her son continued their conversation, maybe swapping proposal stories. Flint and Brenna had both grown up so quickly but she and Zane did well as parents. Rikki looked at the perfect boy in front of her, the boy with her eyes, his dad's crooked grin and both their hair and wondered for what must have been the billionth time how she had gotten so lucky. A younger Rikki never wanted kids but now she could imagine her life without them.

AN: Thank you guys so much for reading this story and all of the support. I know several of you guys have mentioned you would love a drabbles series on this family. I am also in love with this family so I would love to continue the story, maybe even away from the 5 Dresses/5 Ties prompt. Feel free to leave any summaries or comments you think would be good/cute and I'll try my best to write any drabbles on it. You can even DM me with any ideas if you don't want to post them. I won't judge anything, I just might use it if I like the idea. Feel free to let me know any ideas you guys may have from Rikki and Zane's first encounter to their adventures in late adulthood!