The Prince and The Frog

Finn

Finn was in a taxi on his way to see the boy he loved win over someone else. He was used to Naveen charming and flirting with girls, but this was different, because Naveen was planning on marrying her. Finn had been struggling to come to terms with this in his mind for weeks now. He always knew this day would come, and right as he thought he might be okay, that strange man came to mess with his mind. Finn looked down at the card in his hand. It was only slightly larger than your average playing card, yet it had such a large affect on Finn. However offended he was at the strange man, he was still grateful the man had concealed the card from Naveen's obvious curiosity.
On the card were two boys. One was relatively tall, with an angular face, dark skin, and chocolate brown curls. The other was shorter, with wavy red hair, a round face, and pale skin dotted with freckles. Both boys' eyes were closed, and they were kissing. Flower petals were showering down and behind them were beautiful green hills. The two boys were clearly Finn and Naveen, just as the vial labeled "For your love" was clearly a love potion.
The card and potion, while being the most disturbing parts of that visit by far, were not the only ones. The first two cards placed were quite unsettling, which was only amplified by the man's silence. Naveen hadn't seemed to realize that those cards were a representation of their relationship, something Finn was incredibly grateful for.
"Hey, are you okay Finn?" Naveen asked. If Finn had looked over he would've seen the deep concern in Naveen's eyes, but instead he just nodded, tucking the card back into his pocket and turning to look out the window.
After a few more long minutes of awkward silence, they finally arrived. As he got out, Finn couldn't help but stare at the manor. Working with the royal family, he was used to being around wealth- but this manor was different. It was built like a castle, with stone bricks and tall towers with pointed tips. Finn didn't know they had castles in America, seeing as there wasn't any royalty.
Naveen was not so enamored with the manor, trudging wordlessly past Finn, toward the  grand French doors. Finn furrowed his brow- this was not unusual behavior for Finn, but it was unheard of for Naveen, who would normally be rambling about the city or singing. Finn knew Naveen wasn't looking forward to the married life, but he'd thought he'd at least be looking forward to meeting the girl.
Finn watched Naveen with concern for a few moments, then realized he should be with him and ran to catch up.
Naveen was already at the door when Finn reached him. He flashed Finn a smile, which was reassuring despite his continued uncharacteristic silence, and reached to knock on the door.
Just as he did so, the door swung open to reveal a young woman, who was looking behind her, yelling a farewell unrefined manor.
"Bye, Charlotte! See ya at the party!" Her southern accent was undeniable, matching the cadence of the area.
She turned and immediately bumped into Naveen, who caught her before she could hit the floor, smiling at her with his Naveen smile. Finn cringed, then noticed her expression matched his. She gently pushed Naveen away, and pasted a smile on before apologizing and hurrying out.
Naveen turned to Finn, eyebrows raised, and burst out into laughter. It was contagious, that look, that laugh, and, despite his best efforts, Finn had to join him.
Finn recovered first, and elbowed Naveen as a large man approached them from inside. Naveen immediately straightened, keeping his grin, and Finn noticed they were still outside the open door.
"Come in, come in!" The man boomed, "You must be Prince Naveen! It's an honor to meet you, Highness." He stuck his arm out at Finn, the largest grin on his face. Naveen and Finn exchanged glances. Finn cleared his throat.
"I am Finley Walsh, and this is His Highness, Prince Naveen." Finn gestured to Naveen, who offered a small wave. Not skipping a beat, the man (who Finn presumed was Mr. LaBouff) shook Finn's hand, then turned to shake Naveen's.
"My apologies, Your Highness. I'm Eli LaBouff."
"Lovely to meet you and, please, call me Naveen," Naveen replied with his brilliant smile. Finn gave him an odd look, but didn't say anything. Naveen didn't seem to notice.
Eli led the boys out of the grand entrance hall and into an even grader parlor. In the corner sat an unaffected young woman wearing the fluffiest dress Finn had ever seen. She looked up when they walked in, sighed, and slowly got up and extended her hand. Naveen stared at it strangely before cautiously shaking it, glancing at Eli uncertainty. The man's smile didn't fade, although his eyes narrowed for a moment before he nodded at Naveen.
"Charlotte LaBouff," the woman said, smiling genuinely despite her intial apathy.
"Prince Naveen," Naveen replied, matching her smile. Finn glanced at them warily.
Dinner was pleasant. For Naveen, at least. Charlotte and him appeared to be on the same wavelength, both charming and loud. Unlike Finn, who remained fairly silent throughout dinner, and through the games afterwords.
After the games, Eli insisted on speaking with Naveen privately, presumably to discuss the proposal Eli almost certainly suspected was coming, leaving Charlotte and Finn alone.
"You know, I can tell. I'm awful sorry we've all gotta go through this, but truthfully, it's almost funny, ain't it?"
Finn was startled by the break in the awkward silence that had fallen as soon as Naveen left, then the words sank in.
"Excuse me?"
Charlotte just laughed.
"Bless your heart! You and Naveen of course! I may not be quite as sharp as my girlfriend, but I do know a thing or two about love! And you two? I can tell, sweetie."
Finn was taken aback-- his jaw dropped to the floor, and his face was redder than it had ever been (which was pretty red).
"Wh- Girlfriend? Us two? Wha- what- I-" Finn stamered.
"Bless your heart!" Charlotte repeated. Must be a southern thing, "it's okay, honey, I won't spill, so long as you won't."
"We're not in love. I'm not..." Finn trailed off. Charlotte flashed him a sad smile.
"Oh, honey, if you want to play it that way, sure, but if you change your mind, you can always talk to me."
Finn considered this. Of all people to know, Charlotte wasn't the worst option, having a girlfriend herself. However, Finn knew nothing about her (barring the gay thing), and how could he trust a stranger with something he wouldn't tell his best friend? Well, Finn supposed the circumstance made it so his best friend was the one person who could NEVER know, but still. Maybe it would be nice to have someone to talk to.
"Yeah, maybe I will," Finn replied just as Naveen and Eli reentered the room, both laughing loudly-- although Finn could tell Naveen was a bit uncomfortable.
"Excellent, excellent, Naveen. I will see you at the party, I presume?" Eli boomed.
"Of course, of course! We can't wait!" Naveen yelled back in a manor similar to the woman who'd run into him, leading Finn out the door.