"I think we're making good progress, only half a mile to go. Let's make them buy us dessert too." Kongpob turned to say, slightly short of breath as they trek uphill.

Yeah, we make an awesome team. We'll beat them for sure. Hurry up, D209! Don't make me lose. I'm broke!

D209 chuckled as he followed closely behind the other, careful not to step in any unknown puddles. Now and then he would stop to take in the scenery. At the moment, the trail was a little steep and they were pretty close to the edge of the mountain with a river flowing at the bottom. Huge trees provided them with enough shade from the scorching sun above and wildflowers grew along their path. There were even birds chirping nearby. Nature is indeed a wondrous beauty.

"Sounds good. What kind of dessert do they have?"

It's always about food with you. How much weight have you put on me already?

"Oh, I love matcha ice cream, especially in soft serve. Oh oh...they might have mochi ice cream there too."

Oh, I love those. But they're like $4 each at the restaurant and they're tiny.

"What's that?" D209 can see the images of mochi ice creams from Arthit's memories. They looked like some kind of ball.

"It's kind of like a dumpling made with sticky rice wrapped around ice cream. It's very good. They come in a variety of flavors like mango, matcha, strawberry, chocolate, vanilla..." Kongpob explained enthusiastically.

"Ahh!" He was so focused on describing the dessert that he didn't notice a protruding tree root covered by leaves in front of him and tripped.

Kongpob!

"Kongpob!" D209 rushed to his side, "Are you okay?"

"Uh, I think so." Kongpob slowly pushed himself up and Arthit helped him by grabbing his shoulders.

Kongpob looked at his knees and palms that were covered in dirt and leaves. His right knee was also bleeding from hitting a rock that was underneath the leaves.

Oh, he's bleeding.

"Here, sit down on this log and let me clean you up."

Kongpob let Arthit guide him to the nearby log and sat down. He watched as Arthit took out a bottle of water from his backpack and kneeled down to slowly rinse his hands and his knees ever so gently. Then he blew softly over his scraped knee.

Good thing the cut isn't that bad. Next time you should pack one of those mini first-aid kits.

"It's just a small cut. I'll put a bandage over it for now. We can treat it properly when we get back."

"Thanks, Arthit. I'm sure I'll be fine." Kongpob said and gently swept Arthit's bangs out of his eyes as he placed the bandage on him.

D209 looked up and their eyes met again like before. Arthit's eyes were held captivated by the other and his emotions were so strong that it overpowered D209's instinct to move away.

D209 felt awkward and uncomfortable, like Kongpob was looking right through him to see the real Arthit within, and in a way it was true. Arthit's heart raced and pounded in his ears as the other held his gaze. Then suddenly the sound of cracking twigs and rustling between the bushes broke the spell and the two finally looked away. D209 let out a breath and turned to find the source of the noise, and it was a baby deer standing nearby.

Oh my God. What just happened? I felt something. I think I felt my body for a second.

"Shhh...don't scare it away," Kongpob whispered as he pulled out his phone to take a picture of the majestic creature before it ran off.

D209 got up and felt a little nervous and unsure of what was happening to Arthit's body. As much as he wanted to help Arthit and Kongpob come together, these feelings were so foreign and awkward for him.

"Can you walk?" D209 extended his hand to the other.

"I think so. I'm really sorry for being such a klutz. If we lose, I'll pay for dinner," Kongpob said as he grabbed Arthit's warm hand.

Don't worry about dinner. You're more important.

"Don't worry about that. What's important is that you're okay." D209 squeezed the other's hand and watched him move carefully.

Kongpob took a step forward and even though his scrape hurts, it was still manageable. That was until his hiking sandal's strap snapped after a few steps and the whole shoe flew off, rolling down the side of the mountain.

"Shoot!" Kongpob cried out as he watched his shoe fall and bounce off to the very edge of the mountain.

Oh, no! Kongpob's shoe.

"Maybe I can try to go get it."

I don't know. That looks kinda dangerous.

"No, don't! It's not worth it and it's broken anyway," Kongpob said, pulling Arthit back and hopping on one foot.

"Well, you can't walk like this or you'll cut your foot."

"I think I can manage the rest of the way." Kongpob looked ahead, they're so close.

I know! D209, you should carry him.

D209 looked ahead and looked back, either way, they would still have to walk, and going back was further. So he swung his bag to the front and squatted down, "Get on my back. You're already hurt and now you're missing a shoe. Let's meet up with Mike and Serena first. I'm sure we'll figure something out."

Kongpob stared at Arthit's back and hesitated, "Are you sure? I'm kind of heavy."

"I'll be fine. Just get on."

Wrapping his arms around Arthit's neck, Kongpob hopped on the other's back.

"Ready? Hang on."

"Yeah," Kongpob replied softly against the other's ear, and Arthit's arms wrapped behind his knees.

"Here we go."

They continued the little uphill trek, but luckily they had already passed the steepest part of the trail. They were getting really close, so close that they could already see the waterfall. D209 tried to focus on the path, careful not to trip and fall over while Arthit's heart was pounding rapidly within his chest, not quite sure if it was due to the strenuous exercise or the proximity of their bodies, maybe both.

"Arthit, you're sweating a lot. Do you need to take a break?" Kongpob wiped the sides of Arthit's face and down his neck.

"No...I'm...fine. Are you...doing...okay?" D209 panted. The human body is far too weak for his liking. It was really cramping his style.

Kongpob smiled, "Of course, I'm okay. You know, I can't remember the last time I had a piggyback ride. Was I in third or fourth grade? It was the time I got a very short haircut and I hated it so much that I cried when I got home. My dad wanted to cheer me up so he carried me around the yard and told me a story before I would stop crying."

Kongpob must've been so cute at that age.

"So you were a big cry baby, huh?" D209 teased, glad that they've reached a fairly leveled part of the trail.

Don't say that!

"Hey! I wasn't that old. And my cut was really really short, way shorter than what my mom had asked the lady to cut it to." Kongpob headbutted to Arthit's side.

"Ouu...hahaha...but I'm sure you were still cute."

Kongpob smiled smugly, "Of course, I was. What about you? Did you always wear glasses?"

I got glasses in second grade, so I was seven.

"I got glasses in second grade, so I was seven. But I look better without them, right? Everyone says so."

"Hmm...you were a little dorky but in a good way, like adorably dorky."

Dorky? Was I dorky?

"Hahaha... adorably dorky? Is that even a thing? But how about without glasses?" D209 wanted to prove a point to Arthit. Those glasses had to go.

"Well, I concur with others. Your features stand out more without them." Kongpob turned to look at Arthit's profile, it was so close to him. Were his lashes always so long? Was his nose always so straight? And were his lips always so pink? "But..."

But?

"But?" D209 asked, more than aware that the other was studying his face, or actually Arthit's face.

"But I liked it when others weren't staring at you...like I am now."

"Wha..." D209's words came to a halt when a pair of lips touched his as he turned to ask what the other meant by that. And all of a sudden a shiver ran through his body like a wave and...

"Ouu..." Kongpob yelped as he fell to the ground unceremoniously.

Arthit immediately spun around at the sound, "Oh, Kongpob, I'm so sorry. Are you okay? I...I didn't mean to drop you like that." He reached out to help Kongpob only to suddenly realize he could feel his hands touch the other. Could this be? Was he actually controlling his own body now? He pulled his hands back and flipped them front and back to try to get a better look at them.

"Ouu!"

"Oh, shoot! I'm sorry again." Arthit felt like an idiot for dropping Kongpob for the second time.

"It's okay, but now my butt also hurts," Kongpob chuckled seeing how flustered Arthit got over an innocent bump of their lips.

"I'm so sorry. It won't happen again. I promise." Arthit felt so remorseful knowing he'd caused Kongpob more pain.

"You mean you won't drop me again or you won't kiss me again?" Kongpob asked, trying his best to keep a straight face.

"I—I mean... I mean I won't d-drop you again."

"So you'll kiss me again?"

"I—I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that." This was so embarrassing.

"So you don't want to kiss me?" Looking into Arthit's eyes, Kongpob took a step closer, not minding the muddy ground and sharp rocks under his barefoot.

This is your chance. Be honest, Arthit. Tell him!

D209? Arthit perked up and looked around but he couldn't see anyone else around.

Kongpob frowned seeing Arthit being distracted with who knows what and took a step back. What the heck was he even doing?

Idiot! Focus!

Arthit quickly turned to grab Kongpob's hand and pulled him back, their chests collided and their faces were mere inches away. Kongpob was caught off guard by the other's sudden boldness.

Now, go in for the kill! Do it! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!

Looking into Kongpob's eyes, "I've always wanted to kiss you," Arthit said before he leaned forward to capture the lips he's been dreaming about for the past five years. It was a gentle press of their lips, and then another peck tugging the other's bottom lip. He paused for a brief moment to give the other a chance to push him away but the push never came.

Instead, Kongpob closed his eyes and let Arthit deepen their kiss. His heart raced faster as the other wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him even closer against his body and keeping him from falling back. It felt nice and so safe to be in his arms this way.

Feelings poured into their kiss and unspoken words spilled between their lips, crossing the boundaries of friendship at this very moment, undeniable actions by both, no more hiding, and no more pretending. This was it.

Moments later, Kongpob slowly pulled back to catch his breath and see the other's face. Arthit followed and opened his eyes, a little scared that Kongpob would reject him after their kiss. But when their eyes met, there was only a smile on the other's face.

"For how long?" Kongpob asked softly.

"Since the very beginning, I've liked you, always," Arthit admitted with a blush and looked down.

"I like you too."

"But I thought you like Dr. Pakorn," Arthit said, not sure if he should be saying this at the moment.

"I thought I did too, but I realized what I feel for him is really just admiration. He's who I want to become, and not who I want to be with." Kongpob smiled and pressed a chaste kiss on Arthit's lips. Gosh, was he always so cute?

Arthit smiled and looked around for the grim reaper, but there was no one besides them. He couldn't hear the grim reaper's voice anymore but somehow he knew he was still around. He had finally confessed and he couldn't have done it without him. Thank you, D209.

Leaning against a tree, D209 watched the two with a smug look on his face. Mission accomplished. See, the $49.99 lovecast was well spent and Dr. Lana was the best.

He was actually quite proud that Arthit finally made a move without him. Because there was no way he would have kissed Kongpob for him, the feeling of intimacy was so strange and unpleasant for him. So unpleasant that his spirit was sent to the back with just the bump of their lips, giving Arthit's soul control over his body again. And when they truly kissed, the emotions of romantic love were so strong that it kicked him out completely.

Actually, if he would have known that all he had to do to get out of Arthit's body was to kiss Kongpob, he would have done it from the start.

Crap! He didn't get to try sushi or mochi ice cream yet. All that work for nothing. Sighing, he'll have to wait for his next visit to Earth in another hundred years. Bummer.

The End.

~~~~~~
AN: Sweets, I've finally completed this story. There will be an epilogue because I like 'em, and I've decided on at least two special chapters after the epilogue. These special chapters will only be for this story and not the original. 😜

So how did you like the story? Did you see the picture up top? I laughed so hard making it. 😂

Anyway, thank you to those who've taken time to read this. To be honest, writing has been quite discouraging lately due to the low reads and comments. I don't like to keep asking or begging for them so that's that. However, for those who do, thank you. 😘

Maybe it's time to move on for me. Let's see.

Curtsy,
Lana ❤️