We Are Bulletproof

Breathe.

Yes.

He had to remember to just breathe.

Slowly, he began to calm down. The fluttering of his wings stopped being so frantic and he eventually felt his little bat heartbeat slow. Okay. He was okay.

But now...

Now was the moment of truth.

Once he had calmed down, he settled near the floor, knowing full well what happened if he tried to shift while in the air. Then he closed his eyes. Shifting was as easy as breathing, normally. With the anxiety, it sort of blocked it. There was a slight hiccup in which Noah started to feel the panic rise again. He couldn't do it! He was stuck again!

But no, once he told himself that wasn't true, he could feel it, the telltale sensation of the start of a shift.

And before he knew it, to his relief, he was human again, albeit naked.

"I did it!" he crowed in absolute relief. "I did it! I'm cured!"

Fuck. Shit.

He was nervous as hell.

But... He glanced over at Daejun. Then at Jay. Neither of them seemed nervous so maybe all his anxiety over shifting was for nothing.

"Um, yeah. Okay." He wiped his hands over his thighs. "I'm ready."

Taking in a deep breath and closing his eyes, he removed the charm, trying not to reveal the fact that his hand shook slightly. Surprisingly, nothing happened when he removed it. That was encouraging. Taking in another breath, he began the process of shifting, which really was just like breathing for a born shifter like himself.

Turning into a bat was thrilling but as he flew around the room, he couldn't help but suddenly be gripped by the panic that he might not be able to change back, so he let out a high pitched squeak of fear.

"Sure..." Noah shrugged. It all worked out fine for him, although he had to admit... despite his interest in humans and human life, he really missed being able to fly. If they could get this sorted out, he could finally be himself again.

Daejun's place was just a short ride away and once they arrived, Noah got out and looked it over, then toward Jay. He did notice the cat but it wasn't moving when he saw it, so he assumed that it was one of those dashboard decorations humans liked so much.

"Okay!" He stretched his arms up over his head. "Let's do this!"

Once everybody had their fill, Noah was more than ready to move on to the next phase. Actually, he was nervous about the next phase but if he was going to give it a try, he was going to do it with these people. His best friend and... well, a person that admittedly saved him. No way he couldn't trust him!

"Where did you have in mind?" Noah asked as they got up and gathered their things to leave.

"I... well," Noah said sheepishly. "I actually haven't tried shifting since then..."

Looking surreptitiously around the cafe, he turned his attention back to Jay, leaning slightly forward. Was he saying this could be fixed for good? That it had been the whole time? Hah... Well, he wouldn't know, since he had been so worried that he wouldn't be able to fix it a second time.

He swept a hand through the air about talking to Alex. Yeah, that would only happen as a LAST RESORT. He wasn't going to do it if he didn't have to. So...

"Do you mind if I check, after we eat?"

When did Daejun get so ticklish! One little poke sent the poor guy flying! The other guy merely smiled but Noah laughed aloud--he couldn't help it. Sobering up, he gave his order when the waitress showed up and then it felt like a quiet hush fell over the table for a moment. Noah wound the ring around his middle finger idly.

"No," he said. "I've been purposely avoiding him. Why? Should I ask him to lift it for good? Or do you think this thing works?"

He looked down at the charm. "Only as long as I'm wearing it...? How does it work again?"

"Eh," Noah said with a careless shrug. "I got here though, didn't I?"

And there was Daejun, hugging him one second and then smacking him in the next. Noah just laughed it off, even though he did sort of toy with the thing around his neck for a moment before letting it go again. He poked Daejun in the ribs with his elbow.

It seemed like Daejun's pal Jay understood more what Noah meant. Glancing downward, he shrugged again, trying his hardest to appear nonchalant--even though he honestly felt anything but.

"Scared to," he admitted. "I don't want to be stuck. But I don't want to be stuck this way either..."

The whole art thing was news to Noah, although he didn't say anything about it. For one thing, it wasn't directed at him and it seemed like maybe Jay didn't want to talk about it, since he was muttering about his surprise that she remembered it. Noah couldn't tell if it was a sore spot so he just thought it wiser to leave it alone.

Noticing that Jay and Daejun both had noticed him toying with the charm, he quickly dropped it and placed both hands on the table in front of him.

"Yeah," Noah said with a slight furrow of the brow. "But I don't think I can shift into a bat now... It's kind of a problem. Any way to fix it, other than... this?" He reached up and briefly touched the charm again.

"I almost got off at the wrong station," he lamented. "But yeah, it was running late." He sighed. "As usual..."

He really needed to get his hands on a reliable car but he just... never needed one before. But... He fiddled with the charm around his neck. Yeah. He had never been afraid to shift before. Now... He didn't know if he was going to be stuck that way forever, helpless and unable to speak.

"Oh," he said, looking up at Sarah, his mind going blank. He hadn't even thought about what to drink. "Long Island iced tea, please."

Sarah looked him over. "Can I see an ID?"

Shit. He didn't have a people ID.

"Never mind," he said glumly. "Just get me a Dr. Pepper..."

Shit, shit, shit, he was late. Why was he always so late? He kept checking the time on his phone and it didn't get any unlater (shhh, it was a word). Noah didn't have anything as luxurious as a car of his own so he had to get by on a combination of the shitty small town bus system and his own two feet. As much as Noah loved being a bat, he was maybe a little traumatized after the last time he'd been changed into one...

At least downtown--even the old portion of it--was an easy place to get to. Even the shitty bus system went there.

Noah practically flew off the bus when it stopped and he nearly tripped on his way out. Somehow, he managed to stay on his feet, even though it earned him a sarcastic slow clap and a lazy grin from a cute guy nearby. Noah flushed red and raised his head and his body from where he'd nearly landed on one knee when he'd made his hasty exit from the vehicle. AT LEAST he didn't fall. That was all he could think as he passed the stranger and entered the place they had agreed to meet for lunch.

It didn't take him long to find Daejun and Jay, the guy that... rescued him. Yeah... that whole thing, he hoped they could sweep under the rug.

"Hey!" he greeted the two cheerfully as he took a seat in an empty spot and tried not to look as windswept as he felt. Not that there was a lot of wind out there--just Noah and his breakneck speed. Still, he did oh-so-casually run a hand over his hair to make sure it wasn't sticking straight up.

"Sorry I'm late. What'd I miss?"

WINDO
NORTH

ALEXS

HELP

IM BAT

CANT SHUFT

@Yu Daejun @Rholy

Coming~ You better leave a window open for me. :D

You'll be with me, best batty in town!