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Shawn didn't have time to think. It all happened so quickly. Just a sound was all it took and his body reacted. His mind didn't even register what was happening until he was flying in the air in front of Juliet. Pain exploded in Shawn's stomach before he hit the ground with a loud THUD.
"Oh my God, Shawn. Are you all right?" Juliet quickly dropped to her knees and helped Shawn sit up.
"I think... I'll live..." Shawn said, moving to lean against a nearby tree.
"I can't believe you did that," Juliet said, touching Shawn's arm. "That was so... brave."
Shawn looked down, his fingers touching the the sticky red spot on his shirt. He let out a small chuckle. "I didn't realize that getting shot would hurt so much," He commented.
"Spencer, that move was..." Lassiter said, coming over.
"Brave, heroic, inspiring?" Shawn offered.
"I wouldn't go that far," Lassiter replied. "It was kinda over-dramatic."
"Why did you do it, Shawn?" Juliet asked.
Shawn held his stomach and winced as he tried to sit up more. He took Juliet's hand. "Because I didn't want you to get hit," Shawn said in a low voice, looking into Juliet's eyes.
Juliet was just leaning toward Shawn when there was a scoffing noise from above.
Shawn, Juliet and Lassiter turned to see Gus jump down from his hiding place in another tree. "Stop being so dramatic, Shawn. It was just a paintball. It wasn't like it was a real gun."
The moment broken, Juliet stood up.
Shawn glanced at Juliet before looking at Gus. "Dude, look at my shirt! It totally looks like I really got shot!"
"That doesn't mean you had to act so dramatic," Gus said.
"It really did hurt. I think I have a bruise." Shawn lifted his shirt to reveal a small red patch where he got shot.
"That's just paint," Lassiter said.
Shawn rubbed at the area and instantly regretted it. It felt tender and sore. "See, it's still red!"
"That's because you were just rubbing at it," Juliet said.
Shawn turned to Juliet. "Come on, Jules. We had a moment. You said I was brave!"
Juliet shrugged. "I guess I just got swept up in your theatrics for a moment. Moment's over now."
"I win, Shawn," Gus said happily.
"I think we've been distracted enough for right now. This is suppose to be a serious exercise. You're lucky we let you join us," Lassiter said.
Lassiter and Gus started to walk away. Juliet turned to Shawn. "That was pretty sweet of you. You didn't need to do that."
Shawn shrugged. "It's fine. I didn't really think it through. The landing was pretty rough."
"So, you did it because of instinct and not because you were trying to impress me?"
"I guess." Shawn looked confused.
Juliet kissed Shawn's cheek. "Thank you."
Shawn suppressed a smile. "That's all I get? I did save you from getting shot."
"It was a paintball, not a bullet."
Shawn looked down at his paint splatter shirt. "This is my favourite shirt. I sacrificed it to save you."
Juliet laughed. "Okay, fine. How 'bout dinner tonight?"
Shawn smiled and took Juliet's hand. "Sounds like a good start."