Jervis Tetch sat on the edge of the couch, his hat in his hands, fingers twisting the brim in an anxious rhythm. The dim light of their shared apartment cast long shadows, making him feel smaller than he already did. He swung his feet slightly, not quite touching the floor, while Jonathan Crane sat across from him in his usual composed manner, one long leg crossed over the other.

Jervis sighed, staring down at his lap. "It's ridiculous, isn't it? A grown man fretting about something as trivial as height. But—I can't help it, Jonathan. Every time we stand together, I see the way people look at us. I look like some ridiculous little creature beside you."

Jonathan exhaled slowly, his sharp gaze softening. "Jervis, you do realize that I don't care about things like that, don't you?"

Jervis gave a dry laugh, still refusing to meet his eyes. "You might not care, but the world does. It's just—" He clenched his hat tighter. "I see people whispering. They look at you, all tall and imposing, and then at me, like I'm—like I'm a joke standing next to you. I see it in the way they smirk, in the way they talk behind their hands."

Jonathan leaned forward then, resting his elbows on his knees. "Since when do you care what others think?" His voice was gentle but firm, not dismissive. "You're Jervis Tetch. You don't live by their rules or their judgments. You never have."

Jervis finally looked up, blue eyes filled with doubt. "I know, but…it's hard, Jonathan. You're… well, you—all tall and elegant, and I'm—" He gestured vaguely at himself. "Me."

Jonathan huffed in amusement and stood. "Come here."

Jervis blinked up at him warily. "Why?"

"Just come here, Jervis."

Reluctantly, Jervis set his hat aside and shuffled over. Jonathan grasped his hands and pulled him forward until they were standing close. Jervis had to tilt his head up to look him in the eye, and the height difference was painfully obvious.

Jonathan studied him for a moment before resting his hands on Jervis's shoulders, thumbs brushing against the fabric of his coat. "Do you know what I see when I look at you?" he asked quietly.

Jervis hesitated before shaking his head.

"I see a man who is brilliant, whose mind works in ways no one else's does. I see someone who is kind—perhaps too kind for a world like this. I see someone who, despite everything, has remained himself. And above all, I see the man I love."

Jervis swallowed hard, his breath catching. "You—you really mean that?"

Jonathan's expression softened further as he reached up and gently tipped Jervis's chin up with his fingers. "Of course, I do. Height is nothing, Jervis. You are not small to me. You never have been."

Jervis let out a shaky breath, a slow smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He buried his face against Jonathan's chest, feeling the warmth and steady rise and fall of his breath. Jonathan held him close, one hand smoothing over his back in quiet reassurance.

For the first time in a long while, Jervis felt like he wasn't being measured by inches—but by something far greater.