Midget

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Dean Dobbs had always been short, at least compared to most other males and had often been teased about it. It affected his self-image and he came to dislike his height. His long hair didn't help in making him feel masculine. His best friend, YouTube partner and now boyfriend Jack Howard always told him that his height had nothing to do with how much of a man he was and that it was perfectly okay to be short, but Dean still complained about it.

They were on the couch going over ideas for a new video.

"What do you think would make a good video concept Dean?" Jack asked.

Dean, who hadn't been able to come up with any worthwhile ideas, threw his pencil down on his notepad in exasperation. "I have no idea. I've been drawing a blank all day."

"Hey, maybe that's an idea; a pun on the phrase drawing a blank."

Dean shrugged. "It's worth a shot if we could come up with a concept built around it. Of course, I can't draw so you'd have to be the artist."

Jack looked at Dean in surprise. "What are you talking about? You're a much better sketch artist than I am. I can only draw stick figures and not even that well. Besides, since it would be drawing a blank, we probably wouldn't actually be drawing in the first place."

Dean simply shrugged his shoulders again. Now Jack looked concerned. "Dean, is something wrong?"

The shorter man sighed as he looked at his boyfriend. "Sorry. I'm just frustrated and not really feeling all that great today."

"Well, you don't have to apologize for not feeling well. Are you getting sick?"

"Not exactly..." Dean muttered, looking away from Jack.

Jack placed a hand on Dean's shoulder. "Dean, if there's something bothering you, tell me. I want to help if I can."

Dean's expression changed from crestfallen to annoyed. "Well you can't. No one can."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

"Hey, I have an idea for a video. How about you play Dr. Frankenstein and I play your pintsize, hunchback assistant Igor? You could turn me into Frankenstein so that we wouldn't have to enlist anybody else. Or since it's Christmas time, maybe you could dress up as Santa and I could be your diminutive elf helper. I could be the chief elf in fact. We could get kids from the neighborhood to play the rest."

Dean was wearing a bitter smile and now Jack had an idea of what was upsetting him.

"Dean, have you been dwelling on your height again?"

Dean dropped his false smile and frowned deeply. "Gee, what gave you that idea? Tell me Jack, how does it feel to have a midget for a boyfriend?"

Jack looked at Dean in confusion. "You're not a midget. You're short, but not that short. Who told you you were a midget?"

Dean sighed and looked down. "A woman at the supermarket yesterday. She recognized me and said that she follows our channel and then said that she really likes our dynamic. She called you the tall, strapping, handsome gentleman and said I was the adorable, comical midget."

"Did she say it in a mean way?" Jack asked.

"She laughed and said she was joking with the midget comment, but I'm sure that's what most of the people who watch our videos think of me."

Jack smiled at his boyfriend before cupping Dean's face in his hands, causing the younger man to look up. "Well first of all, it doesn't matter what they think of your height because it's none of their business. Second, you're not a midget. You're slightly shorter than the average male and that's okay. It doesn't make you any less of a man, it doesn't change who you are as a person and it doesn't change how I feel about you. I'd love you whether you were a midget or a giant."

In spite of himself, a small smile appeared on Dean's lips at Jack's words.

"And that lady wasn't lying when she called you adorable. Even though you're a grown man, you still manage to look cute as a button. You're like my own personal teddy bear and I don't mean that as an insult. You are probably the cutest man in all of Britain."

"Flattery doesn't make me feel better Jack," Dean said.

"Only the last part was flattery, and that was only because it's my own personal opinion. The rest was true. You are incredibly cute for a grown man, and I do consider you my own personal teddy bear that I love to cuddle with."

Dean smiled again. "I must confess that I love cuddling with you too. You're warm and my frame fits perfectly with yours."

Jack's smile grew. "Exactly. Besides, I rather like that you're on the small side because that means I can do this."

Without warning, he put one arm around Dean's back and the other under his legs before lifting him up bridal style and bringing his boyfriend into his lap.

"This is nice, isn't it?" he asked before pulling Dean closer. Dean responded by laying his head on Jack's chest.

"Thank you Jack."

"No problem Dean. And hey, I can give you piggyback rides too if you want."

Dean looked up at Jack incredulously. "I'm not a kid anymore Jack. You are not carrying me around town like that." Unexpectedly, he smiled then. "However, if we're at a recreational location like a park, maybe it could be arranged."

"See? There are advantages to being shorter than normal," Jack said with a grin.

Dean chuckled before snuggling back into Jack's chest. "I love you."

"Love you too Dean."

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AN: This chapter was based on a prompt. Hope you like it. Comments are appreciated.

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