[ At that he kind of visibly stumbles, like her words were a physical arrow through his heart, but he soon recovers into a kind of desperate reassurance: ] Hey, I'm still growin' so one day I'll be way taller, y'know! You shoulda seen how small I used to be, even Sakura was taller than me.

[ Not that she knows who Sakura is, but.... He's just a little taller than Lapis as it is, and notices that only when he straightens up properly again. ]

I'm still good at protectin' people, and I'll still be really good at supporting you if you ever need me to. [ He straightens a little more and jabs his puffed out chest with a thumb. ]