Jesper always could light up a room by the sheer force of his charm and confidence. The only difference is that now he can do it even when nobody can see his dazzling grin. Swaying into Jesper's embrace, he traces with gentle fingers the familiar planes of his stomach and chest. His laugh puffs hot against Jesper's ear as he obliquely refers to that long ago time.

Growth, Wilhelm has found, is not a straight line but a spiral. As his power mounted, his mistakes grew in magnitude. Just like the fire in his bones and in his hands used to, it terrified him, what his carelessness could destroy. But the good he could do for others also bloomed. He looked for the ones who feel as powerless as he once felt, and through helping them he cultivated his own fragile confidence.

"We're still growing. It's not something that just stops one day." He rests his forehead against Jesper's. He never did catch up to his towering height. "Dad's fine. Still working on his garden down in the Nether, speaking of never-ending projects."

Wilhelm worries that he'll push his power too far, that he'll start to lose himself — he has always worried. But the day is too beautiful to ruin with darkening thoughts.

"You should invite your dads to the next wedding."