The shared sense of ease between them is only lightly stirred by Midoriya's soft apprehension about the state of Paul's ears. Under other circumstances, he'd demur, wriggle away, insist that he knows his own immune system and its keeping well enough to avoid anything as trivial as an infected piercing - and that even if he's wrong, it's nothing that couldn't be fixed.

Paul tips his head to one side to give Midoriya better access to his hair, draping one hand across his own stomach as he smiles fuzzily at his friend, who is more relaxed than Paul may have ever seen him.

"There's so much of you," he says, absently, submitting to these caring attentions. It is his birthday. He's allowed to let people fuss over him.