Todoroki knew he shouldn't have let Uraraka set him up on a date. He got along well with the bubbly woman when not at work, but the other lawyer took a lot of hero defense cases. Heroes were illegal now. They existed, sure, but the proper term was vigilante.

Some people disagreed with the change in opinion that had occurred a decade ago and ended the Hero Era, but Todoroki Shouto was not one of those people. The law was there for a reason. Heroism was just another shady space outside it. There wasn't much of a difference between beating up bank robbers or your own wife and children, after all.

So when Todoroki saw the man approaching him in an All Might shirt, he resisted the urge to get up and leave. Todoroki did not associate seeing the Number One Hero's face on merchandise with particularly good memories. It was always followed by his father's scowl and trying to stay far, far away.

The green-haired guy had a smile like the sun, though, and Todoroki figured only people who kicked puppies for fun and also weren't scared of Uraraka made him sad. Todoroki could be civil.

Todoroki rose and they shook hands. The guy - Midoriya - had a firm grip. His broad hands were criss-crossed with scars that Todoroki purposefully ignored. Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

"Sorry I'm late! Someone dropped off a box of kittens and I had to get Shinsou in to take care of them before I could leave."

Yeah, making this guy frown was probably a crime. He worked at an animal shelter. He spent his free time picking up trash at the beach. He wrote politely worded letters to his government representatives. Some about causes Todoroki didn't agree with - namely heroes. But politically active and polite.

Todoroki took a deep breath. Better to bite the bullet before he got too attached. "I don't know if Uraraka mentioned this, but I'm actually quite strongly against hero legalization."

"Oh, no. Uraraka has definitely mentioned that." Midoriya rubbed the back of his head. "Normally after you've been up against each other on a case."

Todoroki smiled. "It's somewhat of a miracle we ended up friends."

"Do you mind if I ask, uh, why you're against heroes? I'm not gonna try and convince you otherwise. You're an anti-hero lawyer. It's not like you've not thought it through. But, uh, obviously you know I feel differently. And I'd like to know where you're coming from."

So Todoroki tried to explain without slipping too much into his courtroom persona, but also without telling Midoriya too much about his personal life. And Midoriya listened attentively and didn't agree with him, but also didn't argue or interrupt.

When Todoroki was done, Midoriya sat for a moment quietly muttering to himself. Finally, he looked up. "So you think the concept of heroes introduces too many opportunities for abuse of power, but you don't think all heroes are necessarily bad people."

"Of course not. But to risk sounding like a Stain fanatic, there are lots of reasons to be a hero, only one of which is helping people. Even if you start that way, the popularity system of motivation is inherently corrupting."

Midoriya frowned. "People always say the end of the hero era was because of the fall of All Might, but I think Stain had more to do with it than anything."

Todoroki shrugged. "His methods were completely unacceptable. But I don't think getting people to question the hero system was wrong in and of itself."

It was Midoriya's turn to shrug. Todoroki was silent as Midoriya sipped his lemonade and tapped his fingers on the table, obviously thinking something over."Do you think if the licensing system could be perfect, you'd believe in heroes again?"

"I've never believed in heroes," Todoroki answered automatically. He held up a hand to stop Midoriya while he considered the actual question. "Sure, I would, but I don't believe in perfection."

Midoriya smiled. "Then I don't think you've seen yourself." Todoroki blushed, and Midoriya told funny stories about his coworkers, and at the end of the night when Midoriya asked him if he wanted to go out again, Todoroki had no hesitation about saying yes.