Hello again, Heroes, to another instalment of Cat Nap Tails. Gotta admit, this one took quite a bit of time to pump out. I had this idea for a good while now, but it was, admittedly, pretty difficult for me to figure out how to go about it. It ended up being a bit different than how I initially planned out, but I think it was for the best. It actually helps with a story idea that I have planed for this collection in the near future. This piece also might feel a bit rushed, at least I think it does, but I hope you people will find it enjoyable nevertheless. With that, happy reading, everyone and I will see you in the end.

Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction in dedication to a much grander work. As such, the author does not own the rights to any characters within this story, and any correlation between any original characters that may appear and people in the real world are merely coincidental.

My Hero Academia: Cat Nap Tails

"She's not my lover. She's my annoyance."

"Alright, everyone it is timed to get smashed! The latest mission was a success, so we're celebrating in style! Next round's on me!"

"I like the way you think, Nemuri! Lemme handle the next batch then! I owe you and Mic for saving me from that Nomu anyways!"

"Gotcha, Ryuko! Now let's get this party started!"

"Hell Yeah!"

...Well those two are as boisterous as ever. Glad to see them looking so happy after everything that's happened. Shino mused internally, a large mug of beer in hand and fond smile on her face as she watched the two off duty heroes cheer for their success.

It was rare for the telepathic hero to find herself in a bar these days, her free time usually spent raising her nephew after his parents passed away, but every now and again she was willing to indulge if the mood was right. This night in particular was a good one due to the fact that the Pussycats, along with a few other heroes, had managed to find and take out a large number of Nomu that had been spotted in the north. It was a close call, really, but thankfully everyone came out of the attack with only minor injuries and the creator of that batch of Nomu was quickly caught and locked up. As a result, it was decided that everyone should go out for drinks as a celebration for a job well done. Initially she was unsure if she could attend because of a lack of anyone who can watch over Kota at such a short notice, but a quick call from him asking if he can stay in the Heights Alliance dorm at UA with Izuku Midoriya had allowed her the chance to attend, much to the joy of her terakinetic partner and sleep inducing comrade in arms.

It also helped that a certain someone was also attending to the party as well, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere other than a loud bar filled with energetic soon-to-be-drunk off duty heroes.

"They are being way too loud here. We're gonna be kicked out if they don't stop." Aizawa grumbled as he sat next to Shino, who let off a quiet giggle at his displeasure.

"I'm sure they'll calm down soon enough." Shino assured, quirking an eyebrow when her seat companion let off a quiet scoff.

"Doubt it. Nemuri loves to drink and pushing others to drink. I've seen her force a whole mug down Hizashi's throat last time we were here. Yagi and I had to a lot of damage control because of that…" Aizawa said while pointing beside him, where the said blondes were slowly edging away from the obviously inebriated ladies while the remaining off duty Pussycats; Tomoko and Yawara, were grinning at the pair's discomfort

"Guess that explains why he looks so wary right now." Shino snickered, also amused by the look on the loud man's face, especially when he turned to her with a slightly panicked expression.

"Hey! Do you have any idea how Nemuri can get when she's like this? She nearly drowned me in booze! I like a good drink and all but that was way too damn much!" Hizashi hissed, only to receive a hardy pat on the back from Yawara.

"We can relate, my friend. Ryu can get pretty rowdy herself after a few shots, as you can see, and she usually tries to get the rest of us to get as drunk as she is. Sadly, she has yet to get Tomo inebriated, though not through lack of trying." The tiger-themed hero joked while pointing at the emerald haired woman, who was grinning proudly at the statement while Toshinori stared at her with impressed shadowed eyes.

"Really? That's interesting. I had no idea you had a high tolerance, Miss Shiretoko. No offence, but you don't really look like a heavy drinker." Toshinori admitted after taking a sip of beer, eyes widening when Tomoko grabbed her own mug and chugged it all in a few seconds before grinning back at him with her normal exuberance.

"I've been drinking hard liquor for the longest time, Toshi! It takes much more than this to get me drunk! And I told you before that you can call me Tomo! We hung out enough times to be on a first name basis, haven't we?" The bubbly woman chirped, causing a sheepish chuckle and light blush to form on the man's face.

Shino couldn't help but smile softly at the powerless pair and their interactions. The two certainly had gotten closer since losing their respective Quirks, and she knew that while Tomoko was still upset with the fact that she wasn't able to go into the field anymore, the fact that she wasn't alone in that front helped her cope. While they don't spend time together as much as she did with Aizawa, the two did possess a strong bond regardless, and she was more than happy that her former teammate was in just as high spirits as ever. Even without their respective powers, the two were still so strong to be so positive despite their situation…

They were still heroes in her eyes, even if they didn't believe so anymore.

"Shino?"

"Hmm? Oh. Sorry, Shota. Just think about some things. Didn't mean to space out for so long," Shino assured with a small smile as soon as she saw her dry-eyed friend staring at her.

"You weren't out of it for that long. The others didn't notice. Is everything ok?" The man questioned, a hint of concern in his voice that made the telepath's smile to grow a little more in response.

"Everything's great. Really. I'm just happy that all of us were able to have some semblance of a break after everything that's been happening as of late." She said, her words prompting a grunt of agreement from Aizawa, the man taking a rather large drink before speaking.

"No kidding. With how much of a mess our country's been, I'm actually relieved that the resident manhunters invited us out for drinks. Been needing a break for a while… Despite how loud the women are being, i think I'm actually starting to rela-"

"HEY! ERASER! THAT YOU OVER THERE!?"

*BAM!*

"You got to be shitting me…"

"Shota! What the hell's gotten into you!?" Shino exclaimed, both worried and confused as soon as the normally calm and infallible Eraserhead suddenly slamming his head onto the table and grumbling up a storm of curses.

"Ah don't mind him. He does this often when Emi shows up, though only after taking a few drinks to loosen up." Nemuri laughed, getting chuckles out of her fellow teachers and looks of confused amusement from the Pussycats, before the R-Rated Hero began poking the Eraser Hero's head with a wide grin. "C'mon, lady killer, get up! Can't you show a little class? Your lover's on her way to see you, after all. This'll be a good chance to introduce her to your new 'friend' as well. Heehee."

"She's not my lover. She's my annoyance." Aizawa growled, not lifting his head from the table while Shino stared at him blankly as she processed his words. A moment later, she pounded a fist on her palm as a metaphorical lightbulb sprung atop her head.

"Oh! She's that woman that you were talking about when I stayed with you in your old apartment, right? The one who's clothes you keep around just in case she comes over?"

"Aww! You still have my old clothes! I knew you loved me!" A very cheerful voice exclaimed, causing Aizawa to groan even louder as Shino turned to see a cyan-haired woman with a wide smile and a sleeveless tanktop with a pair of shorts standing right beside her. "And it seems like you brought another woman to your home as well! Shame on you, Eraser, for bringing ladies to your abode behind my back! I thought we had something special!"

"What we have is a professional relationship and nothing more, Joke. And I swear, if you ask me to marry you again I will tie you up and mail you back to your academy so that your headmaster can deal with your crap…" Aizawa hissed, turning his head slightly to give the woman a glowing crimson glare.

"Woo. Some's super stressed today. You look like you could use a laugh. I'd use my Quirk on you, but you've already erased it." Emi grinned, getting another growl out of Aizawa before turning to the other members of the table with pride. "Glad to see you spending some time with your friends, though. You're even hanging out with the Wild Wild Pussycats. Your friend repertoire is growing more and more, Eraser!"

"...Would you like to join us? Our table is a little full, but I'm sure we can squeeze one more." Shino asked politely, wincing when she felt the glare aimed at her, this one mixed with a bit of betrayal.

"Nah, I'm good! I already spent my time here! Gotta get back and rest up for a day of patrol tomorrow! Maybe next time!" Emi suggested before holding her hand out at Shino, "The name's Emi Fukokado! Also known as the Smile Hero: Ms. Joke! And if my memory's right, you're Mandalay! The leader of the Pussycats!"

"Yes, that's me. Though when I'm off, I go by Shino Sosaki. It's a pleasure to meet another one of Shota's friends. I hope we can get along," Shino welcomed, taking the cheerful woman's hand and gave it a firm, friendly shake, causing Emi to burst out laughing once more.

"You call Eraser by his first name! That's hilarious! He only ever lets people call him by name when he's in a good mood, which is rare considering he's such a grump most of the time!" She grinned, her words causing Shino to giggle as well.

"Yes, he does tend to be pretty serious more often than not, but he has his moments of calm and happiness here and there, though they mostly revolve around his cat, naps, and his new ward as of late." Shino explained, jumping slightly when Emi suddenly let off a squeal of delight.

"Did you just say 'ward'? Are you telling me that Eraser's looking after a kid? He's a father now?" The laughing hero questioned with large, curious eyes.

"You bet your ass he is, Emi! Aizawa here is currently the proud owner of the cutest little girl anyone has ever seen! Hizashi, show her the pic!" Nemuri exclaimed, she and Ryuko swaying slightly as the alcohol began to further take over them.

"Already on it," Hizashi grinned, pulling out his phone and leaning over to Emi to show it, his hand conveniently on top of Aizawa's back and preventing him from getting up from the table.

"Hizashi, get your damn arm off of-"

"AWWE! Eraser she's so cute! No fair, why do you have to have her as your kid! She's too cute to be yours!" Emi cried, her voice echoing throughout the entire bar and causing the other patrons to turn to her in annoyance.

"Ah. Miss Fukukado. Can you please calm down. You're causing a scene," Toshinori spoke up nervously.

"Huh? Ah, sorry. Guess I had a little too much tonight," Emi laughed sheepishly as she handed Hizashi his phone back just as Aizawa managed to get the man off his back. "So, if Aizawa's this cutie's father, who's gonna be her mother? If there isn't anyone, I would proudly volunteer myself for the position!"

"Actually, I think Shino here has been doing a good job of being a good maternal figure to little Eri as of late. And Eri herself has taken a shine to Shino ever since she and Aizawa started spending more time together. It's quite adorable if you ask me," Yawara spoke up while pointing at Shino, who looked back at her teammate with a small smile while Emi quirked an eyebrow at the telepath.

"Oh? Really?" The cyan haired woman said slowly, causing Shino to look at her oddly herself at the tone the newcomer had.

"That's right! Ever since Shino introduced her nephew to Eri, the two of them would get together so that they could let the kids hang out! It's actually really sweet how the little ones interact with each other! And the way both Shino and Aizawa dote on Eri is just too cute!" Tomoko cooed, her bubbliness causing the other heroes to smile as well, with both Aizawa and Shino sporting light blushes on ther faces, while Emi let off a quiet laugh.

"That so? Guess that means Eraser's got himself someone special to help him out with his new daughter. Congrats on that." Emi said with her trademark smile, though Shino couldn't help but feel that it was slightly forced. "Well, best that I head out now. Got a lot of planning to do and not much time to get it done. We still down for that group training session with our students Eraser?"

"I have. I even asked the Pussycats here to see if they could volunteer for extra exercises. They've done a good job with my students at the training camp we had until it went to hell, as you know, so I'm sure your students will appreciate the extra aide," Aizawa stated gruffly, sounding the calmest he's been since Emi arrive and seemingly unaware of the twitch in his acquaintance's eye.

"Sure, Eraser! That sounds great! I'll be sure to let my class know!" Emi promised before turning towards the entrance to the bar with a wave. "Well, I'm heading off now! Try not to have too much fun here, Eraser! I know how clingy you can be when you get drunk! Can't have you suffocating poor Sosaki when you're both in bed because you decided to get all touchy-feely!"

"Actually, Shino's the cuddly drunk! And I can confirm that she gives the best snuggles! I'm sure Aizawa will be very comfy with her as his snuggle buddy for a night." Ryuko exclaimed with a loud cackle, her words causing a darker blush to form on Shino's face as she glared at her teammate hotly.

Thank heavens she doesn't know about Shota and I sleeping together in his old apartment. She'll never let it go if she catches wind about it. Shino thought as she fought off her flush, side-eyeing Aizawa to see him staring at her blonde teammate in annoyance.

"Ooh. That's interesting. Seems like Eraser's found himself a real winner," Emi said with a grin, one that Shino noticed, once again, felt strained. "Alrighty then. I'm gone. Don't have too much fun, you hear! Catch you all later!"

With another wave and a laugh, Emi proceeded to leave the bar, with the others waving back to her as she departed. Once she was gone, however, Shino allowed herself a small frown to mar her face. She was a little confused by the actions of the smiling hero towards the end. As to why some of her smiles looked somewhat forced. She had an inkling of why that was, but she wanted to learn a bit more about her new acquaintance before coming to a conclusion. She seemed like such a nice person and had a good sense of humor. She didn't want to lose a friend just because they both had-

"C'mon, Shota, have another round! I'm sure some more booze will help turn that frown upside down!"

"Dammit, Nemuri, knock it off!"

"Lighten up, my man! You got two very beautiful ladies who are into you! You should be celebrating! Now hurry up and drown this bad boy!"

"It isn't like that and you know it! Now get that mug out of my face!"

"Hah! Not so fun being on the recieving end, is it?"

"Shut up, Hizashi!"

Shino couldn't help but laugh out loud with the rest of her peers at the scene before her. She never expected to come across the sight of three close friends around her age roughhousing with each other. It was something she'd normally see among teens and young adults, but it was good to know that her newfound friends could find time to have fun during these times. With everything getting more and more dangerous, moments of peace will become even more scarce. It was a harsh world that she lived in, but one that she still loved nevertheless. It was filled with people she come to care for so much, after all, and she was going to make sure that it was safe, no matter the cost.

Thoughts like that, though, were for another time. For now, she will allow herself this moment of respite and join in on the teasing of the man she was growing closer and closer to with each passing day. It's not often that the stoic Eraserhead was this easy to rile up, after all, and she was going to get as much mileage with it as she can get away with.

Author's Note:

And that, my fellow heroes, is that. Had a bit of fun with this piece. Hope I kept everyone in character for the most part. If it wasn't obvious, I'm not all that used to writing the adults of MHA, but they deserve to have time in the spotlight, especially since the next story will be focusing more on little Eri. I still had quite a bit of fun with this chapter regardless, however, and I hope that it was still a good enough read for you all. I also have something very special planned in the near future, so look forward to that! With that all said, thank you all so much for reading my stories. I wish you all a wonderful day and I will see you in the next update.

Until we meet again, farewell. And remember: Go Beyond. Plus Ultra!