"I missed you..." Snoozer had said that night. His voice broke through the silence that seemingly echoed through the clubhouse whenever everyone left. At the sudden and unexpected sound, Boss jumped and nearly dropped his armful of toys and crafts. It was one of the first days the Clubhouse had been reopened to the public, and the Ham-Hams had opted to stay in and play just like old times. And... just like old times, they got so caught up in having fun they forgot to clean up their toys before heading home. For all his fuss and grumping, Boss didn't really mind, being home at all was enough motivation to clean his house one-hundred times over.

"I didn't really go anywhere." Boss answered after steadying himself. "I was always there, as Hero-Ham." Even after the horrible things he had said to Bijou about Hamtaro... Even after he had betrayed his own self, he had to continue to look after them, in his own way. He couldn't bear to have the ham-hams look to him as a leader, when he could barely even look at himself. If that meant putting on a costume and adopting a heroic persona, then so be it. As long as Boss could be assured his friends were safe, he would do anything that needed to be done.

Snoozer yawned and snuggled into his sock, in what could have been interpreted as a shrug. "I missed you," droned Snoozer, much to the confusion of Boss.

"I already responded to that!" Boss quickly set down what he was holding in their proper places and scuttled up the ladder to what he called Snoozer's Lookout. "I was practically with you all along. Just with a super cool outfit!" If he was being honest with himself, he kind of missed the costume, just wearing it gave Boss the confidence to keep going for the sake of his friends.

"Wasn't the same..." said Snoozer frankly, "Couldn't talk to you... couldn't tell you goodnight..."

Oh.

Boss slowly sat down on his usual spot, next to Snoozers' hay bed.

This... This was something Boss had thought about himself. He would wonder if leaving really was the right thing... It was drastic, Boss knew as much, but the field ham had been hurting. He let himself down, he let the clubhouse down. Staying in his home wouldn't be healthy for him, he didn't want to take out his frustrations on anyone else.

Even still, he really had missed all his friends, he missed being able to share the good times and not just the dangerous ones. He missed the simple act of... hanging out. He missed being himself and... and he even missed when he'd say goodbye to his friends for the night. Those times, when he and Snoozer were alone were some of the most special memories the field hamster had.

"Snoozer..." Boss said, softly. "I-... I missed that too." The field hamster rubbed the back of his head, almost bashfully. "Especially in the beginning. I had been real worried 'bout what you were gonna do. Even though ya' told me not to." Boss couldn't stop the small frown that appeared on his face. "Sorry."

Despite the frown from his friend Snoozer rolled over, and shot Boss a genuine and soft smile. "I'm glad you did... I worried about you too," That had Boss gasping.

"Me?!" Boss' was shocked. "You worried about me?"

The tired hamster merely hummed and answered with a casual, "Yeah," as if what he had just mentioned was more obvious than Oxnard's love for sunflower seeds.

Boss, however, pouted childishly, mistaking his friend's casual tone for indifference. "You don't have t'worry about me." Nobody had to worry about him, he was Boss! They shouldn't have to bother themselves with looking out for him, he really could take care of himself.

The mild offense in Boss' tone did nothing to phase Snoozer. "Hmmm... You don't have to worry about me either... But you still did..."

"Well, duh!" Boss snapped suddenly. Snoozer had a vague streak a mile wide, but when he was obvious, it was like being punched in the face. "Doesn't matter if you tell me not to worry or-or whatever! We're friends!" Boss went back to pouting after his outburst, "A'course I worry- I worry 'cause I care about'cha!"

Snoozer's succinct response was a simple laugh. At this Boss' voice turned to something more like a whine than anything else. "That wasn't funny, Snoozer!"

"... Yes it was..."

Boss' wasn't sure if he should be offended or hurt at those words. However he took a deep breath and was careful not to explode in his friend's face. He had grown, he had become a better man. He opened his mouth to calmly ask what was so funny about spilling his heart out, but Snoozer wriggled out of his sock and sat next to the larger hamster. Boss was struck to silence with such a rare display of movement.

"It... was funny because..." Snoozer interrupted himself with a long yawn, which had Boss leaning closer and closer with curiosity as seconds ticked by. "I care about you too... So," Snoozer sent another large, yet tired smile in Boss' direction. "That's why I worry."

"But that's what I sa- Oh." Boss' cut off his own sentence with a sudden revelation. "Oh-ohoho!" The field hamster couldn't stop himself from laughing. Now he understood what Snoozer was getting at! Boss' excuses for worrying about Snoozer were the same as Snoozer had for him. Despite feeling bad about losing his head so fast, Boss reached out a paw and ruffled the top of Snoozer's head. "Guess that's kinda funny after all!"

Snoozer let out a few quiet chuckles of his own. He seemed so happy to be back in the clubhouse. It was suddenly so clear to Boss that Snoozer cared about all of them just as much as he did. Hamtaro, Bijou, the whole crew! Even... Even himself. After all that Boss had been through, this was some of the greatest reassurance he could ever get. Boss was becoming overwhelmed. His self-imposed isolation may have helped him become a better hamster, but facing his inner demons alone was a task greater than he had ever faced before. Having Hamtaro recognize him after his greatest act of heroism was one of the greatest moments of Boss' life, he had been getting so tired with living in the shadows and playing pretend. Being home and playing with them all was his favorite thing of all time. Without realizing it, amused chuckles had turned into barely suppressed sniffling. Boss hadn't truly realized how sad and alone he'd felt all those months. "I-I'm not sad," The field hamster assured around he heaviness in his voice.

He wasn't sad, he had never been happier in his life.

And Snoozer... He was happy too.

At first, Boss had begrudgingly accepted his new, self-imposed lazy house guest. The constantly sleeping hamster was clearly there to stay. Snoozer didn't have much to give, and while he never mentioned being worried about getting evicted, he would sometimes wonder if Boss was as okay with the situation as he led on. It turned out, Snoozer was exactly what Boss had been needing. Even before Hamtaro showed up, Boss would hang out with Howdy and Dexter, but they had homes to go to, and Boss would always be left alone at night with his loneliness. With this, Snoozer had finally found a way to repay the larger hamster for all his kindness. A listening ear and a few reassuring words, after all, wasn't so hard to give. Boss' had a rough personality, but it was easy to see what a great guy he was. Snoozer became Boss' confidante, and on days where Boss' seemed really down, Snoozer would tell him about the fantastical dreams he has.

Without missing a beat, the generally lazy hamster leaned against Boss' side, snuggling closer after Boss placed an arm around him. Being able to truly be there for his friend once more was a feeling more delightful than even his best dreams.

"Goodnight," Snoozer whispered after Boss' breathing evened out, the field hamster had fallen asleep. Well, that was something Snoozer excelled out. Still wrapped in Boss' arms, Snoozer allowed himself to doze, feeling more comfortable than he had felt in a long time.

Not sure how happy with this I am, just happy to start getting a feel for writing fanfiction again. Hopefully more to come. Thank you for reading!