"Boo," Birdie whispered — well, it was probably closer to a half-shout, given the deafening noise around them.

They waited for Devon to turn around before enveloping her in a bear hug, with a long "hiiiiiii!" careful not to let their overfilled solo cup spill any of its contents spill down her back. They probably held on for a beat too long and squeezed a little too tight, but whatever bright red concoction was in their cup was turning their usual inclination toward a cuddle up a few notches.

"I feel like I've barely seen you!" they yelled over the noise as they finally let go of Devon.

Outside of making sure that the store hadn't gone up in flames in their absence, they'd gone back to their day job only in the loosest sense. Management was really just a few sporadic check-ins while they dedicated the rest of their time to the band's final push.

"Milo says I owe you a kiss for the store still being in one piece."