[ first, I fear I am addicted now to making epic the musical tiktok edits for this fic

second, I make big claims about being a so-called free thinker, but at my core, I'm a good ol' alabama girl, and so I can only think of one thing: MICKEY IN A COWBOY HAT. MICKEY IN A COWBOY HAT. MICKEY IN A COWBOY HAT ]

☆︎

I'LL GET MY CAR KEYS.

Adeline has a skip in her step when Monday morning came. Cici watched her get ready with a smile as she practically danced around the room, throwing on a skirt and a sweater before fixing her hair and putting on her makeup while humming happily under her breath.

Cici knew why she was so happy — she wanted to get to class to see Mickey. As if they hadn't been hanging out all night together in their room the night before while Cici sat at her desk, doing homework that the new couple should've been doing as well.

"Come on," Adeline said to Cici, holding open the door to their room. "Wanna get to class early."

"You wanna get to Mickey early," Cici teased as she followed her down the hall and to the stairs. "You're so in the love phase."

Adeline rolled her eyes playfully. "I am not," she said. "I'm just in major-like phase. Don't go saying that around him. You'll scare him off."

"And so is Mickey, so don't worry about that stuff," she told her, interlocking their elbows after they were on the first floor. "I don't think anything either of you could do would scare each other off."

"Yeah, probably not," she said, giggling a little. "So, are you excited for the Halloween parties on Wednesday?"

With the holiday arriving, everyone had lots of plans. Their film class would be watching 'Halloween' at five and it would be over in plenty of time for everyone to make it to the planned parties. There were several small ones, but the Omega Kappa Betas were throwing a huge rager, and Derek got all of them invited.

"So stoked," she gushed. "My Supergirl costume is so adorable but sexy at the same time. What about you? How's the sexy cowgirl outfit look? You never showed me."

"It's less sexy and more adorable," she admitted as they stepped outside. "Maybe like half hot-half cute? You think Mickey will like how I look in it?"

"Oh, Sweetheart, I'll like you in anything."

Adeline quickly looked to her right, seeing Mickey and Randy, who were waiting outside of Ramsay Hall for the two of them. Instantly, Adeline smiled and slipped out of Cici's hold, going to Mickey.

"Hey, you," she greeted, loving how he reached for her hand. "Good morning."

"Morning," he said, leaning down to kiss her quickly. "Thought we'd walk you to class."

"I'd love that," she smiled sweetly.

Then Mickey surprised her, spinning her around by her hand and making her giggle until his arm was around her shoulder and hers was crossed against her chest since they were still holding hands. She happily leaned into his side as they walked in sync, missing how Randy and Cici shared an amused look at their closeness.

"So, how was 'Halloween'?" Randy asked, desperate for her review. "Was it life changing?"

Adeline smiled up at Mickey, knowing she likely wouldn't have gotten together with Mickey over the weekend if not for it. "It was great," she said with a dreamy sigh.

"Isn't Jamie Lee amazing?" Randy asked, mind on the movie and not what transpired after, obviously. "There's a reason she's the Scream Queen. We've got to show you 'Terror Train' next. Ooh! And 'Prom Night'!"

"Hold on," Adeline laughed, shaking her head as she looked at Randy. "No way am I watching more scary movies. One was enough."

"Really?" Mickey asked, sounding displeased. "Not even if I hold you the whole time? And if I do this every time you get too scared?"

Then, much to her delight, he stopped walking to lean down and kiss her. She smiled into it, standing on her toes just a bit so that he didn't have to lean down as much.

"Barf!" Cici squealed, a grin on her face. "But if it works, we're totally watching 'Sleepaway Camp'."

After pulling away from Mickey, Adeline looked at her questioningly. "What are the odds that's just a fun little coming of age story about best friends going to camp together?"

Randy snickered and pushed on her and Mickey's backs to make them start walking again. "Uh, sure. That's what it is."

☆︎

Tuesday, Adeline was in her room and getting ready for another movie night with Mickey. He wanted to show her what he called a 'bad' horror movie. It was something about clowns or something, but she didn't really pay attention. All she could think about was another two hours in a room alone with him.

That was how Sidney found her, sitting at her vanity and dusting pink blush with a slight shimmer in it onto her cheeks as a Backstreet Boys song played — 'We've Got It Goin' On' was the song.

"Hey, Addy," Sidney greeted in a soft tone, tapping her fingers anxiously against the door.

Adeline instantly turned around in her swirly chair and smiled at her. "Hey, Sid. Wanna come in?"

"Yeah. I was wondering if I could talk to you about something," she said, coming to lean against the edge of her desk. Adeline reached to turn the music down as she did so.

"Of course. Anything," she said, giving Sidney her full attention.

"So, um," Sidney hesitated, growing a little shy. "Um, your brother asked me to the party tomorrow night."

Adeline perked up instantly, letting out a high-pitched squeal that made Sidney cringe but also laugh as the blonde grabbed her hands. "Oh, my god. Oh, my god! Please, tell me what you said."

"I said yes," she admitted. "But, um, I still wanted to talk with you about it. I - I know we're friends first, and if you're not okay with it or upset with me, then—"

"Oh, Sid, of course, I'm okay with it," she said softly. "I mean, I love the idea of you together. But also, I know how hard it must be for you to even think about going on a date, so knowing that you trust him so much to do this makes me so happy for the both of you. But if you decide this isn't something you're ready for, don't for a second think that I'll be upset with you. You're my friend, and I love you."

Sidney's eyes watered a bit as she took in her words before smiling. "Thank you, Addy," she said before leaning down to hug her. "I just hope I don't screw this up with all my issues."

"Not that you have issues because you're perfect," Adeline said. "But if anyone's gonna screw it up, it'll be my silly brother."

"Of course, I have issues," she said, rolling her eyes. "The only boyfriend I ever had killed my mom and then my best friend then immediately slept with me before trying to kill me. I know I - I don't talk about it, but I'm kinda fucked up, Addy."

Adeline reached up and tucked some hair behind Sidney's ear. "I don't think you're fucked up. I think you're strong and powerful for making it through what you went through. And if anyone ever tries to make you feel different, you send them right to me."

Sidney giggled and tilted her head. "And what are you gonna do to them?"

She sat a little straighter, trying to make her shoulders wider and look more imposing before giggling as well, shrinking in on herself. "I'll send them to Derek," she finally said. Then she held Sidney's hand. "Thank you for trusting me enough to talk about this."

"You know, you make it really easy to open up to you," Sidney told her softly.

"That makes me so happy because I love you so much already. You're my favorite friend out of everyone," she said with a smile before it faltered nervously. "I mean, I love Cici, I do. She's the best roommate ever. But you, Sid, you're like, my best friend. I mean, that doesn't mean I have to be your best friend — I know you're close with Hallie, and we don't have the most in common—"

Sidney squeezed her hands and cut her off. "Calm down, Addy."

"Sorry. Total spiral moment," she mumbled sheepishly.

"It's okay," Sidney said before smiling. "I know how you get what with you being my best friend and all."

The smile on Adeline's face was breathtaking as she surged forward to hug Sidney, who was nearly knocked off the desk from the sudden force. Sidney laughed and hugged her back.

"Now that it's established, I need a favor only a best friend can help me with," Sidney told her with a serious look. "I need help getting a last minute Halloween costume."

"I'll get my car keys."

☆︎

Adeline felt adorable in her cowgirl costume. She wore a red plaid shirt that was tied up around her chest, exposing her stomach. It was accompanied with a flared out denim skirt, a brown vest, cowboy boots, and a red cowboy hat. Cici drew little freckles on her nose and cheeks before they headed for the OKB house.

Cici opted to be Supergirl and looked downright adorable in her costume. They walked over with Hallie, who was Catwoman, and Sidney, who decided on Lydia from 'Beetlejuice', looking killer in the red dress. The guys would be meeting them at the house.

"What's Derek's costume?" Sidney asked Adeline curiously, wondering if they'd clash.

"Fred from 'Scooby-Doo' — I was trying to hard to find the stuff to make Daphne yesterday," she said with a pout. "They were even sold out of red wigs and hair spray, so I couldn't even DIY it."

"But she still makes a hot Lydia," Hallie said, winking at Sidney.

"And you give Halle Berry a run for her money," Cici told her, grinning.

And since Cici needed a compliment, Adeline pretended to swoon, falling against her. "And you could save me any day."

"Well, let's get this pretty cowgirl to her cowboy," Sidney then said, nodding ahead to the crowded frat house.

And Adeline beamed when she saw Mickey at Randy's side — Derek was inside already with his brothers. Randy was dressed as Freddy Krueger without the gory mask, but she was just looking at Mickey. He looked so handsome in a tight pair of jeans with a matching vest like hers and a white shirt. On his head was a brown cowboy hat, and he hand silver toy guns clipped to his belt, making her smile.

"Howdy there, partner," Adeline spoke up, skipping over to the boys as she grabbed their attention.

Mickey's eyes skimmed her form, beginning to smile at her cute getup. Then he reached up and tipped his hat to her as she finally reached him.

"Ma'am," he said in a thicker accent than usual. "Don't you look mighty fine."

She giggled and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling herself closer. "And you are every cowgirl's dream."

"Alright, enough with the couple shit. The night's just started," Randy said, shaking his head dramatically. Truthfully, he just didn't want to be there because he heard from Mickey about Derek asking Sidney out.

"It's only gonna get worse from here on out, Randy," Hallie said with a smirk.

"That's probably true," Adeline admitted as she stood on her toes. Then Mickey met her halfway, kissing her quickly, both humming happily into it before parting. It made Adeline smile softly. "Yeah, so much worse."

☆︎

Adeline was all giggles as Mickey opened the door to his empty dorm room, letting her inside. His roommate, who was a serial partier, wasn't going to be home that night, so she was free to stay as long as she wanted.

Since they didn't want a hangover the next day, Adeline and Mickey had only had a few drinks, but enough that Adeline had lost her cowboy had and Mickey lost one of his plastic guns, both never to be seen again. The night was perfect despite their heavy losses. They spent the whole night hand in hand, talking with their friends and dancing and playing the different Halloween-themed games that were set up around the house.

A few times, they ran into Derek and Sidney, who were having so much fun together, thankfully. He was being a perfect gentleman, never once taking his attention off of her. They ended up leaving early, Sidney not fond of crowds and parties for obvious reasons.

But Adeline wasn't really concerned with Sidney and Derek most of the night. She was focused on her first public outing with Mickey as her boyfriend. He was nice to all her sorority sisters that introduced themselves to him — though she could tell he wanted to make fun of the more shallow ones, of which there were a lot, admittedly. Delta Lambda wasn't the most upstanding and studious of sororities, but that was okay.

"God, that was fun," Mickey said as he sat on the edge of his bed, kicking off his cowboy boots as he grinned. "Did you have a good time?"

"The best," she said, smiling as she walked toward him. Mickey pulled her between his parted legs, wrapping his hands around the backs of her thighs as she looked down at him. Then Adeline pouted. "Hate I lost my hat, though. Was gonna keep it on my wall. But maybe you'll let me steal yours?"

Mickey raised an eyebrow, a little smirk on his lips. "Darlin', you wouldn't want my hat if you knew what it means to us cowboys that follow the rule."

Adeline just scrunched her face up while picking up his cowboy hat. "What's that mean? What rule?"

Mickey rubbed his hands up and down her thighs, fingers brushing the bottom of her short skirt. "In Kentucky, if you wear the hat, you gotta ride the cowboy."

In an instant, Adeline's cheeks heated up. "Oh," she said quietly, glancing at his lips and then at the hat in her hand. She slowly lowered it onto his head. "Maybe, um, not—"

"Hey, no, I was just teasing you," Mickey told her, not wanting her to feel pressured for even a second. "Hell, it's not even been a full week."

Adeline let out a breath of relief. "Good," she murmured. Then she put her hands on his shoulders, tracing the collar of his shirt. "I've just... I've never done that before. Not saying I won't ever wear the hat, so to speak," she said with a small smile. "But not tonight."

"I'm never expecting anything from you, Addy," he said gently. "We go at the pace you're comfortable with. I'm just happy to have you."

"I'm happy to have you too," she said. "And just because I don't wanna wear your hat just yet doesn't mean I don't wanna kiss you until I can't breathe tonight."

Mickey laughed and pushed his cowboy hat off his head so that she wouldn't bump into it as she leaned down, ready to kiss him. "Now that I won't ever complain about."

[ even my scream fic can't escape the twisters cowboy hat trope brain rot, and I know some of you that have read both are gonna make fun of me ]