Based off a drawing I never finished and a prompt on tumblr: "Leave a "Zip Me" in my ask, and I'll write a drabble about one character dressing another, or the other way around"

"Santana! Santana!"

Brittany's shrill voice pierced through the house and I dropped the cookie, leaving it to shatter on the kitchen floor as I darted around to race up the stairs and into her bedroom. She spun as I entered, a red pen in one hand and an expression of sheer horror on her face.

"I did it wrong!"

Her Halloween costume was lying in a heap on the floor but she was gesturing frantically to her forehead, which sported a wobbly zigzag line.

"It doesn't look right!"

I sighed, the fear draining out of me as I stepped forward. I reached down to pick up the bundle of clothing, then took her hand and led her out of her room, across the hallway and into the bathroom. The long black cloak I was wearing dragged behind me and she tripped on it a couple of times until I tugged it in front of me. I placed the clothes down, grabbed an already damp flannel, and started to scrub at the badly-drawn lightning bolt.

"I told you I'd do it for you, Britt."

"I know…" she replied with a soft sigh, a smile playing on her lips despite how her whole forehead had turned a shade of pink from me rubbing off the failure of a lightning bolt. I held her head still with one hand as I plucked the pen out of her grasp and re-drew the proper shape.

"There, how's that?" I asked, stepping to one side so she could look in the mirror.

She bounced on the balls of her feet, peering in close to get a good look then spinning to pick up the shirt from the floor, pushing her arms through the sleeves and buttoning it haphazardly over her t-shirt. It was her dad's, and it went down to her knees, but she didn't seem to care as she picked up handfuls of it to tuck into her jeans. Once it was half-buttoned she started struggling with the red and yellow striped tie. I kept quiet for a few moments, wanting to at least give her the chance to do it herself – but then she looked up at me and sighed, so I reached out and started to do it for her.

I glanced up and found her eyes trained in on mine, completely trusting, and what I was meant to be doing faded away from my mind. I let myself bask in her warm gaze, my knuckles resting against her collarbone. The house was completely silent except for the dripping of the tap and the sound of our breathing. She tilted her head slightly to the side, a smile playing at the corners of her lips, and she reached out to twirl a strand of my hair in her fingers.

"We still need to do your hair..."

My eyes widened and I quickly shook my head.

"What? No! I thought we agreed we weren't gonna do that?"

"You can't be Hermione with hair like that! It's too pretty!"

"Why can't I be some random student who's not a complete suck-up?" I asked, already knowing the answer but wanting to make the point of how humiliating it was to be the nerdiest kid of all the characters – except perhaps Neville. But there was no way I was cutting my hair short and carrying around a toad.

"Because we can't leave Lord Tubbington out! And Crookshanks doesn't make sense without Hermione!" Brittany replied earnestly, turning me towards the mirror and fiddling with my hair, the tie still only half-done around her neck. She started messing it all out of place and I sighed, closing my eyes so I didn't have to witness it.

"Don't worry, Santana," Brittany murmured as she worked. "You still look way prettier than anyone else we'll see."

"Not prettier than you."

The words were out of my mouth before I could think about them, but she just giggled into my ear and I relaxed again almost immediately.

Hearing a plaintive miaow from the door, I peeked one eye open to find Brittany's new kitten sidling into the bathroom. He wandered over, walking straight over my foot and through my legs to get to Brittany. Only then did he start purring. Brittany dropped her hands from my hair to scoop him up, cradling him in her arms and grinning down at him.

"Why doesn't he have to dress up?" I asked grumpily, but my frown didn't last long at the sight of Brittany staring at him in complete adoration. The cat was annoying, but he made Brittany happy, so I would put up with him for as long as I had to. Maybe he'd get fleas and they'd send him away in a couple of months. Then as soon as he was gone I'd jump straight back in to being the sole focus of her attention.

I reached for her tie again, managing to concentrate enough this time to do it up properly. Then I grabbed the black sheet we had found to rip in half and use as cloaks and pulled it around her shoulders, securing it at the front with the shiny red brooch I'd borrowed from my grandmother's jewellery box.

I stepped back to look over her outfit properly. Finally her attention returned to me and she straightened, holding Lord Tubbington securely in her arms as she grinned.

"How do I look?"

"The perfect Harry," I assured her, checking every detail. Something was missing, though... something important... "Wait!" I called out as she turned to leave the bathroom. I rushed ahead of her into her room, rooting around in the bag I'd brought our costumes round in until I found what I was looking for. I turned back to her as I heard her enter the bedroom as well, holding up the sellotaped pair of glasses I'd also "borrowed" from that Tina girl. Except they hadn't been broken before today. Brittany didn't need to know that, though. I just wanted to make her costume perfect. I pushed the glasses onto her nose and she blinked a few times, then squinted.

"Santana... I can't see anything... you're all blurred..."

I passed over one of the sticks we were using as wands to her and she gripped it tightly, still blinking.

"I'll look after you," I promised, finding her pinky with mine and squeezing. She nodded once, the confusion at being unable to see properly fading from her expression. "Come on, let's go trick-or-treating before the others get all the good candy."

She nodded, carefully passing over Lord Tubbington. I took him without a word, scowling when he nipped at my finger, but managed to settle him under one arm without too much argument from him. Once that was done, I could return to taking care of Brittany. I squeezed her pinky once more, then led her down the stairs, making sure to never loosen my hold. I'd promised to look after her, and I would do that for as long as she'd let me.