Scott was raised to be elegant alongside his older brother.

It wasn't horrible for him, Scott loved to dress up and twirl in the mirror any chance he had. There was something magical about a dress flairing out and the way crystals sparkled in the light.

Jimmy had always been a... different sort of elegant.

When Scott had met Jimmy, they were four. It was when Jimmy's parents argued about how he was going to dress but they were more laid back. His hair was always tussled and messy and he had what was considered 'royal play clothes' rather than royal garments in a beautiful mix of pinks and tans. It was beautifully embroidered but it was ruined by the jacket he refused to take off with a superman logo. He didn't look as fancy as Lizzie but he definitely looked overdressed in comparison to Grian.

It had been a few years when Scott was invited to the sixth birthday party when he realized something changed.

Jimmy had looked more tired than before, the play garments abandoned and now he was wearing an outfit for a prince much older than him. His hair was smooth and cut perfectly, Scott recalling that it was a typical army cut. The only grace he was given was that dumb cape he wore that clashed horribly with his beige (with small traces of pink) outfit, it was bright blue, red, and yellow. Of course it was a superman cape.

But it only got worse.

Scott wasn't able to visit the palace for year and years. He didn't know why other than his parents frowning whenever he mentioned the Ocean Empire.

So when he was finally invited, it was starkingly different.

Gone was the cheerful nature of his best friend, Jimmy was now in full length closed, even gloves that hid any form of skin that could been seen. Scott felt too warm just looking at Jimmy, and it made him uncomfortable. Gone was the pink accents that showed he was a part of the axolotl family just like the rest of the family. His hair was no longer cut short in that army look but it was almost neater and precise. Despite looking like he was on fire, his gaze was colder. It sent a shiver down Scott's spine every time he thought about it.

And it never disappeared.

Despite obviously healing from the trauma, Jimmy refused to wear anything less than fancy and rich. Even when Jimmy didn't leave his room, Scott found him sitting or laying on his bed in some of his fancy wear and hair tidy. He knew it wasn't him just sleeping like that, Scott had seen him many times in silky pajamas waking up with the messiest hair known to man. He still made an effort to look his best even when he felt like crap and it made Scott feel horrible.

But in Third Life, that had definitely changed.

Gone was that mentality, he was wearing sweatpants and a large hoodie of superman (that still happened to be his favorite hero.) His smile was lopsided, something Scott hadn't seen since he was a child. He didn't realize how unnaturally straight it had turned over the years. Jimmy's hair was now a mess, barely caring if he woke up and walked out with it a complete bird's nest. He sometimes just ran his hands through it and called it a day.

But after the two deaths... Jimmy looked worse and worse. No longer wanting to be comfortable just because he wanted to, he had to be with how hurt he had become and how he couldn't care for himself. It was just Scott who brushed his hair to a managable state or Scott who changed the five day old pair of shorts and shirt that Jimmy continued to wear day after day.

But once he pushed everyone back and seemed to gather his memories, Scott had found that superman hoodie bunched up in the back of the closet. Jimmy was back to less than comfortable clothing but nothing fancy due to the fact that they didn't have too many clothes anyways. He was just wearing a pair of jeans and a button up, hair neat and tidy once again.

It was so painfully similar to how Jimmy was back then that Scott had offered more comfortable clothes on a daily basis. He loved how handsome Jimmy looked when he dressed him up but he didn't love it as much as he hated the reason why Jimmy complied.

So if Scott had ordered more of that annoying superhero wear for once they made it out, he would be the only one to know.

Three days.

(O.o)