Disclaimer: Only the story idea belongs to me. I do not claim the characters, setting, etc. mentioned in this fanfiction.

"Secrets have a way of making themselves felt, even before you know there's a secret."

-Jean Ferris

Water. When Brick opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was water all around him. The windows in the car were cracked open just enough to keep the water in, weighing the car down to the deep, dark depths that surrounded it.

Shit.

His brothers. When he looked to his right, he could see Butch floating just in front of the cracked windshield of the car, a bit of blood circulating all around him. It must be coming from his head, which looked terrible from this angle. Boomer was still in the backseat of the car, stuck there thanks to his seatbelt. His blond hair floated helplessly, and from the looks of it, his pinky finger on his left hand was not looking well at all. Boomer and Butch were both unconscious, too.

Shit. Shit, shit, fucking shit.

Brick was usually calm and collected. But his heart couldn't stop thundering and his hands felt absolutely numb. He didn't know what to do; his mind couldn't think about anything other than every little messed up thing that was happening. And he was running out of air. Fast.

Like an idiot, Brick opened his mouth to scream his brothers' names, but some of the water entered his lungs, feeling like pins and needles. It was cold. Everywhere was cold. It was hard to even think about moving in such frozen conditions.

He had to get out of there. He had to get his brothers out of there. He had to get them all out of there and swim up and escape this nightmare before he couldn't hold his breath anymore. Desperately, he unbuckled his seatbelt and tried to break open the window nearest him with his booted foot, but that failed. There wasn't anything sharp in the car he could use—of course, his car had to possess the bare fucking minimum at a time like this—so that idea was out of the picture. His hands automatically went to open the unlocked car door, but then stopped suddenly. If he were to open the door, the water would force both himself and his brothers right out of the car and separate them. And for once, Brick didn't want to be away from his brothers. It was such a selfish thought, but at the moment, he couldn't help it.

That's when it hit him. He was going to die. Butch and Boomer were going to die, too. And ultimately, nobody would care. Imagine that on a news channel. "The three Jojo brothers, notorious for being little shits all throughout the city of Townsville, died in a car submerged underwater just this evening, folks. We're unsure how the hell they got down there, but knowing them, it was through dumb actions, something they tend to do all the time. I'd say tragic, but is it really?"

Is it tragic if they died? Honestly, with the way life worked out for them, Brick thought it would do the world good to get rid of them.

His eyes began to flutter closed. This was it. He couldn't hold on anymore. He didn't have any eye-opening moment. There was no life flashing before his eyes. But, he didn't feel acceptance, either. All his head could think was, "cold" and "water." What a shitty thought process during a shitty way to go out. This wasn't like the movies at all.

Suddenly, he saw a blur of light pink with a pinch of baby blue and vibrant green. The colors swirled and swirled until it made his brain ache even more than it already did. The mixture of colors was kind of like Boomer and Butch's collaborated ice cream bowl creation, which was just a mashup of flavors that shouldn't be good together but somehow was and wow, now Brick's heart felt all heavy. He might have felt nothing towards their fateful and unfortunate deaths, but he felt something towards his brothers. He was going to miss being his worst self with them. Butch and Boomer might be intolerable and stupid and absolutely annoying, but Brick wouldn't have them any other way.

Brick's eyes closed on their own. In a way, that felt relaxing. He didn't feel the urge to carry on anymore, so he just... let go of life essentially. His ears thundered in the quiet surrounding them. But before he faded away for good, he heard a voice. It was clear, strong, and, somehow, sounded like it was made out of something like honey and magic.

"We've got to help them, girls..."

Water. When Brick opened his eyes, all he could do was sit up quickly and cough out water. And there were tons coming out. Honestly, it felt like it was never-ending.

Brick has had his fair share of puking. He hated to admit it, but out of his brothers, he was the biggest lightweight when it came to alcohol. And he also consumed the most of it every time. Bad habits might die hard, but his stomach and chest died harder. The consequences were worth it, though. Alcohol let him have a good time rather than being sober.

He let out a few more coughs before the water was mostly all out and the pain started to fade. Never had he appreciated fresh air and cleared lungs more in his life than he did right then and there. He got up, wobbling, almost falling back down to the sand that covered his wet boots. The sun had set at this point and the only sounds around were the combination of seagulls and the waves of the sea stretched out in front of him. It felt so lonely. Brick hated it.

"Brick?"

A fluttery feeling entered Brick's heart hearing that voice. It was so squeaky but so comforting to hear.

"Boomer..." Brick turned slightly to the right to see his younger brother. It was crazy how put-together Boomer looked. Not a single strand of his hair looked out of place, and other than his soggy clothes and his slanted pinky finger, he seemed perfectly fine. That was good. But then, Brick's heart felt like it skipped a beat. "Where's Butch?" he asked a little frantically.

"Right behind you, bro." A slightly damp hand gripped onto Brick's shoulder, and he turned around to see his other brother. Butch had this lopsided smile on his face, the one he wore whenever he got out of some shit. Making it out alive from whatever the hell happened to them definitely counted enough. "'Sup?" Butch asked simply.

Brick wanted to cry. He wanted to hug them both and never let go. He wanted to hit them just because he could now that they're not dying in a large body of water. But instead, he rolled his eyes at Butch's carefree nature. "Well, my car's probably at the bottom of the sea," Brick stated more casually than he thought he would. "And it's cold."

"It is cold," Boomer agreed.

Butch nodded his head. "Very fuckin' cold."

The three stood in silence, staring out into the sea, shivering. Sunset Sea wasn't a very popular place to be if you've lived in Townsville your whole life. It was gorgeous, sure, and tourists could take many pictures of it with glee, but it began to look dull the more you look at it. Sand blew in the wind and probably into their eyes, but none of them refused to speak or complain about the setting.

It was weird. They had just beat death. They should be celebrating or something. And yet...

"Hey..." Brick and Butch turned their attention to Boomer. The blond had one of his hands in the other. His pinky looked like it was throbbing, but he didn't show any sign of pain through his troubled face. "How, uh... How did this happen, exactly? Like, what happened in the car?"

Brick opened his mouth to answer, but found he couldn't. It wasn't because he was scared to tell the truth. Rather, he couldn't think what the truth was. He couldn't even remember all of them stepping in the car. Plus, Brick didn't want to explain what he went through when they were all underwater. It was horrifying, and just the thought of it brought a tingly feeling to his hands and a numb feeling to his heart. He hated it.

"I don't know. Do you guys?" Brick looked to Boomer first, who shook his head. He then turned his attention to Butch.

"Nothin's comin' to my mind, either," Butch sighed. "Last thing I remember is Taco Tuesday at Lucinda's Mexican Grill."

Oh yeah, Taco Tuesday. Every Tuesday, the Jojo brothers would head out to the Mexican restaurant near their neighborhood and just pig out on the unlimited tacos. It was the perfect deal: five dollars per person just to receive all the tacos you could eat. They've been enjoying Taco Tuesday for as long as they could remember, and the owner Lucinda enjoyed their company whenever they stopped by.

"It's strange, right?" Boomer asked. "How come none of us can remember anything past the tacos? You'd think at least one of us would know, but..." He bit his lip.

"Okay, but hear me out: they were so good, it disrupted our brains?" With a slight snort, Butch tapped his forehead, then winced a little. The mark on it was still covered in fresh blood, and it was getting brighter as the seconds went on.

Maybe if Butch wasn't such an idiot, Brick would've felt more bad, and he even would've asked if his brother was okay. But that privilege was taken away the moment those words escaped Butch's mouth. Why oh why did he have to suffer by hearing Butch say the dumbest shit when they were supposed to be serious? "Yeah, and maybe this punch'll knock some sense into ya," Brick growled out in reply.

Butch raised an eyebrow. "What pun- OW!" In a flash, Brick punched Butch on the arm. Hard. When it came to the Jojo brothers, they put their all into punches, playful intention or not. Butch's left eye started twitching, and that was the clear sign that he was going to blow. "Alright, you son of a bitch—"

The only thing that stopped Butch from charging at Brick was Boomer's arm. Even though he wasn't the strongest, Boomer was very good at separating his brothers from a fight. Must be from him doing it for practically their entire lives.

Boomer gave them both a stern look, a pretty rare occurrence. "Stop guys! We're not gonna get anywhere if we keep arguing," he scolded.

"We're not gonna get anywhere if we keep arguin'." Butch was a professional when it came to mimicking his brothers. It was hard to admit, but he was pretty damn good at it. He had Boomer's nasally voice down perfectly. "God, you sound like a baby. Wasn't puberty supposed to hit ya years ago?" He laughed loudly with a pig snort.

"Hey!" Boomer looked like he was hit square in the chest. If there was one thing he hated, it was being teased over his voice. He was unfortunately either a late-bloomer or a man who would never have a voice that sounded smooth and deep rather than keys scratching on a chalkboard.

Brick rolled his eyes. "Boom's right, though," he said. "Let's cut the shit and just... think for a lil'."

More silence. Then Boomer filled it up again. "...What're we gonna do now?"

That was a good question. It was honestly the main question. And of course, by the way they eyed him, Butch and Boomer expected Brick to answer it. Out of the three, Brick was the smartest. Was he that smart, though? Not really in Brick's opinion. If anything, he was clever at some points and depended solely on Google searches and YouTube videos at most. He was resourceful. Even an idiot could be resourceful.

"Gonna be honest guys. I have no fucking clue." Brick plopped down onto the sand, resting his head in his hands. "Y'all can figure it out." He was tired. Honestly, Brick just wanted to go to sleep right there in the sand and not worry about whatever would happen next. Sadly, life was never that easy for him.

"Well, we can't leave the car sinking. It'd probably be unsafe for the animals and plant life living there..." Boomer dragged on, his blue eyes turning back to watch the water. The car couldn't be seen, but they knew it was probably still sinking down as they spoke. That couldn't be good. "Should we, I dunno, call the police to get some help?"

Brick didn't like the police. But he also didn't like the thought of getting caught and arrested over something that wasn't his fault... or, at least what he thought wasn't his fault. Either way, ignoring the issue would just create bigger problems. "Look at you, using your brain. Yes, we should call the police. And by 'we,' I mean 'you.'" Naturally, Brick's voice sounded commanding and straight to the point.

"Why me?" Boomer whined out. "I'm the one who made the plan; can't Butch do it? He never contributes anything other than bad humor."

Butch shrugged, not hurt by Boomer's words. "Well, you are the nicest outta all of us. Plus the elders eat up that squeaky voice of yours. Shit's like a drug to them or somethin'." His fingertips pressed onto his own chest. "And I certainly can't talk with the cops. What if I slip up and call one of 'em a fuck nugget? Do you want that, Boom? Want me to call an officer of the law a fuck nugget?" With a smirk, Butch crossed his arms at the lack of speaking from Boomer's part. "Nope, didn't think so. Now go suck up to the cops, bro."

Boomer frowned but still didn't argue back. Deep down, he knew that Butch was right in a way. Boomer was extremely charismatic, almost to a dangerous fault. If he wanted something, he'd somehow get it with his choice of words alone. It was a talent, really; he did it so easily.

"Fine," Boomer huffed out before heading over to one of the public phones located on the nearby pier.

The other two silently watched him leave before turning back to the sea. It was oddly peaceful looking at it. Still plain and boring, though. Honestly, if they weren't there looking as beat up and tired as they were, then it would have been hard to tell that an accident even happened. It just looked like a typical Tuesday night.

"...Shit," was all Butch could say.

Brick let out a sigh and nodded. He understood that word all too clearly. "Yeah. Shit."

Soon, Boomer called the police, and after a thirty minute wait ("Isn't the station, like, right around this area?" Butch asked, smacking his teeth. "Fuckin' hell..."), emergency services arrived. One glance at the Jojo brothers was all it took for some of the officers to grow that look of disdain. They tried to hide it behind sympathetic smiles and worried eyes, but Brick knew what they really felt. It wasn't the first time he and his brothers were in front of the cops, anyway, and it sure as hell wouldn't be the last.

And damn, did they ask a lot of questions. "How did you guys wind up in Sunset Sea? Who was driving the vehicle? Did any of you consume any alcoholic beverages? Can you walk in a straight line? How did you guys escape?" The questions were practically endless.

If Brick had no sense like his dear brother Butch, he would've replied without thinking. "I fucking drove, you can bring out a fucking breathalyzer cause I sure as hell didn't drink, I'm cold as shit so walking in a complete straight line would be fucking impossible, and I would LOVE to know how the FUCK we escaped, but I don't. How about you guys hope the fuck offa me and, oh I dunno, let me and my bros go home?" That was one too many f-bombs for the cops to handle.

So instead, he bit his tongue and allowed Boomer to do most of the talking. He was better at it, anyway. The cops definitely wanted to know more, so the brothers were expected to be at the station the next day in the afternoon. Individual questioning would be done.

Shit.

An ambulance also arrived, just so the boys could get checked properly. Luckily, Brick wasn't beat up too bad. He had a few scratches and bruises here and there, which didn't hurt much. But the strangest thing on him were sharp nail marks. They were on his upper arms, and though they only stung a little, he couldn't help but stare at them. It was as if someone dug their nails into his skin, but he couldn't remember who.

Brick overheard the status of his brothers. Butch also didn't get beat up too badly. The worst thing about him was his head, which left one hell of a mark. There weren't any current signs of brain damage or a concussion, but if he felt any headaches or migraines, he was to go to the emergency room immediately for a checkup. "Better safe than sorry," an EMT commented.

However, Boomer definitely had a fractured pinky. They were able to fix it at the scene with local anesthesia and a nice, tiny splint once the procedure was all finished. Health insurance would have covered the cost easily. But Boomer didn't have health insurance. None of them did.

Fucking shit. They were already scrapping for money. This plus the cost to remove the car from Sunset Sea and get a new car in general would make things even harder. Brick would have to work my shifts on the weekends if they were available.

"What the..." Brick heard Butch mutter. He turned his attention to what the black haired man was looking at. Tons and tons of vans came pulling up to the beach, and they all had one thing in common: the huge, sparkly 'CHANNEL 4' logo on the side doors.

Every amount of Brick's politeness went flying away. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me," he growled out. He and his brothers had just got out of an accident, and the thought of answering even more questions for a news channel owned by the most spoiled brat in Townsville just did not seem right.

A nearby officer must of heard him, because soon after the outburst, he came strolling towards the three brothers. "You don't have to answer anything if you don't want to," he told them, watching as the infamous Princess Morbucks stepped out of the main van, which was covered in gold and sparkles.

The Jojo brothers were in complete agreement. They most certainly did not want to be questioned any more than they already had. Princess was known for being the most annoying person in town, and they already deal with her enough at Pokey Oaks University. Plus, her news channel would just make them look criminal. They didn't need any more reasons for people to hate them.

"Yeah, I'm ready to dip. Now," Butch urged, seeing that Princess was almost done reapplying her makeup. It was only a matter of time before she came over there, recognize them, and make a combination of snarky and annoying remarks about the situation.

"Same," Boomer yawned, clearly tired.

Brick nodded. "K, let's go."

The three began to walk off, but the nearby cop stopped them in their tracks. "Do you guys want a ride?" he offered, giving them a slight (and, from the looks of it in Brick's perspective, forced) smile. "Don't worry; it'll be free of charge."

Brick most certainly did not want a ride from an officer. But Butch and Boomer were already headed towards the cop car excitedly (those two were impressed by any and everything), and Brick decided it'd be better to have a ride to escape Princess. He smacked his teeth before following them to the car.

"H-Hey, stop them!" Princess suddenly shouted, and all three brothers visibly shifted. However, not a single person told them to stop, and even if someone did, they weren't going to listen. "W-We would love to have an interview with you boys for Channel 4 News, live right here in Townsville!" she stated almost too enthusiastically, and the sound of her heels hitting the sandy ground was somehow louder than the police sirens and random conversations.

"Oh brother," Boomer muttered, rolling his eyes as he put his head down. There were a couple of cameras pointed at them, and Boomer loathed cameras completely. Their fifth grade school pictures really took a toll on him. Nobody could ever forget how tragic he looked with a gap tooth, braces, crossed eyes, and the black eye he received from Mitch Mitchelson in a heated game of dodgeball. "I'm surprised she can run. She usually pays people to do that for her," he stated bluntly.

Both Brick and Butch snorted in laughter. Boomer was pretty funny when he dropped the good boy act.

"What's so funny!?" they hear Princess ask, her footsteps still running strong. "Share with the audience! You guys just escaped a sinking car in the Sunset Sea, correct?" She finally caught up to them, blocking their way. Even though she was completely out of breath, her looks didn't get any worse. "Just give me your worded account on what happened already... please? Then I promise to get out of your hair." The microphone in her hand was shoved in Brick's face.

"...You know what? Fine." Brick smiled then lifted his hand, raising his middle finger high in the air. "Here's my 'worded account.' Since you're needy for views, use this for your shitty news channel."

Boomer's jaw dropped while Butch exploded in laughter. There were a collection of other laughs along with gasps and a couple people saying something along the lines of, "Holy shit, did he really do that on live television?" This shouldn't have even been a shocker. Brick Jojo had definitely done worse in his life.

Princess visibly fumed, her face turning red. "Oh, screw you!" Ah, there was the true Princess. It was so easy to anger her, even when she attempted to stay professional in front of cameras. Hopefully the rest of Townsville could see that through the live recording... if anybody were ever sane enough to sit there and watch her channel with full attention.

"Only in your dreams, Princess." He went up to her, ruffled her hair enough to get some of the curls out of her tight, neat bun, and grinned at her growl. "Now, if you'll 'cuse me..." He grabbed her shoulders and pulled the flabbergasted girl to the side before continuing his walk to the car, Butch and Boomer snickering under their breaths as they followed.

No further attempt was made to make the boys speak after that. Everyone just watched as the Jojo brothers climbed into the cop car. As it sped away, sirens on, nobody dared to make a sound.

The next day, Brick woke up at eight in the morning to see his middle finger on his TV screen.

He wiped his eyes to make sure it was really him, and when he saw that it was, he instantly cringed. "Shit," he groaned, sliding off his bed.

Honestly, who let him do that? It made him look like a thirteen year old wannabe delinquent instead of a twenty-one year old university student. It would have been one thing if it was just on Channel 4, but Brick always slept to Channel 26 News. The fact that they had this video of him meant that this stupid car issue would be a bigger deal than what he wanted.

His body felt incredibly numb yet incredibly in pain all at once. Flying through the motions, he was somehow able to take a quick shower and put on his clothes for the day. He stared blankly in his room mirror as he threw one of his red caps on his head. The person staring back at him looked pretty shitty to say the least. Luckily, Brick wasn't one to care for his looks much.

Brick read the time again. A quarter past nine. Perfect. He'd actually make it to his morning class on time. Sure, he'd have to skip breakfast, but sacrifices had to be made constantly in university. He didn't really like his Finite Math course, but because it was a prerequisite, he had no choice but to suffer through it. His grade wasn't tanking just yet, though another tardy might make his grade a little too low to keep his scholarship money afloat.

"I'm leaving!" he called out, stuffing books into his book bag before shrugging it over one of his shoulders. Naturally, he was met with silence. Knowing his brothers, Boomer was probably already out and about on his daily walk while Butch was snoring up a storm in his room (The lucky bastard didn't have classes on Wednesdays). He knew there was no purpose announcing his departure, but he couldn't help it. At this point, it was a habit.

Leaving out the rickety door, Brick began the quiet ten minute stroll to Pokey Oaks University, hands stuffed in his red hoodie. If he had his car, it would've definitely been faster, but of course his life had to head downhill. It didn't matter much, though. His stomach was getting less toned anyway; a little exercise would do him some good. The weather today was warm enough to bear, so it wasn't so bad.

By the time he reached the university, however, he began to sweat a little. He was sure his hoodie now had sweat stains. Great. Just what he needed. Now he couldn't raise his hands anymore.

"Wait up girls!" he heard someone call from afar, a female. Curiosity got the better of him, so he looked in that direction. In that moment, her light brown eyes met his dark brown ones as she turned, just for a second. And when the sun suddenly shone on them and she squinted, he noticed that her eyes looked pink in color.

Pink...

Brick didn't know why, but he started to walk towards her. He walked and walked and walked until suddenly, he collided with her. They both went tumbling, and while she caught herself easily, he went crashing to the ground, his books following.

"Are you alright?" he heard her ask. And when he looked up, he got a better look at her. The most striking thing about her appearance was this huge, red bow placed neatly on the top of her head. Honestly, it looked like something a grade schooler would wear, which really differed from her sophisticated outfit. But all that didn't matter. It was her voice that really stood out the most. He knew that voice. It was one he could never forget, even if he tried to.

It was the one from underwater.

"You..." was all Brick could mutter out.

The girl blinked. "Yes, me...?" She said it as more of a question than a statement. But her eyes were saying something that contradicted her spoken confusion. They weren't really looking at him actually. She knew he knew that something was being hidden, and he was more than aware of her knowledge. He considered himself a master of hearing what someone's hidden thoughts were saying. 'Don't say anything,' hers begged. 'Please. At least not here.'

Brick was an asshole. But he wasn't that much of an asshole. Butch definitely was. That piece of shit was practically the King of Assholes. Brick was more like the Prince. He'd remove his tiny crown for now, though.

He needed evidence anyway.

"I mean. You. Ya know, like, I know you 'cause I've seen you around," Brick stated lamely instead. That was a complete lie. He'd never seen her before, and if he did, he didn't remember her at all. He collected his books from the ground and stuffed them back into his book bag, making sure to zip it closed this time.

She lets out a laugh that somehow makes Brick feel like he's floating. "You're Brick Jojo, right? I know you, too. Your brother Boomer hangs out with one of my sisters a lot. And you're, like, always on the Dean's List."

"Uhh..." What the fuck? Brick's never been one to get stuck on words, especially in front of a female. Everything he said seemed as if it were calculated and cool. Right now he looked like an idiot. "Heh. Yeah. That's me." Okay, after that reply, he looked like a major idiot. He stuffed his tingling hands in his pockets, hoping the burning sensation in his cheeks would die down.

There was a moment of silence, and during that time, Brick wondered if he should just walk away and never look back. "I'm Blossom Utonium," she suddenly announced. Her cheeks lift up into a small, beautiful smile.

"Didn't ask." Brick just wanted this interaction to be over at this point, so being rude was the best option. He embarrassed himself enough. He didn't want to leave any windows of opportunity open for more moments.

Blossom just shrugs, though. "Just being polite, Brick. I know you didn't. You wanted to know who I am, though."

Brick did want to know her name, but he couldn't exactly admit that to her, could he? It would be awkward as hell. "How'd ya guess that?" he asked instead, one of his eyebrows raised.

She shifted the glasses on her face. "Intuition," she replied simply.

Blossom opened her mouth, seemingly having more to say, but she was interrupted. "Blossom, let's go!" She and Brick turned to see a black haired girl standing a distance ahead of them. Her hands were on her hips, and the scowl on her tanned face clearly showed how she was feeling. "I'm starving and I don't wanna wait in a line!"

"Be patient, Buttercup; I'm coming!" Blossom shouted back, then huffed out some air. She looked at Brick one more time, an unreadable smile on her face. "See you around?" Not waiting for a reply, she turned around and sped off, never looking back as she reunited with the two other girls.

Brick just stood there, staring at the blank spot in front of him even after she was long gone. He felt weird. He felt lost. He didn't like feeling lost.

Blossom definitely knew something, and because this something involved him, he felt that he had no choice but to figure out every single detail. This whole thing was a disaster waiting to happen. But Brick Jojo had a tendency of attracting disasters his way, anyway. What was one more disaster, right?

Brick laughed to himself, combing a hand through his tangled hair. He glanced up at the huge clocked statue standing in the middle of the quad. Nine-thirty. He was late again. Another disaster of the day. He smacked his teeth before running to his class. Only one thought floated in his head.

'Shit.'

A/N I watch one episode of H20: Just Add Water and listen to 'Dream Sweet in Sea Major,' and suddenly, I wanna write about mermaids. Interesting.

Excuse the massive grammar errors that are most likely on this. I have a case of Too Lazy to Proofread. There's no cure for it. Don't save me because I don't deserve saving-

Anyway. Uh. Oh wow. Hello. New story. I'm nervous. I wrote this in the span of a week because I felt the urge to get this idea out ASAP. Plus, I don't think I've ever seen a Mermaid AU PPG fanfic before, so I wanted to give it a shot!

I'mma be honest with you guys: I don't know if I should continue this. I have both a lot and a little bit of ideas. Plus I'm dedicated to uploading monthly chapters of Big Bow Blossom, my top priority right now.

Should I continue it? Is it interesting? If not, then I guess we'll consider it a vague one-shot, aha.

If you read, thank you so much! If this is something that'll build into something more, then look forward to the next chapter :)