So this is basically a "what if" one shot thats been on my computer forever about bionic showdown and what would've happened if Leo hadn't been wearing that vest. It also goes into how his family didn't believe him and treated him badly in general (because seriously, they were awful). So enjoy!
It hurt.
He would never say it, of course, but it hurt.
When he told them he didn't break the guitar and they didn't believe him, it hurt. He would have believed them, his brothers, his best friends, over some kid who had just walked (unwelcomed, in his opinion) into their lives. But they didn't. Were they so desperate to have another friend that anyone else, even their little brother, was expendable? Or was he really such a nuisance to them? Was this instance so similar to other times, that this was just another 'Leo?' Even now he doesn't know what the reason really was, all he knows is that they did it, and it hurt.
But he forgave them, of course. He forgave them even if the didn't ask for it. Because they were his brothers, his family. And family comes before everything, at least in his book. He's not so sure about them.
Everytime they laughed at him, it hurt. Every time he spoke the words "Marcus is Evil" and they laughed, it hurt. Every time, all those dozens of times, each left a mark on him. Each one cut deeper than the next, because he knew that he would never make them deal with someone who made them as uncomfortable, and later scared, as Marcus made him. And when Bree claimed that "As a family, we're going to get you the help you so desperately need," it hurt. Because ignoring each others feelings is not what family is for. He knows it was a joke but still, it hurt.
But he forgave them, of course. He forgave them even if they didn't ask for it. Because they were his siblings, his family. He just wonders, hopes, that they see him as the same. But he's not so sure anymore.
And when Marcus shot him, it hurt. He lay in the grass, blood pooling around his frozen body, and it hurt.
Knowing he had little time left, he held on with everything he had, even if it would have been so much simpler, so much less painful to just let go right then. Because he knew if he let go then he wouldn't come back, and he couldn't leave without telling them.
So he held on for them, he held on even if they didn't ask him to. He would take the pain, so that they wouldn't have to.
Because they were his brothers, his sister, his father, his family. And he knew they would never forgive themselves if he didn't tell them.
And so he laid there waiting until he saw four pairs of feet running towards him, one with superhuman speed. Then he gathered his last strength, and told them what he knew they needed to hear, and what he needed to say
"I forgive you, I love you guys."
And then Leo Dooley departed from this world.