Unsolicited Advice of a Sensitive Nature
Doyle heaved a deep sigh of frustration as Angel came to a stop in the middle of the road and refused to move any further.
'It's just - wow - you know?' the vampire said. 'All those people out there, all that pain. All that suffering. And nobody listens. I mean, honestly - when was the last time you really listened to someone else?'
'I'm listenin' right now, bud,' Doyle growled from between gritted teeth, as he walked round Angel, planted his hands just behind the vampire's shoulder blades and began to push him.
But the big slab of dead meat refused to move. 'You're not listening, Doyle, you're still refusing the process.'
Doyle shoved harder. 'I'm not refusing the process - you're refusing to move.' An idea hit him, 'and I gotta say, that's not very polite or courteous of ya, big fella. It's late - I gotta get on home, you know - you're - uh - detaining me.' He squeezed his eyes closed and shoved with all his might.
Against his will, Angel was forced forward - just a couple of tiny steps. 'But you're missing the big picture!' he said, frustratedly as he tottered forward, still resisting Doyle's shoving. 'You say you wanna go home, but what you really mean is you wanna close yourself off, shut yourself away in that little box and erect your barriers against the world.'
'Don't say "erect".'
'I'm serious. You have secrets. Big secrets and you won't share them. You hide your pain, you hide your suffering. You tell your jokes and have your visions but who's looking out for you Doyle? - Who is there to care for you?'
'I look out for myself, bud, I'm good at it.'
Angel sighed. 'It isn't enough, Doyle. No man is an island.'
'Well - when you're not bein' a giant pain in the ass - you look out for me pretty good as well. And then there's Cordelia.'
Angel came to a dead stop. Doyle gave up shoving. The vampire clasped a hand to his heart. 'Oh. Cordelia. I can feel how you feel about her. You need to tell her. You need to tell her everything. You cannot allow such a precious jewel as her to pass you by because you're too afraid to speak out.'
'That's - um - come on, we just need to get you home, and then you can sleep this thing off and be yourself again in the morning, yeah?' He nodded encouragingly.
But Angel shook his head at him, pityingly. 'Don't change the subject, Doyle. This is important. Love is important. What else could possibly matter? In all the world there is nothing more precious, nothing we need to cherish so dearly as love.'
'Uh … yeah. Come on, man,' he made his voice coaxing. 'Home? Sleep? We can talk about this tomorrow.'
'We have to live in the now - if we let these moments slip away from us… oh - you should go to her!' His eyes suddenly lit up with the delight of a fresh idea.
'What?' Doyle's voice was as dark as his mood was becoming.
'You haven't a moment to lose. Go to her now, and tell her how you feel. Open your heart to her, and she'll open hers to you. But don't wait another minute.'
'Right,' Doyle shuffled his feet and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to work out how to get this conversation back to where he really wanted it to be - back to Angel agreeing to go home. 'But, see, I got to get you safely back home - you're in a fragile state and I can't just leave you, that wouldn't be … sensitive. So what say we go on back to yours and then I'll get straight round to Cordelia's to pour out my heart. But the longer we stand her talkin' - the more time we lose.'
'You're right.' Angel nodded. 'This has been so selfish of me.' His lower lip began to tremble. 'Forgive me?'
'Consider yourself forgiven - now come on.' He seized Angel's arm and began to tug him along the sidewalk.
'You know you are the truest friend. You have the purest heart. I couldn't have wished for a more faithful, more loyal companion to be by my side.'
'Don't I know it,' Doyle grunted, still tugging the larger man along the road.
Angel faltered to a stop again. 'You gotta let me be the same to you. A true friend - a loyal and faithful companion.'
'Right - sure - but we discussed this already, good friends go home.'
'You have to tell me your secrets, Doyle. You have to share your pain. Please. Let me be this for you.'
'Right - yeah - pain sharing. Tomorrow. I promise. But I gotta get you home now so I can go to Cordelia and - um - seduce her... or something.'
'Well don't seduce her.' Angel sounded scandalised.
'Now you don't want me to seduce her?'
'Seduce is not the right word. It sounds … it's too lecherous, like you're using her. Like you're tricking her into being with you. That isn't how you feel. You have to be true to how you feel and she deserves to have your whole heart. You need to woo her. You need to put it all on the line and let her accept your heart in exchange for her own. Seduce is definitely not the right word.'
Doyle fought to retain his patience. 'Right - check - no seducing. Only wooing and exchanging of hearts. But I need to get you home first, so let's get a move on - before some other Lothario turns up and does try to seduce her. I mean, she's a pretty girl - not lacking for offers. And you know how fellas are - like buses, nothin' for ages and then three at once. I don't wanna miss my chance.'
'You're right,' Angel said nodding - and he began to march off down the street faster than Doyle's much shorter legs could carry him. 'We need to get a move on. You have to get to Cordelia's first. Hurry up, Doyle.'
Shaking his head with exasperated impatience, Doyle trotted after his friend.
'But in the morning, you need to tell me all about your pain,' Angel said to him.
...
Needless to say, that once Doyle had successfully got Angel home - he did not go to Cordelia's, to seduce, woo or otherwise. He went straight home to bed. And in the morning, he and Angel did not talk about Doyle's pain … in fact they didn't talk about the night before at all.
