Hi All -

I would love to hear from you about this scene, since I'm not sure if it's just what I read it as at face value or if I missed something or don't know a connotation. In the 1800s when A and C are hanging out in the garden and Crowley asks him for holy water, it's all normal banter until Aziraphale drops the "f bomb," in this case "fraternizing." Crowley pretty much loses his shit at this specific word and just seems SO angry and hurt by it. Even with the whole "I have plenty of people I can fraternize with," which clearly seemed to be an attempt to make A jealous.

But the thing is...like, yeah, they HAVE been fraternizing! That's literally what this has been! Forming a close friendship with someone you're technically not allowed to see/be with. That's why they have to keep their relationship secret, because they're breaking every rule in the book with sneaking around to see each other all the time. The only reasoning I could come up with is that since Crowley is obviously in love with him it's a sort of "IS THIS ALL I AM TO YOU JUST SOME COWORKER YOU FRATERNIZE WITH?!" but it seems like a stretch, and I still can't figure out why that word would've made him THAT upset. If Aziraphale had said something along the lines "if they knew I'd been talking to the enemy," or "if they knew we have a professional friendship," or something that implies this isn't a close or personal relationship, I would get it more, but "fraternizing" doesn't imply that the feelings aren't mutual or that their relationship isn't extremely close. Unless it does and I just don't realize it?

It just seemed like an odd word to get so upset over, but maybe I'm missing something. Thoughts?