#crowley rejects aziraphale

[mizgnomer]

Trouble in the 1800's - Good Omens

The next time we see them together Crowley asks for holy water. What did they do to the poor dear?

[mrghostrat]

after reading ATWS I have this vision of Crowley checking his watch and it’s the heart rate notif but all it says is:

u down bad

(great updates, btw!!!)

get smitten, idiot

[twilightcitysky]

Hypothesis: Aziraphale HATES that Crowley is living in his car.

Supporting evidence:

The very first thing we see him do in the present is stop Maggie from moving out and making sure she feels welcome to stay as long as she likes.

He clearly knows Crowley’s unhappy before anything happens in the plot: “Does it calm you down?”. And also clearly feels helpless about it. Enter the conspicuous Eccles cakes: Aziraphale’s offer, which is rejected.

Crowley’s obviously, for all his hedging, spending a lot of time at the bookshop— so much that he has his own glasses perch and feels immediately comfortable removing them. See also: “Technically my bookshop but we both get plenty of use out of it”, “Why don’t you wait inside? You like waiting inside”.

It’s Crowley who immediately shoves the box of plants into Aziraphale’s arms after Aziraphale returns from Scotland.

Speaking of Scotland, why wouldn’t Aziraphale take the train? Why insist on driving the Bentley? Is it perhaps because he wants to get Crowley and his plants into the shop, and thinks if he creates a situation where Crowley has to stay there, maybe he won’t immediately leave again?

He’s got an empty bedroom and an apparently pathological need to make the person staying there very comfortable, creating cute little customized souvenirs like he’s an Air B&B host (displacement!).

He immediately jumps to having Gabriel stay with him— he didn’t have to. Arguably, both Gabriel and Aziraphale would be safer if Gabe stayed elsewhere.

That’s what I’ve got for now but I’m sure there’s more. Throughout the show, watch what Aziraphale gives to others and does for others, and it’ll tell you what he wants to do for Crowley. He’s living so deeply in displacement in makes him come across as manic and brittle.

(What probably happened is Aziraphale offered the spare bedroom and Crowley, who unconsciously didn’t want to be his roommate or sleep in a single bed with Aziraphale right downstairs because how could the poor lovesick boy cope with that, told him he wasn’t a “good deed” for Aziraphale to do and stormed off.)

Conclusion: Aziraphale asked Crowley to stay at his place, immediately and probably repeatedly. They had a row about it, and Crowley refused, and to this day Aziraphale doesn’t understand why.

And it hurts him.

[thealogie]

They really had aziraphale do a whole “Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your connections?--to congratulate myself on the hope of relations, whose condition in life is so decidedly beneath my own?"

[oldbookshop]

"aziraphale chose heaven over crowley" NO HE THOUGHT THIS WAS A CHANCE TO FINALLY RECONCILE HIS LOVE FOR HEAVEN AND CROWLEY AND DIDN'T THINK HE WAS CHOOSING AT ALL UNTIL CROWLEY SAID NO, BY WHICH POINT AZIRAPHALE WAS WAY TOO DEEP IN IT AND DEFYING THE METATRON COULD ABSOLUTELY HAVE MEANT HARM TO BOTH CROWLEY AND HIMSELF

[p4nishers]

there's something i need to say and yall can boo me for it but deep in my heart i'll always know i'm correct: crowley already forgave aziraphale. like already would take him back at one flutter of his eyelashes. that's all.

[aziraphales-demon]

did anyone else notice this excruciating parallel??

makes me think the bandstand scene was crowley's attempt at confessing the first time🙂 i'm fine!

[blue-eyed-giant]

[seance]

GOOD OMENS (2019-) / ALL THINGS END (Hozier, 2023)

[queer-reader-07]

ok i want to talk about aziraphale’s reaction to The Kiss. (yes i’m talking about The Kiss again, it lives rent free in my head)

he looks both desperately confused and angry. he’s upset in ways he can’t fully express to crowley or honestly, even to himself.

and i think what’s happening here is that azi can’t handle the fact that crowley’s actually leaving.

because crowley always comes back. after the bandstand breakup, he comes back. after saying he won’t help hide gabriel jim, he comes back. in multiple minisodes where they say they don’t need each other or it’s been decades apart, crowley always comes back.

and this is the crux of the issue, crowley is always the one to come back. crowley goes back to the bookshop, crowley shows up to save aziraphale in azi’s damsel in distress moments. crowley is always the one coming back. never aziraphale.

yes of course azi loves crowley. i think, in some ways, he understands that love more than crowley does for most of the story (even if it’s HEAVILY repressed, and that’s on religious trauma). but azi never does the coming back. he does the waiting. he waits for crowley to realize he was wrong. he waits for crowley to save him (because saving azi makes him so happy).

i think. maybe just a little. aziraphale thought that crowley’s Kiss was him coming back. that it was crowley realizing he was wrong and that he should come back. (also, just throwing this out there. AZI KISSED BACK. AZI HELD CROWLEY AS CLOSE AS HE COULD. HE LEANED INTO IT.) but The Kiss wasn’t crowley coming back. it was a last goodbye. a last “we could’ve been Us. do you see what we’re losing? DO YOU?!”

obviously there was a lot going through his (and crowley’s) minds. a lot of emotions, a lot of pent up anger and frustration, a lot of everything honestly.

but i think part of azi’s anger and sadness post Kiss is because he genuinely thought crowley would come back. because crowley ALWAYS comes back. azi can’t admit that he’s wrong (and if i’m being honest, i don’t think either of them is really wrong per say but that’s a topic for another day)

and the thing is. crowley didn’t come back but he didn’t leave either. yes he walked out of the bookshop but he stood there waiting for azi right up until he was sure azi was actually gone.

for once he gave azi the chance to come back.

crowley didn’t hide in his car. he didn’t drive off before aziraphale could say something else. he stood outside the bentley in clear view. crowley wanted azi to be the one to come back for once. he would’ve been so elated if azi had come back and gotten in the bentley. but azi didn’t. because azi doesn’t do the coming back… at least not yet.

[televised-eyes]

It really saddens me to see Aziraphale get the full force of everyone’s contempt over his reaction to the kiss & here's why:

What do we know about Aziraphale's true character? What they we been shown? Well, he’s a silly angel, who cares too much, loves his partner Crowley and truly wants to do what he believes is the right thing!

Don't get me wrong, I can see why a lot of people side and identify with Crowley after the final fifteen, given his trauma and the fact that he was the one making himself vulnerable by initiating the kiss.

But here the thing: it’s not like Aziraphale acted out of character after hearing Crowley’s proposal. We, as the audience, have been shown multiple times when Crowley has begged for them to run away together and every time we’ve seen it, it has been in a situation where Crowley wants to abandon all responsibility. It’s a trauma response and I don’t blame Crowley for being traumatized by Heaven and Hell. Just like I don’t blame him for not wanting to go back to either.

But Aziraphale has never responded positively to this proposition before. The only difference this time was the kiss. A beautiful, desperate, awkward kiss!

Aziraphale has always been wired to take responsibility and direct action even when he shouldn’t. For him, Azi’s personal code is to always do what he believes is the right thing to do, even if it might not end well. He gives the flaming sword to humanity, he saves Job’s children, he discorporates himself to stop the apocalypse, he does the thing with the halo.

I just don’t buy the narrative that he chose Heaven over Crowley. I think Aziraphale chose Heaven *because* of Crowley. He knew as long as he was in charge, he could keep Crowley safe.

Azi clearly loves Crowley despite his cognitive dissonance at all times. He can talk all the livelong day about how they "aren’t friends," but his actions speak the opposite. He cares deeply for Crowley. Azi trusts Crowley, he lets him get “plenty of use” out of the bookshop, he turns a neighborhood association meeting into a cotillion ball so that he can dance with him, he risked an eternity in Hell by wearing Crowley’s face.

He also knows that Crowley always comes back especially his angel needs him. Unless Crowley does a 180 and returns to Hell to actively thwart Heaven out of spite (which ngl that would great television & a theory I’d like to dwell deeper into elsewhere) this was just another disagreement and they will work it out somehow by working together. And hopefully learn how to communicate clearly!

The very root of the argument was misunderstanding and failure of communication on both sides.

The more I think about the “I forgive you” line, the more I think it may have just been Azi’s gut reaction to read the kiss as one of Crowley’s “temptations.” It’s a loaded word, but I think most people read the kiss as a last act of desperation to convince him to run away. In the past, we have seen Azi’s automatic response to what he feels like is a temptation from Crowley has always been to “forgive” him.

Is it irritating? Yes. Is it good communication? No. Is it a trauma response? I think yes.

I think that’s why the ending of season 2 didn’t upset me as much as it has upset others. I feel like I understand both sides—both how and why Crowley and Aziraphale make their decisions—because the writing is so damn good.

*Aziraphale did not reject or abandon Crowley.*

That last look at Crowley before stepping into the elevator was not a “good bye” or a “fuck you.” I truly believe he looked back to remind himself why he’s doing what he’s doing in the first place!!!

Aziraphale is protecting Crowley because he loves Crowley and believes their relationship is not only worth making sacrifices for, but also strong enough to withstand them!

[ineffablelunatics]

Something that I want to see is the Bentley being mad at Aziraphale. Anytime, he tries to get in she locks the doors and won’t open them. Crowley has to reach over and fight with the lock. If she ever lets him drive, it will always be way over the speed limit even faster than when Crowley is driving. Or she’ll drive even slower and make him beg to drive even the normal speed limit. If Crowley’s driving, she’ll do whatever he says just to spite Aziraphale. He’ll finally sneak outside one day whilst Crowley is away and give her a big, genuine apology. He’ll thank her for taking care of Crowley when he didn’t or couldn’t. Then when he thinks he’s failed, the Bentley slowly inches forward, engines purring, and unlock the doors

[tinsnip]

okay but listen though, listen listen listen two books. ok? two stories.

one: pride and prejudice. two proud people who are, by society's standards, not appropriately matched. and it's the one who's technically lower down who refuses the offer of the higher up. yes? yes. and it's because of pride - which aziraphale and crowley have in abundance - and prejudice - which they also have in abundance. "of course you refused hell. you're the bad guys." "heaven? you're better than that!" no concept that there could ever be any give there. so what comes next? time apart. and a Big Rethink. and maybe mister collins, ho ho.

two: the book of job. one of my faves. an absolute clusterfuck. someone who tries very hard to do everything right, who is by all appearances (inwardly and outwardly) a gem of a person. and they get absolutely fucked over because god can. and they don't blame god. they blame themselves. 'what have i done? how have i so badly misunderstood what's required of me? i'm a failure. i deserve this.' and then - then - they get told that congratulations, lol, god wasn't actually mad at you, it was all a test and you passed! that thing you sometimes told yourself? to survive? to stay sane? it was a true thing! and now god is going to give you more than you ever had before! not the same stuff - better stuff! so wow - the person was right! all along! and obviously the stuff they had before can't have been all that good? yes? and if they want it back - well, that's not up to them, is it? come back when you can make a whale! there's got to be a greater plan! the kids who died - well - they're part of it! the love you lost - hey! all for the greater good! and doesn't it feel better when it's all in someone else's hands? someone greater, who had a plan all along? isn't that a lot more palatable? it suuuuuure is. safer, too.

parallels motherfuckers. parallels.

[p4nishers]

no no this is ACTUALLY so fucking embarrassing for him no wonder he was an absolute bitch in rome

[aziraphales-ineffable-bookshop]

I obviously cannot keep my obsessions to myself, so I started talking about Good Omens during book club and one of the other people there goes "Oh, the redhead demon and the white-haired angel I keep seeing everywhere?"

I mean yes but-

[dahlia-molinas]

s3 aziracrow fight à la pride & prejudice (2005) first proposal in the rain. aziraphale shows up out of no where and proposes to crowley (asks to work together). crowley rejects him (he's too heartbroken). their lips are practically touching.