Crowley was protected by Lucifer liking him, so even if he fucked up, he was well liked and thus couldn’t have any retribution enacted or be written up before he screwed up the apocalypse.
I don’t think Crowley was bad at his job, and I also don’t think he was a bleeding heart just wanting to do good to be angelic again, but I do think he was lazy. Laziness does not equate to being bad at your job, it just means that you don’t care to put in much effort. Crowley taking credit for human cruelties is proof of this. He didn’t have to go out tempting. the humans did his work for him.
“They love me down there.” And we can see that Lucifer certainly likes him. After all, he delivers the instructions right to Crowley. It’s not Beelzebub or Dagon or even Hastur! Satan himself, the dark lord of Hell, delivers the instructions to Crowley, who has probably never been promoted a day in his life!
I like to think of Crowley as the equivalent to That One Employee the Boss Likes. You know the one. They can do nothing wrong, even when they fuck up, because the boss really likes them. And it annoys everyone in the office. I think Hastur, Ligur, and the rest would love an excuse to really rough up Crowley, but he’s protected by the Big Boss, so they can’t. Satan only really gets angry with Crowley (and thus, his immunity is broken) after the other demons find out about the misplaced Antichrist. Then, Hastur and Ligur come to drag Crowley back to Hell.
I think the same would apply to my angel!Crowley AU. I like Crowley for Zadkiel, angel of freedom and mercy. Again, I’m not on boasrd with the “Crowley was Raphael” thing...sorry. Zadkiel is a Dominion. Dominions are in charge of the archangels. So, Zadkiel never saw much of the war with the to-be Fallen. He and the other Dominions were like generals, making battle plans in the war room, but he, at least, never saw any actual fighting. This resulted in Zadkiel not really feeling much hatred towards the Fallen. Yes, they were demons now, but they had been angels once. Only curious angels who liked to ask questions, just as he often did.
The difference, though, was that God loved Zadkiel. And Zadkiel was very careful to phrase his questions in a way that would not brand him a traitor, and he kept the questions he knew didn’t have answers to himself.
As God was creating Eden, She pulled him aside and told him that She needed him to be a guardian of the Eastern Gate. Technically, his position on Earth was almost a demotion, as he’d have to report to the archangel Gabriel, and answer to Michael and Sandalphon. But She needed him there. It was important to Her. So, Zadkiel agreed. However, that didn’t mean he was reverent or respectful to the archangels he was forced to report to.
Gabriel: And you just stood there and let Eve take the apple?! Zadkiel: If I wasn’t supposed to intervene, God would have smited me on the spot. *shrugs*
~
G: You weren’t meant to save the children from the Flood! You should Fall for your disobedience! Z: And yet I’m still an angel. Wow.
Zadkiel believes that, as an angel, he can do no wrong, and that his actions are a part of God’s plan, even if that’s not communicated to him by the archangels. And he’s similarly irreverent about miracle usage.
Dear Zadkiel, It has come to my attention that you have overdrawn your miracles for this quarter. Do try to avoid this in future. ~Gabriel
Dear Gabriel, Go fuck yourself. ~Zadkiel
