It’s all in the mix tape.
I was thinking about the Destiel thing. Watching all the seasons again with that in mind. And my old ass ran across this scene, and it took me back to when the biggest declaration of love was The Mix Tape.
Question: When did Dean have time to make this?
Answer: He made time. Because it was Cas.
You only take the time to make mix tapes for the people you really care about.
“A good compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do. You've got to kick off with a corker, to hold the attention (I started with 'Got To Get You Off My Mind', but then realised that she might not get any further than track one, side one if I delivered what she wanted straight away, so I buried it in the middle of side two), and then you've got to up it a notch, and you can't have white music and black music together, unless the white music sounds like black music, and you can't have two tracks by the same artist side by side, unless you've done the whole thing in pairs, and ... oh there are loads of rules.” ― Nick Hornby, High Fidelity
What love gift could Dean lay at Cas’s feet while maintaining the “tough-guy you’re my best friend and my brother” image in his own head? While still feeling safe. While still being, “not gay.”
A compilation tape of “Zepp traxx.”
A gift to his best friend who doesn’t know about Zeppelin, and to whom he wants very much to share the “gospel” of Zepp. He wants Cas to listen to his favorite tunes, so he can connect.
And Dean is tore up. Just look at his face, his teary eyes!
Cas has ignored him. Hasn’t returned calls. Dean has been frantic with worry about the one he loves. And now Cas is giving the compilation tape back?
But Dean realizes Cas wouldn’t know. Wouldn’t know about gifts. Wouldn’t know about the significance of The Mixtape. But he still can’t show him it hurts. Because he’s Dean.
So Cas, confused, takes it back.
And he realizes that maybe, somewhere, there’s forgiveness here.
And just maybe, something else? Is that a spark of hope there?
