Dean Winchester will claim that his and Castiel's first kiss was in the Impala on a Wednesday afternoon, outside of an IHOP. Castiel tasted like maple syrup and blueberries. If Dean was the romantic type, he would say that they just gravitated towards each other, and the world stopped turning for those few seconds their lips touched for the first time. But since he's not (at least not in front of people other than Castiel) he says it was a little awkward, and not their best one.

Castiel will claim that yes, they did kiss in the Impala outside of an IHOP, but it was a Thursday morning, and he only had the blueberry Belgian waffle because Dean insisted that he wouldn't eat unless he had something as well. And one important fact that Dean always leaves out was that Sam saw it as he came out from paying for their breakfast.

As much as Dean swears up and down that was their first kiss, Castiel knows better.

Castiel remembers breaking through one of the Hell Gates with his garrison, Uriel and Phanuel flanking him. They did not use vessels, but their battle forms. Their battle forms were still bright, but would not burn the eyes out of their enemies. That would not be fair.

Uriel and Phanuel did not leave his side as Castiel plowed through scores of demons trying to reach The Righteous Man before it was too late. They let the remainder of the garrison do a majority of the fighting.

They found The Righteous Man. His soul was beginning to darken. He was nearing the beginning of his transformation. But Castiel could still see the purity of his soul.

When he was within reach, Castiel touched him and flew out, not looking behind to see how Uriel and Phanuel were faring against the demons. Uriel survived, Phanuel did not.

Castiel kept Dean's soul cradled close to him, still gripping in the same place. He managed to get them both to the plane of existence that lies between the physical world and the otherworld and went to work.

He started with the long process of cleaning Dean's soul. It was very much like how one would polish silver, a long, careful process. The entire time, Castiel whispered prayers of peace, trying to calm the confusion and panic radiating from the soul. Once Dean had settled, Castiel had an easier time with the last stages of purification.

He kept Dean's soul nestled against him as they shifted to the physical world. Healing the body was much easier. There was a lot to be reversed and repaired, and he talked softly to Dean while he did it.

He removed all previous scars while he repaired the damage the hellhounds did. He left the protection tattoo as he reset bones. All signs of decay and death were permanently gone. All the body needed now was its soul.

The soul that desperately clung to the angel would not move. It ached for peace, an end to the harsh life it lived. Dean begged to be set free, to be able to rest. Castiel brushed his lips against the edge of the soul, promising that when all this was over, he would have peace. Reluctantly, Dean's soul rejoined his body with the help of Castiel.

Now that the soul had rejoined the body, the only thing left was the spark of life. Castiel leaned down and rested his hand on the man's shoulder. He gently kissed Dean on his newly reformed lips, pushing a bit of his grace through the two points of contact he had with the body.

The lips underneath his parted, trying to return the kiss as life reentered the body. Castiel removed the contact and returned to the in between plane as Dean breathed his first breath.

Castiel has told Dean this over and over. But Dean has no memory of that moment.

He still insists their first kiss was in the Impala in front of the IHOP.