It took a few hours, and frankly Blaine was surprised that it didn't take longer. He was eating a slice of store-bought frozen pizza (which Kurt hated) on the couch (which Kurt also hated—not the couch, but Blaine eating on it) and watching reruns of Full House (which he and Kurt both loved) when Kurt settled next to him, tugging down the blanket that was pinned behind Blaine's back and curling up in it with his head on Blaine's shoulder. He didn't speak, so Blaine finished his pizza and continued watching until the episode was over, laughing half-heartedly at all the appropriate times even though Kurt didn't.

He wiped his hands on one of those ridiculous individually packaged wet-wipes (watermelon scented!) that Kurt liked to buy, then hit the off button on the remote. While it was fun to stretch the rules a bit at times and see what he could get away with, Blaine knew Kurt's limits and he did not have a death wish. Snuggling contentedly against his fiancé's body, Blaine waited.

"Can I tell you a story?" Kurt finally broke the silence.

Blaine's brows quirked—that wasn't quite what he had expected to hear. "Of course," he said immediately, intrigued to learn where this would go.

"I guess it's not a story, really, but... it might explain some things." He paused, reaching out to take Blaine's hand and staring down at it while he played with Blaine's fingers. "My mom was a real classy lady, you know? You wouldn't think it, knowing my dad, but they were a great example of the whole 'opposites attract.' She was kind of like June Cleaver, or at least that's what I remember. She always liked to look her best, even if there was no reason for it. She loved to cook, and she knew both dad's and my favorites and would make each on a designated night every week. Our house was always clean with just the right amount of clutter, and it always smelled like a flower shop. She really liked it to be that way.

I think it caught both my parents by surprise when I started taking after her instead of dad, but that's neither here nor there in this case. It's just—she had this apron she always wore, these habits where we'd all sit down for dinner and I'd help her bring the food in and she would serve us—like, actually put the food on our plates—before sitting down to get her own. That's the way she liked to do it. I used to organize tea parties for the three of us—or just for me and dad, after she died—and I'd do everything the same way. I'd pour the tea and I'd serve the cakes.

The point is, I guess at that age that's what I always pictured I'd be when I grew up. Not a housewife, per se—mom had a part time job and she was certainly no pushover. But I had this vision of my adult self, always picture perfect and puttering around to make things just so. And my partner—I think I pictured another man, even then—he would be like my dad was. Dad was always so happy with everything she did, and he was very vocal about it. They were happy."

Blaine had gotten so lost in Kurt's words that he hadn't realized the other man was finally looking at him, but when Kurt stopped talking and their eyes met there were tears in Kurt's, and he was trying to blink them away.

"Sweetheart, that's..." Blaine began, squeezing Kurt's hand.

"I'm not finished," Kurt interrupted him.

Blaine just nodded. Kurt didn't immediately launch back in, but it seemed to Blaine that even the gentle it's okay, go on he was tempted to offer would be a violation somehow.

"I was never popular as a child, or at least not among my peers. I don't need to tell you why. But when I was in third grade, there was this girl who was new at school and for some reason wanted to be my friend—Nicole, her name was Nicole.

"It was... I guess you could say we sort of fell into these patterns. We played those 'pretend' games a lot; you know the ones I mean. She would always pick the role she wanted first, and usually I was whichever role was smaller, or I got stuck being bossed around. I know that sounds awful, but I loved it. I loved acting, of course, but I liked making her happy, too, and following orders just came naturally to me. I never really questioned it, not at that age.

"Eventually it moved into other parts of our friendship. I can't really explain it, just... if we were together and something needed fetching, I was the one that fetched it. She'd ask me to do little favors all the time. I don't think either of us understood what was going on, or even did it consciously, but it was one of the best friendships I've ever had..."

Kurt trailed off, and Blaine could tell it was because he'd reached something difficult. "What happened?" he prompted softly when too much time seemed to pass.

"The summer after fourth grade she had an older cousin who came to visit. I think he was twelve, somewhere around there. Somehow he... picked up on the dynamics of our friendship. He started doing it too. He was really nice every time he'd ask me for something, so I never thought anything of it. Nicole seemed annoyed but didn't really say anything."

Kurt stopped to take a deep breath, gripping Blaine's hand a little tighter. "Then one day, we had agreed to meet at the park. It was a nice day so it was pretty crowded, and it was small-town Ohio so everyone had just dumped their stuff everywhere without a thought to security. When I got there, Nicole and Demion were waiting for me. We played around for a little bit and then the ice cream truck came, and we all wanted some, of course. Demion asked me to go get his wallet out of his backpack, pointing one out, so naturally I did as I was told."

Kurt squeezed his eyes shut.

"It wasn't even hidden, just shoved into a mesh pocket in the front, and I didn't think anything of it. I got it and he bought all of us ice cream. As soon as we'd eaten it he said he had to go, and we said we'd be fine on our own. It was only a few minutes after he left that I saw a man, two children in tow, approaching the backpack. He seemed really distraught, and at first I didn't want to believe it. Nicole looked horrified, too, and he... he came right up to us, asked if we'd seen a wallet anywhere. I just froze but Nicole shook her head, and I didn't know what to do, so as soon as he turned away I ran..."

"It wasn't your fault, Kurt. You didn't know."

"I was stupid and gullible and... I don't think I've ever felt so horribly about anything in my life."

"What happened after that?"

Kurt shook his head, again looking down at their hands. "I never spoke to her again. She tried, but I just ignored it. We were in different classes for fifth grade and she disappeared after that, probably moved away. I don't know. It wasn't really fair to her, but I just couldn't. The way I'd been... it had always made people so happy, before, but I knew I had to change. That was the last time I complied with anybody other than my parents or teachers. It made it even harder in middle school, as you can imagine, because I was so suspicious of everyone. Eventually the bullying picked up, and I was a whole mess of friendlessness until Glee. But I had decided that I would live for myself, do things for myself, and be happy by myself. I didn't want to need other people anymore."

"So you just... shut that part of yourself off?"

Kurt nodded. "Yeah. I guess I'm pretty good at that, as you've seen in the past. Shutting things away..."

"That didn't hurt you?"

"I thought it would hurt more not to. I didn't know it was possible to be so... helpful and accommodating, I guess. Not without people taking advantage of you. Not until I met you."

"Me?" Blaine was surprised and a little confused. "You know I would never do that to you, baby, I..."

"No, that's not what I meant," Kurt cut him off. "I mean, you... well, you're kind of like that too, Blaine. You're a people-pleaser. And I don't understand how you can still be like that, and it hasn't gotten to you, and the world hasn't killed it, and..."

"Stop," Blaine said sternly when Kurt began to rant. He took a deep breath, trying to think his way through this, because he hadn't thought of any of it before, but Kurt had a point. "I guess you're right that we have that in common," he conceded at last, "but it's not the same. It manifests itself differently, and it comes from different places."

Blaine sighed, enveloping Kurt's hand in both of his. "Kurt, "he looked into his fiancé's eyes, "your desire to please people, to make them happy, comes from a place of true caring. I've said it before—you are one of the most compassionate people I've ever met, and it's part of why I love you so much. You care because it comes naturally to you, and because you've had some wonderful examples of that in your life. I hate more than anything that somebody took advantage of that, that somebody took that from you.

"I'm different. I like to please people, yes, but it's because I need acceptance and I need to be good enough. It's because I was never good enough for my parents or my brother, and so I've always tried my hardest to find that in other places. But being good enough for you—taking care of you—that's the most important and precious thing I've had in my life. It means the world to me every time you say you're proud."

Blaine's voice cracked on the last sentence, and he saw that Kurt was blinking back tears. "That's why I want us to do this—because it's something you need, and it's something I need, and there's nothing wrong with that. It's another way that we can be good together, and it makes me so happy that we fit this way. I don't want you to ever, ever be ashamed."

Kurt lifted their joined hands, brushing a kiss across Blaine's knuckles before nuzzling his cheek against Blaine's skin. "I want to, I just... it's hard for me to trust, being that. I feel so... so vulnerable... and I don't want anyone to see, to know..."

"I'm not anyone," Blaine said sincerely. "I'm just Blaine."

Kurt smiled, watery but beautiful, and Blaine knew that he'd managed to find the perfect thing to say.

"Okay," Kurt whispered after a moment.

"Okay?" Blaine was unable to mask the excitement in his voice, unable to believe it was this easy after the chaos of the morning.

"Yes," Kurt repeated. "We can talk about it. We can... try."

Blaine beamed at him. "I love trying things with you."

Kurt leaned forward, kissed him softly then pressed their foreheads together. "I just love you."