A/N: Welcome to chapter 5 of Overcoming Differences!

Sorry for taking a little longer than planned. I blame Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, and Rainbow Loom (yes, I got hooked up to the new rage…). With the former I laughed so hard, because the Dutch voice actor for Luke Triton is the same one as the Dutch voice actor for Ash Ketchum. At the beginning of the game there is an action scene in which the professor and Luke are being chased by witches, and I kept on expecting Luke to say "Pikachu! Ik kies jou!" (which is Dutch for 'I chose you'). Needless to say, it cracked me up.

Without further ado, I'll let you get to reading this new chapter. Remember that I don't own Yu-gi-oh! or any of its characters, that mobiumshipping rocks, and that I love reviews.

Enjoy!

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Results of beginnings

Evening had started to set in, and both lovers had once again settled down on the couch. By this time, Atem had gotten pretty tired. He hadn't slept much the previous night for obvious reasons, and had gotten up early. After that he had driven all the way from Tokyo back to Domino, before doing the necessary tasks back home, like grocery shopping. Luckily, Yugi had offered to cook that night, allowing Atem to relax. Now that everything was said and done though, fatigue had decided to settle in. And so Atem lay stretched out on the couch with his head in Yugi's lap, while Yugi was absentmindedly running his fingers through his hair.

It wasn't often that Yugi saw Atem like this. Normally their positions would actually be switched, with Yugi resting his head on Atem's lap. Once again it would be Atem protecting him, guarding him, caring for him while he rested. So to have their roles reversed was pretty special to Yugi, in particular considering his disability. For a moment he could forget that he was the one that usually was protected, and instead could watch over Atem as he drowsed.

The position also allowed him to think about other times in which he had seen Atem look so vulnerable. The first time was actually when they officially met.

Yugi was rolling through the local supermarket, checking his shopping list as he gently navigated the aisles. Yami wasn't with him. Yugi had pretty much ordered him to stay at home, claiming that they only needed a few small items so he could handle it. Even though they had been living together for almost a year now, Yami still tended to fuss over him. They had been friends ever since they first day of secondary school, and had been a couple since their third year, which was nine years ago. He should know by now what Yugi could and couldn't do, but Yami still had this incredible urge to take things out of Yugi's hands or helping him out. It had only gotten worse when they had moved in together, and for a while Yugi had wondered whether they could make it work out. But he loved the other too much to give up on him, so he dealt with Yami's mothering, but also told him to back off whenever he was being too imposing. This morning had been one such situation, but luckily Yami had quickly relented and let him go out on his own.

"Let's see, a pack of green tea." He mumbled to himself as he lifted his head to scan the rows for the needed item. With an annoyed frown he found out that karma had just come around to bite him in the ass. There was plenty of tea within his reach, but the one he needed was on a row that was simply too high up for him.

Suddenly there was an arm in front of him, and grabbed the little box of teabags. Yugi was about to ask the person whether he could also grab a pack for him, but before he had a chance to open his mouth the box was already offered to him.

"Here, you wanted this one right?" The stranger said.

"Uhm, yes, thank you." Yugi replied, regarding the helpful man with a stunned expression on his face.

"You're Yugi, right?" The man continued, continuing to confuse Yugi even more.

"Uh, yeah. Do I know you?" Yugi was racking his brain to figure out whether he did, but couldn't come up with anything.

The man just simply shook his head in response, and immediately continued with barrage of questions, "Are you still seeing Yami?"

Yugi frowned in suspicion. Who was this man? He didn't know him, and yet the stranger knew his name and that he was with Yami, "Yes, but how do you-?" He started, but stopped when he saw a sad look cross over the man's face at the admission.

"Right. Of course you do. That's Yami's favourite tea..." He trailed off, while looking to the side.

Now Yugi's patience was running thin. He wanted some answers, and he wanted them now, "Just who are you? And how do you know about Yami's favourite tea?"

The man looked at him again, the sad expression still evident on his features, "Sorry. My name is Atem."

That was how Yugi was officially introduced to his current boyfriend. Back then he couldn't imagine Atem to be such a tough guy. He seemed so sad and defeated when he heard that Yami wasn't available, almost as if someone had told him his best friend had just died. It made Yugi feel sad for him, even though he was still confused about what was going on. Luckily his questions were soon answered when Atem had offered him a drink at the local pub so he could explain. Since Yugi had desperately wanted answers, he had agreed. At the pub Atem told him that they had gone to the same school, only he had been a few years up. He had developed a crush on Yami ever since he had first seen him walk through the school hallways, and that he had actually asked him out a few weeks later.

Atem was standing at the usual spot outside of the school one morning. He and his friends were chatting among one another while they waited for the bell to ring. Like usual, Valon was complaining about how much work they had to do for an upcoming test. This in turn caused Alister to reprimand him for not paying attention in class and starting way too late on his schoolwork, instead opting to chase after girls instead. Atem and Rafael simply watched them with amused expressions. Even though Valon's complaints could be a drag, it also brought a sense of normalcy that was comforting. They were in their final year of school, and they all had to admit that their teachers were flooding them with work and tests to prepare them for their exams. But unlike Valon, the other three actually paid attention in class and kept up with their work to minimise the workload once the test was around the corner, cutting the amount of time they needed to spend on studying considerably.

Suddenly Atem's attention was diverted when he saw someone walk through the school gates. It was someone Atem had had his eyes on for a while now. The first thing that had drawn him to him were his features. He wasn't very tall, but nicely built. He wasn't feminine at all, but also wasn't overly manly. He simply exuded an air of an overall friendly guy just by walking by. He was someone you wouldn't laugh at when you would see him walking in the streets for being weird, but would instead easily trust asking a question to despite him being a stranger.

Atem had known that he was gay for several years now, ever since he had developed a crush on one of his classmates. He had even dated him for a while, but it didn't last long. Still, it had been a very valuable experience. It had taught Atem a lot about himself and his preferences. Even though he had found out that he was a fairly dominant figure in a relationship, he also didn't want his boyfriend to be considered the 'girl' of the relationship. He believed in equality, and respected the fact that any potential partner was a man as well. That's exactly what he saw in this guy after observing him for a while now, watching him walk through the hallways, or hang out on the school yard during lunch break. He was simply just casual, normal, for lack of better words.

But Yami wasn't just handsome and a real guy. Atem often saw him with that other guy in the wheelchair, and thought it was great that he was friends with someone like that. Also, it seemed that he was always very polite to teachers and other students. Of course he was a teen, and he had his occasional outbursts of pubescent emotions, but all in all, he was a good kid.

So even though they differed in age by three years, Atem had fallen for him, and was now watching him make his way to the front door.

"Are you going to talk to him or what?" Rafael, who had also detached himself from their other friends' argument, suddenly interrupted his thoughts. Atem turned his head to look at his best friend, seeing a sly grin on his face, "You've been eyeing him for weeks now. Isn't it about time to undertake action?"

Atem sighed, knowing the blonde was right, "But I haven't even found out whether he's even gay yet. I don't want to offend him."

"Well, you aren't going to find out from just staring at him, so there's only one thing left to do." Rafael urged him.

Atem smiled. Good old Rafael, always being to the point, "Right. Wish me luck then." He said and quickly walked off to catch up with his crush.

He found the other at his locker, where he was putting some books away while pulling others out. Atem took a deep breath and walked up to the younger boy, "Hey." He said in greeting, trying to appear casual, but wondering whether he was able to hide his nerves..

Yami looked up to regard the unknown person addressing him. He recognised him as one of the higher years. Which one exactly Yami didn't know, but it probably didn't really matter. He was more curious about what he wanted. He seemed friendly and casual, so perhaps he just wanted to ask Yami a simple question, "Hi, can I help you?"

Atem smiled at the way Yami had spoken the words. They were polite, but not spoken in referent awe many younger students would use when spoken to by an older student. It was a confident, but not a cocky reply. The genuine way in which the words had been uttered made Atem like him even more, "Yeah, you're Yami, right?"

Yami frowned, "Yeah, but how do you know my name?"

A small blush appeared on Atem's cheeks and he looked a bit sheepish, "Well, you see, I've been watching you for a while now. I've heard other people address you by that name so I simply assumed…" He explained before trailing off, eagerly waiting for Yami's response while being a little uncertain. Now that he had actually said it, it made him feel like a stalker. He hoped Yami wouldn't think he was.

But Yami didn't become angry. If anything he looked a bit confused, "Why have you been following me?"

"I like you." The way Atem had spoken those words caused Yami to gape at him for his bluntness. Atem decided that he quickly had to rectify the situation before he would scare the younger boy away, "What I mean is, uhm, maybe you would like to hang out with me sometime. You know, get to know each other."

Now Yami became a bit uneasy, and Atem feared what was about to come. What if Yami wasn't even gay? Just because he didn't become angry at the suggestion of dating another man didn't mean that he wasn't offended or uncomfortable in any way. Atem held his breath as he waited for a response.

"Uhm, you mean, as in a date?" Yami asked. Atem simply nodded in reply, not daring to use his voice just yet, "Oh, well, uhm. I'm flattered." Yami started, wondering how he was going to let this guy down easily. "Really, you're handsome and probably a nice guy, but there's a problem. I'm already dating someone."

Atem felt his heart sink in his chest. He had never felt such disappointment before, "Who?" He whispered.

"It's Yugi. He's the guy in the wheelchair. I'm sure you've seen him if you've been watching me."

"Right…"

Yami moved to place a hand on Atem's shoulder, causing the sad young man to look at him, "Listen, uhm…"

"Atem." Atem supplied.

"Atem. I'm sorry, really. If it's any consolation, I might have said yes if I were single."

Atem nodded. Even though it was a bitter one, it did offer him some consolation. The bell rang and Yami closed his locker and slowly moved away to get to class. He shot Atem a final apologetic look before disappearing into the crowd.

When Atem had told Yugi that story the younger man felt both proud and sad. It was clear to him that this man was still in love with Yami, which was probably the reason why he had spoken to him when he saw him. He had hoped that Yami was single, and that Yugi would be able to help him meet him. Yugi had quickly calculated that the encounter between Yami and Atem must've been some seven or eight years ago, which was a long time to stay in love if Yami had been merely a crush. This is what made Yugi sad, but at the same time he felt proud of Yami for being so loyal to him. Due to his disability Yugi had faced a lot of doubts and insecurities about being in a relationship, and to know that Yami had chosen to remain faithful to him instead of breaking their relationship to run off with this guy just made him swell with love and affection.

Yugi and Atem remained talking for a good while at the pub, talking about whatever came to mind.

"So, Yugi, would you mind me asking a few questions about...well…your disability?" Atem asked carefully, having finally gotten comfortable enough with the other male to ask the question.

Yugi smiled at him and nodded, "Sure, what would you like to know?"

Atem rubbed his head. There were so many things he wanted to know, and he didn't want to impose too much. But the way Yugi had seemed to have no problems with him asking, and was now patiently waiting for him to gather his thoughts made him a bit more confident, "How come you're paralysed?" He started, asking the question that was at the forefront of his mind.

"Actually, I'm not." Yugi answered, causing Atem to look at him with complete bafflement. Yugi chuckled at the reaction and started to explain, "When someone is paralysed they have lost complete control and feeling in whatever limb is affected. For me, even though I can't walk, I can still move my legs a little bit and have some feeling left in them. Officially this is called paresis."

"So," Atem interrupted him as he processed this new information, "Essentially you legs are just too weak to work properly?"

Yugi smiled again and nodded, "That's right, but the rest of my body is fine though."

"Wow." Atem breathed, "That must suck pretty bad. I can only imagine how it must feel to have just your legs not cooperating."

Yugi shrugged, "I wouldn't really know. I've been in a wheelchair ever since I was two years old, so I don't really remember doing things any other way. Sure I've had to learn to do everything from my wheelchair, and that took a while, but in the end it's what I know how to do."

Suddenly Atem's view of the disabled young man in front of him changed. He didn't know why, but he had somehow expected him to be sad and needy, but instead he was at peace and independent. The way he spoke about being in a wheelchair was not with any kind of resentment, but rather informative. In front of him was not a weak boy, but a strong young man. It also gave Atem the confidence to find out everything he could about him.

"So, how did you wind up in a wheelchair in the first place?" He asked with a lot more ease this time.

"I was born with a neurological disorder that affected my motor skills. I was behind with everything that required movement, and there was only a small hope that I would be completely fine. When I was two my legs basically stopped developing, and I was diagnosed with paraparesis, the type of paresis affecting both legs. I am lucky that it didn't progress any further, and even though I took a long time and extensive physical therapy, my entire body except for my legs is fine."

Atem nodded throughout the explanation, still feeling a bit sad about everything Yugi had to go through in his childhood. Still, it appeared that it hadn't affected him negatively in the end, but had actually made him stronger. Again Atem's admiration for the other grew. He started to understand what a guy like Yami saw in him. At first he had taken Yami for a fool for taking up such a daunting task of caring for a disabled person. Even though he had accepted the rejection all those years ago, he had kept an eye on him, never understanding how he could be happy, and always hoping that something would break them up so he could swoop in and claim his prize. But now he understood how Yami could cope. Yugi was able to take care of himself. Just the fact that he was still in a relationship with Yami, but was shopping at the supermarket alone was proof enough that he didn't need anyone to coddle him.

Atem sighed in resignation. For years Yami had never left his mind for long. He'd lost sight of him once he had graduated secondary school and started working at his dad and uncle's company Kaiba Corp. He had expected his feelings would eventually dissipate and leave, but he found himself thinking about Yami daily. He felt that this meant that they were meant to be, and had occasionally tried to find him, but after the younger boy had gone off to college he had lost sight of him. The fact that he had met Yugi today was just a stroke of luck, and again Atem thought this meant that he and Yami were meant to be together. His hope crumbled when Yugi told him they were still together. But now he thought that he could finally really accept it. Yugi was a great guy as long as you looked past his wheelchair.

"Atem?"

Atem looked up to see Yugi look at him with a worried expression on his face, "What?" He asked.

"You suddenly fell silent. Are you all right?"

Atem suddenly blushed when he recalled his final thought. He quickly ran a hand through his hair to hide it, "I-I think I'm starting to like you Yugi."

Yugi's eyes grew big at the confession, noting the way Atem had spoken those words. He was dumbstruck, and didn't know how to respond. Atem noticed Yugi's discomfort and was about to apologise and explain, but was interrupted by a phone ringing. Yugi snapped out of his shock and reached into his pocket to retrieve it, noticing that it was Yami calling.

"Yami?" Yugi spoke, his voice shaking a bit.

"Yugi? What's wrong? Where are you?" Yami, who had noticed the trill in his boyfriend's voice, said concerned.

"I'm at the pub across the street from the supermarket." Yugi explained, but couldn't continue because Yami suddenly threw new questions at him.

"But why are you there? And why are you sounding so off?"Yami replied, sounding slightly relieved, but still concerned at the same time.

"I…"Yugi trailed off, shooting a brief glance in Atem's direction, seeing the man squirm a bit uncomfortably in his seat, "I met someone at the supermarket who knew you, and we decided to talk." He said, again only able to answer one of Yami's questions before the other started talking again.

"Who? What did h-"

"Yami!" Yugi suddenly yelled, drawing attention and getting annoyed faces from the other customers, but he ignored them, "Please, just come over here and you'll see for yourself all right?" He ended with a much calmer tone.

"I'll be right there Yugi!" Yami reassured and Yugi could hear him rip his jacket from the coat rack before he hung up.

Yugi smiled when he recalled that part. Yami had run all the way from home to the pub and was there within two minutes, breathing hard. The moments that followed were awkward. Yami recognised Atem and demanded to know what he had done to Yugi. It took a while before the both of them had calmed Yugi's frantic boyfriend down enough so they could explain.

In the end the meeting had actually turned out well. Once Yami had calmed down enough they had actually talked for quite a while. They had parted as newfound friends and had met up many more times after that. Slowly both Yami and Yugi also started developing feelings for Atem, and they had eventually decided to accept them, and accept Atem into their relationship. During this period Yugi had witnessed Atem being vulnerable a couple of times. It was difficult for him to find the right balance within their friendship and later relationship. It wasn't in his character to let it show too much, but both Yami and Yugi were aware that it was there. They could only imagine what it must have been like for him to be friends with two people he had come to love while the feelings weren't reciprocated at first. But the more their relationship progressed the more at ease all those involved became. And so it had been a while since Yugi had seen Atem take on a submissive role, accepting the fact that even he needed to back down sometimes.

"What are you thinking about?" Atem murmured without opening his eyes.

"How did you know I was lost in thought?" Yugi wondered.

"You stopped moving your hand through my hair." Atem explained, finally opening his eyes to look at Yugi gazing down at him.

Yugi smiled and resumed running his fingers through Atem's locks. Atem instantly relaxed and closed his eyes again, "You haven't answered my question though."

"I was just thinking about how calm and submissive you look like this. It reminded me of how we've met and how we got together." He admitted.

Atem hummed affirmatively, "That seems almost like a lifetime ago. So much has happened since then."

"Yeah."

A comfortable silence fell over them, with Yugi continuing to run his fingers through his boyfriend's hair while admiring his peaceful face. A face he loved so much.

"Like what you see?" Atem broke the silence again.

"Very much." Yugi instantly replied.

"Well, don't get used to it too much." Atem replied, opening his eyes again to see Yugi look at him with confusion, "I might be a bit tired today, but tomorrow this calm and submissive Atem won't be around anymore."

Yugi laughed at the teasing comment and leaned forward to capture his boyfriend's lips. Atem happily accepted the kiss, leaning upward a bit to make it easier for the both of them. When Yugi broke away he smiled, and kept his lips only inches from Atem's when he spoke, "Don't worry." He breathed softly, "I like watching this rough and dominant Atem even better."

Atem smiled and pulled Yugi in for another kiss. He was suddenly very glad that Yami had rejected him all those years ago. If he hadn't he would have never had gotten to know Yugi like he had now, and he would have never fallen for him. His life would have been so different then, which was so difficult to imagine. Yugi was such a wonderful person, able to cope with everything Atem threw at him. They might have had their moments of struggle in the past, especially when they were still looking for the right balance in their relationship. He even occasionally overstepped his bounds, threatening to pull them apart, but in the end everything had turned out to be okay. They had learned to love each other and live together like equals. Even though Yugi and Yami had been together for longer, Atem was a full member of their trio. They had overcome many differences to get there, but Atem wouldn't change it for the world.

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A/N: So lots of flashbacks in this chapter, but I felt that it was necessary to tell you how they all met. Also, in the former chapter I believe I had Yugi refer to Yami as his first boyfriend and Atem as his second, so now you understand why.

In the end, this was a nice little explanatory filler chapter mixed with a little bit more of Yugi and Atem fluff. Hope you liked it!

Next chapter: We go to an ordinary day in the life of our beloved trio. Though I think Yami will stay out of the picture for now.