Title: Say Goodnight and Go

Author: SolarCat

Pairing(s): Seto/Jounouchi. No others so far, though that may change later.

Please take a moment to read these notes! I really appreciate it!

Hi, everyone! This is my first foray into the Yu-Gi-Oh! fandom, writing-wise. I've been a reader of fics here for some time, but I only recently was attacked by this plot bunny. As this feels (to me, anyway) a bit different from the majority of fics I've seen here, I thought some quick explanations were in order.

First: The title of this fic comes from the Imogen Heap song "Goodnight and Go". Some of the influences of the lyrics will be quickly seen, but for the most part it was the tone and feeling that really inspired this. In fact, I pretty much have the album on repeat while working on this, so if you want an idea of the tone I'm hoping for it may be worthwhile to look the song up.

Second: On the whole, I am hoping to achieve a good, semi-realistic portrait of how life could go for Seto and Jounouchi, and how their relationship could play out. Obviously these are not real characters and their world contains many fanciful elements, but I've tried to give my story a firm grounding in real-world modern Japan, or at least as much as I can with my limited knowledge. Therefore, to mention an example, one of Jou's (non-important-OC) friends is named Minoru, not Michael or Mitch or something very Western like that. I've tossed in some culture references that should be reasonably familiar to anime fans, such as the terms 'aidoru' and 'Todai' and the keeping of Japanese naming conventions (lastname firstname), and I will be keeping honorifics. I feel that, despite complaints about overuse of Japanese by American fangirls, the honorifics are something that cannot be translated adequately, so I will be leaving them alone. If anything gets too confusing, PLEASE email me and I will be glad to add a glossary or note to clarify. I simply don't want to begin that way, as I want to keep this fic as clutter-free as possible (hence all the notes at the beginning!)

Third: This is perhaps a continuation of the previous point, but I am striving for semi-realism here, and I would appreciate commentary on how well I'm achieving it. There will probably be complaints about OOC behavior, and I don't object to those complaints. However, I would like to preface any discussion of OOC-ness with a statement of my belief that people can change a lot in a short period of time if their environment and company change. I think a lot of the hostility between Seto and Jou is caused by unresolved tension attempting to resolve itself under the pressures of a high school social structure. Jou feels strongly the pressure to be liked and accepted by his peers, Seto doesn't care so much about that but has to deal with adult problems while constrained by a system designed for 'normal' teenagers, all while not precisely knowing where he fits in that system. There is an irresolvable gap there, but it's one that can be resolved if the situation is moved away from a high-pressure zone. That's what I've tried to do. If you have feelings on this matter (especially if you are willing to provide constructive criticism of my performance in this area), please leave a review and tell me about it!

Fourth: If you want Angsty!Seto and Angsty!Jou, don't look here. I'm utterly sick of fics where they spend half their time angsting over each other and the other half angsting over themselves. Both of their characters are remarkably resilient, and I honestly believe that they would not spend their whole lives buried in their pasts. There are issues that will probably be dealt with in some form in this fic, but if you want angsty emo-wannabe 'the world hates me, i'll go cut myself', you won't find it in here. Go elsewhere. Trust me, there's PLENTY of it to be found. Sometimes it seems in this fandom that there are only two choices- humor or angst. I'm trying for something with a little bit of both, mixed in with a healthy dose of good old-fashioned drama (hopefully with as few gimmicks as possible, though I do have a fondness for ice cream...).

Thank you for suffering through my notes! If you have read all this way, pat yourself on the back and have a cookie! #offers tray#

Now, the boring stuff:

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! If I did own it, do you think I would have to resort to writing fanfiction about it? No.

Warnings: As you may have guessed from the pairing, this fic will contain boys kissing and otherwise carrying on with other boys. If your face is now covered in a look of horror, it may be best for you to leave. If you are now smiling... Well, you know how to click the 'next' button, right?