A/N Well they always say write what you know so here we are. For anyone waiting for another chapter of Zero X, don't worry I'm working on it this particular plot bunny was just being a bit too insistent to ignore. This should be a shorter WIP, I hope, probably about 3 or 4 parts.

Perhaps it was not surprising that it had been Howard that had talked Duo into agreeing. Howard had always provided good advice on everything except fashion or music selections, Duo found it much easier to listen to his opinion than that of a former enemy turned peacekeeper, or a sheltered Princess with a penchant for pink. Both Relena and Une had been keen to see all the Gundam pilots safely and constructively busy with something they considered suitable. Howard's plan had the merit of appealing to the common sense and ambitions of the pilots and the worries of the new government.

There was definitely a certain amusement value in going from fighting in two wars to studying at university alongside a group of people older than him in years but decades younger than him in experience. That amusement had bought Duo enough good humour to bring him through the blur of course selections, introductions, admin and the first two weeks of lectures unfortunately it was now wearing thin. Duo hadn't foreseen a problem when he had agreed to an unknown roommate. He had shared a flat with Hilde between the two wars and had bunked with Heero during the first war. Sharing with a fellow soldier (even the less experienced Hilde) who knew and understood that he had hair trigger reflexes was a very different experience to sharing a room with a civilian who did not.

Duo had been listening to his roommate Graham talk about his girlfriend Tracey for nearly half an hour when he finally reached his breaking point. Duo thought he had muttered something about needing to find someone before he walked out but all he knew for certain was that he was now standing outside the room Quatre and Trowa shared. If Quatre had been surprised or upset to see Duo standing outside his room in his pyjamas at just past midnight he didn't show it, he merely pulled Duo inside and sat him down on the bed closest to the door whilst Trowa handed the Death scythe pilot a glass of water.

"Hey guys sorry to disturb you and all just had to get away from Graham and his tales of Tracey the wonder-slut. Ahh I don't even know her, I shouldn't talk about her like that but he is driving me nuts. Short journey I know."

Quatre sat down on the bed next to him "You know you're always welcome. I have to admit it is a bit unusual to have you turn up dressed for bed, what's wrong Duo?"

"This whole university thing, at first yeah, great idea, we go take some classes and at the end we get a piece of paper saying we are qualified to do the things we've been doing for years. It opens doors, gives us options, allows us to go into careers where we can use our skills yadda, yadda, yadda, blah, blah, blah. That bit's fine, I mean sure it's a little dull sitting through lectures on stuff you already know but I can deal. It's all the people, these students they don't understand what's out there, to them trauma is waking up and realising they are out of toast, or they've cracked a nail or something. It's all so trivial, none of them know anything."

"Did you really expect they would?" Trowa asked "Nobody else has quite the experiences we do."

"No after all none of them are Gundam Pilots, but there were a lot of other people affected by the war. Other soldiers, refugees, people whose lives were damaged too. It's like everyone got together and just decided it was a blip and now normal service has been resumed, so they just forget about it. The fighting, the death, everything, just wiped clean, we gave everything for these people and now they're just going to forget it."

Quatre frowned at him worried "These people are young and usually from reasonably affluent backgrounds, a lot of them were shielded from events, but not all of them. There are students here who have lost family and friends, they even have support groups for 'survivors'." Quatre stared at him assessing "You look tired Duo, are you sleeping properly?"

Duo shrugged "Graham makes a lot of loud sudden noises, slamming doors or dropping things, and when he's out late he tries to creep silently into the room, sounds like a cut throat, a really loud cut throat."

"Stay here tonight, we'll see if Heero or Wufei will trade rooms with Graham, they both have singles." Quatre offered

"Yes if I decide to creep round the room tonight you won't hear me." Trowa added with a slight teasing grin

"Gee, thanks Tro that makes me feel real safe." Duo grinned up at him "When did you grow that nasty sense of humour? Seriously though, I don't want to be in the way."

"That's OK we weren't using the second bed anyway." Quatre pointed out and then blushed "That is… um."

Duo rolled his eyes "Yeah I kinda figured that out Quat," he looked significantly at the one unmade bed "I just don't want to be in the way."

"Doesn't bother me, and if Quatre feels inhibited well I'm sure I can keep my hands off him for one night."

Quatre squawked indignantly "Trowa!"

Trowa shrugged unconcerned before slipping back into bed, considering the conversation closed.

Xxxx

The idea of asking Heero to move into his room filled him with a cold icy dread, not matched even by the idea of a fleet of mobile dolls controlled by the zero system, there the worst that could happen would be his death or imprisonment and eventual torture. So he had instead gone to beard the dragon in his den, or rather corner Wufei in the library. Persuading Wufei to leave the library had only taken a few over exuberant exclamations, earning them a series of dirty looks from the other students. The corridor was not his first choice for a private conversation but Duo figured he shouldn't press his luck too much before asking for a favour.

"You want me to give up a single room and share with you because your room mate 'is loud'?" Wufei stared at Duo down his nose in disbelief.

"Basically, so? Will you swap with him?" Duo shifted from one foot to another trying to look wide eyed and innocent.

"No Maxwell. Ask Yuy or put up with it." Apparently Wufei knew Duo too well to feel protective.

Duo sighed that look always worked on Heero, even now they were no longer together "I can't ask Heero, please Wufei."

"Oh for God sake Maxwell, put us all out of your misery and talk to Yuy, we are all tired of watching you two dance around each other pretending you were never in a relationship."

"I was never in a relationship with 'Ro. We're just friends."

Wufei looked scornfully at him dripping sarcasm "Of course you are Maxwell, just like Barton and Winner are just room mates."

"Quat and Tro' are practically married, 'Ro and I are nothing like that."

"No, Winner and Barton communicate with one another." Wufei's tone was scathing he continued more seriously "Just talk to the man Maxwell, look I don't know what Yuy did, and honestly I don't care, but maybe you should explain it to him." Wufei turned on his heel and walked off.

Duo ran after him "What do you mean 'Fei? Explain what to Heero?" Duo asked mystified

Wufei stopped in his tracks staring at his fellow gundam pilot in incredulity "You do realise Maxwell that Yuy has no idea why you suddenly stopped talking to him. I don't know what happened, but whatever he did he doesn't understand."

"I don't.. What?.. Are you saying that Heero thinks I'm mad at him?" Duo hadn't felt this confused since he stopped sneaking into cinemas in the middle of films with no idea what had happened in the previous hour and a half.

Wufei raised one eyebrow in disbelief "No Maxwell, we have all assumed you are angry with him. One day you were living with Yuy, the next you had moved out and were pretending you had never been in a relationship."

"That wasn't… Hilde and Relena said… Oh." Duo stopped "I'm not usually that slow, um.. sorry 'Fei gotta go check out a few things, see you round, don't worry about the room."