Rub Me the Right Way

Written By: HellQuat

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, or any GW characters. I am but a simple GW addict with a passion for writing fictional stories. Please don't sue me. I cannot afford to be broke. Thank you.

Pairing: 3x4 eventually

Chapter Rating: R for language

Chapter Four

Master

The next day was hard. Trowa thanked Duo and Heero for their hospitality before he and Andy went back to their own apartment. Trowa told Andy to wait outside while he made sure the house was empty. A search was probably unnecessary but better safe then sorry. The house was fine except for the missing belongings and over turned furniture. When Trowa gave the okay Andy stepped into the house. They stood in the living room, both looking distraught. Trowa sighed then reached down and picked up a couch cushion. He slowly began putting the couch back together. Andy helped him right the furniture and then said "Trowa, maybe I could get a job," knowing exactly what plagued his cousin.

"I appreciate your willingness to help but you're not old enough yet," Trowa replied softly.

"How old do I have to be?"

"Fifteen," Trowa said.

Andy lowered his head. That wouldn't do them any good, he thought, they needed money now. The boy walked down the hall and into his bedroom. He kept a small lockbox with some money in it from the weekly allowances his mother use to give him. It had begun to dwindle but he started saving it once he became aware of his cousin's financial situation. It wouldn't even buy them groceries for the week but he didn't feel right spending it knowing that Trowa was broke. None the less, he wanted to help so he decided he would give it up to Trowa. Unfortunately, he found the box lying open on the ground. It was empty.

Andy let his shoulders drop as he stared discouraged at the empty box. Now he felt terrible. Not only was he a burden to his poor cousin who had no intention of raising a kid, but he had no way to make it up. His eyes welled up slightly and he tried to not to cry. He always felt upset when he thought about the strain he was putting on Trowa. He would never admit that his presence was a menace because he was too kind but it was becoming very obvious, at least to Andy, that things were much better before his arrival. Andy didn't need to here it from his cousin. He knew his presence, despite their amity, was an unwanted nuisance.

He choked as tears streamed down his cheeks. He sat down on the floor in front of his empty lockbox and buried his face in his arms. He didn't want to be a problem. He cared a lot for Trowa; he never wanted to be a burden. He wanted to help, but he could do very little since he had no money and no job. He felt so useless. He sobbed quietly.

Trowa suddenly appeared in the doorway and saw the boy crying on the floor. He was perplexed at first but then saw the lock box sitting in front of him. He frowned sadly and approached the boy slowly.

"Andy? Are you okay?" That was a stupid question.

Andy looked over apologetically. "I'm sorry Trowa they took my money. I wanted to give it to you but it's all gone."

"Give it to me?"

"I know you need money and I didn't have much but I feel like it's all my fault that you're in this situation so I wanted to give you my money. I didn't need it."

"Why would you think that this is your fault?"

"It's because I'm here that you're broke. I now you won't tell me that it's my fault but it is. I'm just another mouth to feed and you wouldn't have money problems if I had never showed up," Andy sobbed.

Trowa sighed. He sat down on the floor in front of Andy. He smiled warmly. "Andy, there's no reason for you to feel upset. Sure money's a little tight right now but we'll get through it."

"Money wouldn't be tight if I weren't here," Andy mumbled.

"Yes it would. C'mon do you really think I was swimming in dough before you got here?"

"No, but you could afford to take care of yourself."

"Alright I'll admit that it cost more money with you here but it really isn't a whole lot more. I was barely getting enough to begin with. Besides…" Trowa set his hands on the boy's shoulders and leaned forward slightly. "I really like having you here to keep me company because it's really lonely when you live on your own."

"You're just fibbing to make me to stop crying."

"That's not true," Trowa argued.

Andy sniffled.

"Andy," He paused. "You've become like a son to me. I care so much about you and even though we have a bit of a money problem at the moment, I don't want you to think that's your fault 'cause it isn't. You didn't choose to live here; your mother chose to put you in my care and no matter what happens I'm glad she did. When I found out the house got broken into yesterday I didn't care what happened to my stuff, all I cared about was making sure you were safe. I was so afraid because I thought you had been kidnapped and…" He paused again, "I would never be able to forgive myself if that had happened."

"But you were crying last night and you threw up again."

Trowa looked down. "I was just really worried about…" Trowa stopped and reconsidered what he was about to say. To tell the boy that they would almost certainly be homeless in a matter of weeks would only serve to intensify his guilt. He reconsidered and started over. "I was just very stressed out about everything that happened yesterday."

"Can't you see a doctor? You always throw up and you never eat. It scares me, and those gloves you always wear. Is something wrong with your hands? I think you might have issues," Andy remarked trying to sound mature and serious.

Trowa chuckled, "I wish I could see a doctor but there's no free clinic for psychological ailments."

"Why not? There's free abortion clinics and AIDS clinics," He pointed out.

Trowa shrugged. "Don't know kiddo. I guess those things are just more significant than one's sanity."

Andy frowned. Trowa took note of it and immediately changed the subject. "Well I bet you're hungry. Do you want a grilled cheese sandwich?"

Andy was slow to respond, "Sure, but only if you have one too."

Trowa smiled. "Okay," he agreed. Then he got up and left the room to go make their lunch.

Andy followed shortly after. He entered the living room, taking in the mess. He continued to set the furniture back in place and when he was finished he looked around. Besides the missing items the area was beginning to look decent again. Andy smiled, slightly proud of himself and then he heard his cousin's voice call him to the table for lunch. He exited the room and met Trowa in the dinning room/kitchen and took a seat at the table. Trowa handed him a sandwich on a plate and sat down across from him with his own.

"So how was the funeral yesterday?" Andy asked since that Trowa had not even mentioned it yet.

"The funeral? Oh, it was okay I guess. It was weird. I didn't know anybody, my sister Kathy yelled at me for being late (which was her fault actually), I felt like I shouldn't have gone and Oh, I cussed out some guy and my mom heard me."

"Why'd you do that?" Inquired the boy.

"Well, I was going outside to smoke and this dork was getting in my face." He took a bite of his sandwich. "He's all like, 'Der uh there's no smokin' inside the church, d-doi-d-doi'," Trowa reiterated slapping his chest like retard and making the dumbest voice he could manage.

Andy giggled. "What did you say to him?"

"I basically I said 'Duh', I'm not gonna repeat my statement because I'm trying to teach you that swearing is bad."

"Oh… Yer no fun."

"Oh wah. Cry me a river."

Andy switched subjects. "Did you inherit any money?"

Trowa shook his head regretfully. "No. All I inherited was a rusty old oil lamp my uncle dug up in the Middle East in the seventies. Probably worthless."

"Well we could try and see if it's worth any money. We can clean it up then take it to the pawnshop."

Trowa frowned. "I'll probably have to sooner or later," He mumbled.

Andy finished his sandwich quietly. Trowa was already done so he rinsed off his plate and told Andy he needed to get something from his car. Trowa walked sluggishly. Normally he wouldn't have dreamed of pawning his inheritance but he was desperate for money. It served not purpose in this day and age anyway. What would he do with an oil lamp?

He reached into his car and grabbed it off the passenger seat. He made another face at the ugly trinket. It seemed to get uglier and uglier every time he saw it. God was it beat up and tarnished. Trowa hooked his finger around the handle and picked it up then shut the car door. Once back in the apartment he set the grungy hunk of brass on the kitchen table. Andy, who was finishing up his lunch, eyed it with mild disapproval.

"This is it?" He asked poking at it with his index finger cautiously.

Trowa nodded to show his sincerity.

"I don't think we'll get much for this thing. Maybe some of this stuff can be cleaned off," Andy suggested hopefully.

Trowa picked it up close to his eyes to inspect the damage thoroughly. He smiled. "It's worth a shot I guess."

Andy followed Trowa into the kitchen. All the cleaning chemicals and things were kept under the kitchen sink. Trowa opened the cabinet and began sorting through spray cleaners bleach and shoe polish until he found a bottle that read "Brass Polish". He took it out along with a couple of dust rags and went back to the table. Andy was right behind him. They both sat down in front of the lamp. Trowa gave Andy a rag and poured some polish on it. He put some on his rag and then told the boy, "Okay I'll do the top, you do the bottom".

Andy nodded.

They flipped the lamp on its side and began to rub the polish on the brass surface. They kept rubbing then suddenly they both felt it budge. Andy stopped.

"Andy, hold it still. You're making it shake," Trowa told the boy.

"I didn't do it cuz," Andy defended.

Before Trowa could say another word the lamp shook again. They both let go of it. The thing continued to tremble. Both Trowa and Andy pushed their chairs back and watched as the lamp vibrated and began to move across the table top. The spout began to spew purple smoke.

"Oh my God!" Trowa shouted grabbing Andy and racing down the hall. He was sure it was going to explode at any second and launch shrapnel in all directions.

As soon as the two had taken shelter in the hallway, they heard the lamp fall to the floor with a clink. It continued to tremor but there was no explosion. Cautiously, Trowa peeked around the corner and couldn't believe what he saw.

In front of the kitchen table, veiled in purple mist was a sort of humanoid figure. It shimmered, illuminating the whole room and then the smoke cleared and there stood or levitated rather, the quintessence of splendor. Trowa blinked a few times, questioning his eyes for they could not possibly be seeing what they were seeing. Andy, whose hand Trowa still had a firm grip on, leaned over his cousin to view the abnormal phenomenon with curiosity. They both stared for a long time at the apparition in silence. Finally Andy said, "Trowa, that's a genie."

Trowa looked at Andy astounded. "That's impossible. They don't exist."

"Apparently they do," Andy argued.

They watched as the entity looked about the room still levitating. He put his hands on his hips and quirked a fair eyebrow. "Hello?" he asked melodiously.

"It's a genie, it really is," Andy whispered trying to convince Trowa.

Trowa would have argued against him but under the circumstances, he could see no other explanation. He continued to stare, hoping to find a more plausibly possibility but found none. This entity was an exceptional beauty however; glossy, platinum tresses, smooth, fair skin, large, aquamarine eyes, and soft pink lips. His clothes were neat and pressed. He wore a black vest and a long sleeved button-down shirt with matching black slacks. His clothes were what made the genie theory questionable. Wouldn't a genie wear traditional Arabian garb? Trowa arose from his ducking position and stepped gingerly forth. The youthful figure took notice and looked toward him. Trowa stopped a little nervous. The mysterious creature smiled. "I knew someone had to be there," he said cheerfully.

"How did you get in here?" Trowa asked bewildered and slightly agitated.

"What do you mean by that? I came out of there," he replied, pointing to the oil lamp.

Trowa shook his head. "C'mon don't toy with me. You can't fit in there, just tell me how you got in my apartment." He was becoming irritated.

The mysterious one went silent. He wasn't smiling anymore. He looked confused.

"Trowa he's telling the truth," Andy defended, "We both saw him come out of the lamp. He's a genie."

"Andy, genies aren't real. That's just an Arab fairytale. It would have to be made up 'cause it's impossibly for anyone to hit in an oil lamp. And who would rub an oil lamp anyway?"

"We did," Andy argued.

"We…" Trowa began and then rethought. "Look, this is impossible. This is just a con." He turned to the strange creature, "And you are just a con artist".

The entity looked almost hurt. "C-con artist? Me? What proof do you have of that?"

"What proof do I have? You've got a lot of nerve asking me that."

"Forgive me Master. That was out of line," said the mysterious one, lowering his head.

" Tch! 'Master', that's cute kid. But I'm still not convinced so why don't you just leave now," Trowa said waving his hand dismissingly.

Andy was silent. He watch the entity whose head sunk lower.

"B-but I..." He stuttered.

Trowa grit his teeth. "I said get out of my house!" He almost shouted.

The mysterious one shivered fearfully. He was next to tears.

"I can't," he whimpered. "I can't leave yet."

"God dammit! Don't fuck with me you little fake. What the Hell do you take me for? Some kind of idiot?"

Andy looked confusedly at both of them.

"You don't understand! I can't leave until you exhaust all three of your wishes."

"Knock it off!" Trowa snapped as he grabbed the small blonde's wrist and began dragging him toward the front door.

"Oh no, please you can't do that!" he cried, "I can't go out there, I can't leave yet why won't you believe me? I'm telling you the truth! Please!"

Trowa opened the door and began to force the smaller male out. The mysterious one tried to resist the opposing force by grabbing the door frame and pushing back.

"I'm begging you, please stop! You don't understand! I'm not lying to you, I can't lea--" He was cut off by a bolt of lightning that seemed to jolt out of the door frame. It struck the entity's hands and both he and Trowa were forced back. They landed on the living room floor with a thud.

Andy screamed in terror before rushing over. Trowa opened his eyes slowly and sat up. He was okay but creature on the floor next to him seemed unconscious. His body still pulsed with electricity for a few seconds. Smoke seemed to emit from his hands and wrists. He laid lifelessly still, his head jerked to the side. His arms were placed on the floor above his head, his body twisted sideways slightly.

"Oh my God, you killed him!" Andy cried with tears in his eyes.

Trowa leaned over and looked at the blonde. He wasn't moving. He was about to shake him to see if he was okay when suddenly he stirred. Trowa was startled but curious.

"Ohhh…" The blonde moaned in pain.

Trowa turned the creature's head towards him and asked, "A-are you okay?"

The creature opened his eyes, "I tried to tell you. That's why I can't leave." He sat up after a moment. "I tried to escape from my master once before and this is what happened. There are penalties put in place to make sure that a genie does not break the rules."

Trowa wasn't quite convinced but he wasn't in disbelief any more either. He looked down at the alleged genie's wrists. They were still smoking. Trowa picked up his arm and pushed the sleeve of his shirt back to reveal a thin gold bangle fixed around his wrist. He examined it thoroughly. There didn't seem to be any kind of clasp or press-stud. It was almost like the cuff had been on his wrist when it was crafted; there was absolutely no way to remove it without cutting it. It was to source of the stream of smoke. Trowa found a matching bangle on his other arm. It also had no clasp. The blonde watched him scrutinize the restraints meticulously. Finally, Trowa released his arm and stood up. He exhaled looking at the genie who sat silently on the floor looking expectantly at the man.

"What is your name?"

He hesitated briefly. "My name?"

"Yes, what do you call yourself?"

"….Quatre," he uttered softly. "Quatre Raberba Winner."

Trowa shut the front door and turned back to the one they now knew was Quatre. "Alright, Quatre, since it seems that you are unable to leave I will allow you to stay but I am not going to feed you."

"But I don't need to eat Master,"

"Why do you call me that? My name is Trowa."

"Who ever frees me from the lamp, is my master and gets three wishes. Those are the rules. I must call you Master because I am now your property," Quatre explained humbly.

Trowa looked at him incredulously then turned away. He disappeared down the hall as if he couldn't handle the situation. Quatre looked after him momentarily then looked down. He was approached by Andy momentarily. He looked at the boy and smiled.

"So, you rubbed the lamp as well?"

Andy only nodded speechlessly.

"What is your name?"

"Andy."

Quatre kneeled in front of the boy. "Master Andy, Perhaps you have a wish that I can grant."

Andy smiled back at the genie. He had a wish alright. He looked straight into Quatre's eyes and said "I wish Trowa had a million dollars!"