Hobbies _{Originally posted 2016/09/29 to fanfiction.net}
Nearly thirty years after reunification, Ludwig and Gilbert still have some things to work past. But Ludwig is still glad his brother has finally gotten himself a hobby, even if he doesn't really get it.

"Gilbert, do I even want to know what you're doing?"

Ludwig stood at the top of the stairs, looking down into the basement. For about a week, he hadn't heard anything from his older brother. No pestering, no taunts, no overly aggressive requests to 'pull your nose out of all that goddamn paper and have some fun'. The house had been quiet. So quiet in fact, that he hadn't even realized GIlbert had been home at all. He had even wound up making calls looking for him.

But no, Gilbert was in the basement. With a bunch of… Model cars?

What?

"Oh! Good! West, great timing!" Gilbert grinned, glancing over at the door briefly. "I'm running out of glue, you should go get me some more of that." He looked back down at the model he was working on, a Trabant 500.

Ludwig ignored his brother's request, heading down the stairs. "This is where you've been hiding all week?" He asked, picking one of the model cars up off the desk. A '36 Opel Olympia, in one of the dullest shades of beige he had ever seen. It looked just like the one they had owned before the last world war had started.

"Don't touch it," Gilbert scolded, smacking Gilbert on the back of the wrist. Ludwig set the car back down quickly. It was the same scolding tone that he had always gotten when he had been caught trying to sneak food before dinner. Though he was nowhere near as afraid of a lecture from Gilbert as he had once been when he was still a child, the way he said it was still harsh enough to get a reaction out of him. "And yes! Look at this one, Lud," Gilbert grinned, holding up the model he was working on. "Just like my old piece of trash that I brought home with me in '89, see?"

Ludwig nodded slowly, inspecting the model. "I see,'" He had never understood why Gilbert had loved that car so much. It barely even ran, and like he had said, it was just a piece of trash. He had only convinced him to get rid of it a few years ago, the thing hadn't run for years. Iit had just sat in the garage rusting and taking up space. It was just a relic from a time that Ludwig would have rather forgotten about. "It looks too new to be anything like yours, though."

But then again, there were a lot of things that Ludwig didn't really get about his brother. How he could be irresponsible enough to forget about all his chores and shut himself up in his basement to make models was one thing. Had he even eaten since he'd gone down here? It was hardly like the Gilbert he had known growing up. The harsh, disciplined, almost downright cruel soldier was nowhere to be seen anymore.

He hardly even recognized his own brother still after having been reunited and together again for over twenty years. Even as thirty was creeping up on them, things still felt strained and unfamiliar.

Yet just looking at all the different models he had made, maybe that wasn't quite the case. So much care and precision had clearly gone into making these. It was just like Gilbert to be such a perfectionist. They almost looked like they might have been real. That kind of obsessive, meticulous detail on something so pointless was very much something to expect from his brother. Something familiar.

"Well, I'm not done with it yet!" Gilbert rolled his eyes, setting it down and leaning back in his chair. "I'm gonna ding it up afterwards. Then it'll really look like it!"

Ludwig sighed, shaking his head. "Just remember to come upstairs for dinner tonight," He told him sternly, turning to go back up the stairs.

Gilbert laughed, waving his hand at him dismissively "Yeah, yeah, sure thing Luddy!" He glanced back over his shoulder. "And get me that glue! Oh! A camera too while you're at it!," He added, "I wanna put pictures of these things on my blog when I'm done with them!"

Ludwig rolled his eyes, shutting the door to the basement behind him.

At least Gilbert had finally found himself a hobby.