Aragorn stood firmly in front of Legolas, cutting off his only escape. "Why are you avoiding me?"

"Why would you think I am avoiding you, Estel?" Legolas asked innocently, with a touch of confusion that was almost good enough for him to believe.

"Because every time you have seen me for the past few weeks you have all but scaled the wall like a lizard to escape me. I may be mortal but i am not blind, Legolas!"

Legolas rolled his eyes, "You're being ridiculous."

"Perhaps. But I am not moving from this spot until you tell me why you are upset with me."

The elf narrowed his eyes with a silent threat, "Then I will move you."

Aragorn kept firm, "No you won't."

Legolas and his brothers had always been reluctant to use their elvish strength with him unless it was to train him. And after Aragorn figured this out, he wasn't shy about using the information to his fullest advantage.

And, if Legolas did actually physically and forcefully move him against his will just to escape being in the same room, it only proved his suspicions.

Legolas was angry with him about something.

He waited to see what would happen.

But then nothing did.

Legolas just crossed his arms and stared at Aragorn with an unflinching and unblinking gaze.

He kept waiting, and still, the elf did not move a single inch. But he did speak, "I can stand here for a long time King Elessar. An extremely long time. Several days, in fact. How about you? How long so you think you can stand there for?"

It was worse than Araogrn had thought, then. Whenever Legolas sounded exactly like his father, something was greatly amiss. Enough that Legolas had carefully plucked each and every one of his emotions and put them in a little box behind a shield and kept them there. Away from any stray window to the outside world that might betray a hint of an emotion.

"Fine." Aragorn said, and stopped aside so that Legolas could leave. There were other ways to get answers out of stubborn elves.

0.0.0.

"Don't you think this ought to be something you ask the lad?" Gimli asked, waving a pair of pliers aimlessly, a near red hot wire still held in its grip.

"I have asked him. Multiple times, in fact."

"And what did he say?"

"Nothing! He said nothing!"

"Considering his talent for talking, if he's so insistent on saying nothing perhaps you should trust his judgment."

Aragorn sighed, and leaned forward until his head thudded onto Gimli's workbench. He hadn't seemed particularly surprised about Legolas' sudden absence in Aragorn's life so the elf must have mentioned it to him already. Mentioned the reason.

He sighed again. He had always known Legolas owned the bulk of Gimli's loyalty, and the dwarf would probably literally die rather than betray Legalas' trust or feelings.

Delicate as they were.

Sometimes Gimli could be convinced to intervene or at the very least lead Aragorn in the right direction when it came to Legolas. But only if he agreed with Aragorn about the problem. And sometimes, not even then.

But it appeared not this time.

"But I can't fix it if I don't know what the problem is."

Gimli dipped the metal into water with a great massive hiss and set it aside so that he could turn his full attention to Aragorn, "It's nothing you can fix, Laddie. Even if you knew the problem."

"That doesn't make me feel any better."

"It wasn't supposed to."

Aragorn slid off the stool and stood straight, "Alright. Well. I would like to say this has been enlightening and a pleasure but it has been neither of those things. I'm leaving."

He turned and began walking away but something in Gimli's voice made him stop and turn, "Aragorn, all I'm saying is that just because you think you need to hear it, doesn't mean Legolas should be forced to say it. There are some things that cannot be taken back."

Then, quieter as he turned back to his work, "Go and ask Arwen about it."

.0.0.0

"He isn't angry with you, my love."

"I know he's angry. I know."

Arwen smiled sympathetically and took his hand, "Oh, he's angry, just not with you. And he's probably just as upset about it as you are."

"Then with who? Why?"

"Me."

That, Aragorn had not been expecting. His brain needed a moment to catch up. "What?"

Legolas and Arwen loved one another, they were best friends and partners in crime. And had been since elflings, Aragorn had come to understand.

They were an assumed automatic united front about everything, even with him and his brothers. Or perhaps, especially with him and his brothers.

The idea that Legolas would be angry with her, and for so long was absurd. Especially right after wedding-

Oh.

Oh.

He understood. It seemed idiotic of him to not have thought of the answer earlier.

Arwen didn't answer his question, so she must have watched him reach how own opiffiney about it.

"Your mortality."

Arwen nodded, "He will work through it by himself or with whoever he chooses to share it with. Give him time."

.0

He knew he probably ought to give him more space, but he missed Legolas. He missed him a lot.

The elf didn't run away from him this time, and so maybe he sense Aragorn's change of attitude. He came to stop near where Legolas sat on top of a thick wall so he could dangle his legs over the edge of an impossibly steep drop to the bottom of the city.

Aragorn leaned his arms near where Legolas sat, "I get it. I would be upset too, and I just want you to know that it's okay to feel this way. But if I don't bring it up again after this, can I have my friend back? Please?"

Legolas rested a hand briefly on Aragorn's head, and he felt the deep love that Legolas still had for him and sighed with relief.

Legolas nodded, "I missed you too Aragorn."

Better late than never, right?

Hope you liked it!

I'm going camping starting tomorrow so you probably won't see next weekend's prompt until Monday or Tuesday again. Have a good weekend!