The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Imagines

The Little Moments That Bring Us Joy -Elrohir

(Someone from Tumblr told me that fresh laundry makes them happy so here it is!

This is also based off of the day that my mom made me do the laundry. We placed the washing machine outside our house. And behind our house was the sea. I just remembered standing there by the washing machine, looking at the clear sky while the wind blew and it was one of the nicest thing.

I thought it would be nice to incorporate some of the little things I find joy in. Sometimes we get so overwhelmed by the bad stuff that's happening in the world, we forget to appreciate the little moments that make us smile. I hope this reminds you of them.)

"What makes you happy?"

"Some might say household chores are very tiring but if you start it with a positive mind, everything becomes fun. Doing the laundry and hanging them up while you can feel the sun and the wind touch your skin relaxes me and the smell of fresh laundry brings peace and a lot of good memories."

You laughed to yourself as your husband followed you, whining and begging you to stop. But you paid him no attention and continued walking towards the river. In your hands you held your laundry basket. You decided it was time to do the laundry—you didn't want your clothes to pile up into a huge mountain. The weather was nice today so why not? Spring had finally come and you knew it was time to start being more productive.

"My love, there are others willing to do the laundry for us," he said, following you as you walked down the stairs.

"But I am not willing to make others do this simple task," you said, not even bothering to look behind you. "If you want to go with your brother and his wife, then you probably should get going now. I really don't mind."

"But I do mind! We decided to stay here longer because Elladan and I wanted to spend time with our wives." Elrohir sighed in defeat when you continued to walk.

"You can spend time with me while helping me do the laundry."

He knew there was nothing he could do to change your mind so Elrohir followed you with a pout on his lips. When you reached the river, Elrohir quickly ran past you and jumped over the rocks with ease. He held out his hands, gesturing to your basket. You handed it to him and he placed it on a huge rock. Then Elrohir held out his hand for you to take. You gladly took it and he helped you down, ready to catch you if ever you slip. You reminded him you both were elves and were quite light on your feet but he shook his head and said, "It never hurts to be sure."

You had opted to wear pants and a loose tunic. You rolled up the ends of your pants up to your knees and your sleeves up to your elbows before sitting down on a rock and taking out the clothes in the basket. Elrohir did the same, albeit with a lot of murmuring.

There wasn't a lot of clothes so the both of you finished washing quickly. Elrohir told you to just sit down while he hung up the clothes. You watched him tie the two ends of a rope you brought on two trees. When he was done, he went back to his seat beside you.

Gently you slid your feet into the water and you smiled at how cool the water was. Elrohir did the same and he sighed in relief.

"Isn't this nice?" you said, resting your head on his shoulder.

He leaned his cheek against the top of your head. "I never understand why you like doing the laundry so much."

"This is why I like doing the laundry so much," you said, gesturing at everything before you. "Just look, listen, and feel. Then you will understand."

The both of you sat there in silence and at first Elrohir didn't understand. But he focused on what he was seeing and hearing and what he could feel. There he understood why you liked doing this.

When he looked up at the sky, the sight of the clear blue sky, the clear water, and the green trees calmed him. He could hear the trickling of water from the distant waterfalls and rivers. Along with that he could hear the birds chirping and the rustling of the leaves. The water that touched his feet and the breeze that caressed his cheeks helped cool him down.

And most especially, the warmth that you brought as you leaned against him made him relax.

Despite how tiring doing the laundry was, there by the river he had found peace.

"Alright, I do understand now," he muttered and he smiled as you chuckled. "We should do this again."

"When you come back from your hunting and scouting, we will," you promised.

You spent the whole day there, waiting for the clothes to dry. When they were, you both headed home. His twin had asked him why he didn't come with you to the field earlier that day but Elrohir said he would take you next time. The next day came and the twins had to leave again. You handed Elrohir his bag where you had put all the things he would need for the trip. With a kiss, the twins left to continue their hunt for orcs.

As they camped with the Dunedain that evening, Elrohir changed his clothes. But in the middle of putting on his tunic, he smelled a familiar scent. It was the scent of freshly washed clothes, the same smell from yesterday when he did the laundry with you. Elrohir smiled to himself and took a deep breath. The scent reminded him of you and the day you spent together by the river. With another deep breath, he got ready for bed.

This little moment did not come often but whenever it did, it made you happy and it made you look forward for the next ones. There was no opportunity to do the laundry quite often as the twins were almost always out of Rivendell. You understood their need to hunt down the orcs. Elrohir rarely had the luxury to stay for too long. But that didn't dampen your spirits. Instead while the both of you were apart, you both looked back at the precious moments you spent together and that was enough to make you smile. It made the days and years to come bearable.

It made you look forward to something.

It made life worth living.