Work Text:
Ilia Malinin loves ‘How to Train Your Dragon’, especially Toothless. Everyone knew it. You knew it.
———
Your second anniversary was coming up, and you had no idea what to get Ilia. It was actually the fans who unknowingly gave you the idea for the perfect gift. Seeing Ilia’s reaction whenever fans threw Toothless plushies onto the ice always made your heart warm.
And that’s when the idea hit you - you’d always wanted a tattoo, and Ilia loved Toothless. What better idea than combining the two?
A Toothless tattoo.
———
You had spent the next few weeks after the Olympics quietly scrolling Pinterest in search of the perfect picture for inspiration. After finally finding the perfect idea, you booked an appointment. The only problem? Ilia himself. You needed the perfect excuse without him becoming suspicious.
Thankfully, you didn't need to come up with an excuse. Ilia had one more day of training before he could finally take a much-needed break and spend time at home with you and the cats.
———
Soft music hummed in the background, mixing with the steady buzzing of the tattoo machine as you stepped into the store. Frames displaying the artist's work adorned the walls.
Walking up to the counter, a young lady - around your age - welcomed you.
“Welcome! How can I help you today?” she asked with a smile.
Hailee - her name tag read.
Nervously, you answered, “Umm, hi, I have an appointment booked for a tattoo.”
“Of course! Name, please?”
“y/n”, you answered
“Thank you. Follow me this way, and we’ll get started”
You followed her towards the chair.
Letting out a deep breath as you sat down, the reality finally hit you. This wasn't just any tattoo. This was your way of expressing love for Ilia.
This was for Ilia.
———
After choosing your desired location - the forearm - Hailee began work, bringing your idea to life, making your heart race with nerves and excitement. The appointment passed in a blur of quiet conversation and buzzing needles.
Sitting in a chair scrolling through your phone wasn't exactly your usual idea of fun, but you knew that in the end, all this would be worth it. Tomorrow, Ilia would finally see it.
By the time you got home, your arm started to throb slightly underneath the wrapping as you placed your keys and phone down onto the counter. The apartment was quiet, which meant Ilia was still at the rink, leaving you time to clean up.
Once Ilia came home, after eating dinner together and relaxing for a while, you realised you had another problem - what to sleep in so Ilia wouldn't see his surprise before the day. Thankfully, Ilia didn't question you when you slid into bed beside him wearing one of his hoodies.
———
The next morning, you woke before Ilia. Sunlight softly shone through the gap in the curtains as you moved around. Careful not to wake him, you slid out of bed and into the bathroom to check on the tattoo.
You still didn’t know how Ilia hadn't noticed anything yet. Walking out of the bathroom, you saw Ilia sitting up, back resting against the headboard, eyes on his phone. Looking up as you walked around to your side, he put his phone down to give you his full attention.
“Morning”
Smiling, Ilia softly replied, “G’morning, happy anniversary!"
“Happy anniversary, love!"
A soft smile spread across your face as Ilia pulled you into his side gently. “Two years,” he said. “Can you believe it?” You laughed softly, gently pressing a kiss to his cheek.
Still wearing his hoodie, you glanced down at where his anniversary surprise was covered by the soft, worn fabric. Nervously, you looked back up only to find him smiling softly as he looked at you. Ilia tilted his head slightly, studying your face.
“Okay…what’s up?” he asked. “You’re hiding something”
It turns out he did know you were hiding something.
Biting back a smile, you studied his face.
“What are you hiding?” he asked.
Taking a deep breath - “here we go”, you thought to yourself, hoping he would like the surprise - you pulled the sleeve of the oversized hoodie up, revealing the fresh tattoo on your forearm. For a second, Ilia just looked at it in silence.
His eyes widened as he looked back up at you, hiding a smile.
“Wait…” Ilia looked between you and your arm, inspecting the tattoo.
The detail. The redness that indicated a new tattoo.
You just watched him carefully, smiling softly, hoping he didn't think it was strange.
“That's Toothless!?” he exclaimed quietly. Y
ou chuckled softly as he continued to look at your new tattoo.
“I got it for you…well, for us”, you said a little nervously but still smiling.
“So I have a piece of you with me, no matter how far apart we are”, you continued.
“I love you”, Ilia expressed softly, still processing what had just happened, before pressing a soft, feather-light kiss to your forehead.
He would continue to remember this anniversary forever.