The Great Courtship Battle

[Blurb archived to wb on 20260603] Peacock 1 x Warbler 0, a short-to-medium-length story under 100,000 words Peacock demon Kong Yuque recently realized he had fallen for a human. Just like him, the person was a dancer, with graceful movements and a beautiful figure. Without even realizing it, Kong Yuque had become captivated by him. When his bird-demon friends heard what he was thinking, they all silently slapped a stack of stories with tragic endings about humans and demons in love onto the table and waited for his response. When they realized he was dead set on finding his beloved, they sighed and gave up trying to talk him out of it, instead racking their brains for ways to court a human. Not long after, however, Kong Yuque suddenly discovered that his beloved was also a bird demon. He was a bird demon too! Overjoyed, Kong Yuque tossed all the tips his friends had given him for courting humans out the window. When his beloved invited him out, he deliberately dressed in dazzling finery, then stood demurely in a quiet, deserted place. His magic surged behind him, transforming into magnificent peacock tail feathers, which he spread out extremely slowly before his beloved. But his beloved's reaction was a little strange. First he blushed, then his expression turned grave, and he slowly struck a starting pose for a dance. Liu Muqing, a Japanese bush warbler demon, recently discovered that he had run into the senior he had admired at university. Unfortunately, the senior was two years ahead of him and liked to keep to himself, so Liu Muqing couldn't find a chance to strike up a conversation. Just when all seemed lost, an unexpected opportunity suddenly appeared. They met at a performance, and after it ended, the senior actually came over to talk to him. Liu Muqing naturally exchanged contact information with him, and they chatted day and night. Before long, Liu Muqing realized he had fallen for the senior. Troubled, he asked his friends in the Japanese bush warbler choir whether a human and a demon could have a happy ending. Their teasing reassurances put his mind at ease. “What are you worrying about all that for? Just do what you want.” “Give it a try. If it works out, you'll have fulfilled a wish. If it doesn't, at least you won't be left wondering.” “What if he isn't human either?” Could that really be possible? Liu Muqing started to feel hopeful. Not long afterward, during an accident, he discovered that the senior was a demon too, and a bird demon at that. A bird demon! Wouldn't it be even better to court him the way birds do? His friends in the Japanese bush warbler choir got excited and chattered away, giving him ideas. They told him to sing and dance, and said that maybe if he danced long enough, the peacock would spread his tail. But another warbler objected, saying he knew a peacock demon who had once spread his tail not to attract a mate, but to scare other birds away. Encouraged by his friends, Liu Muqing found his courage and invited the senior out. After wandering around town for most of the day, he took him to the dance studio. Just as he was about to try dancing, the senior suddenly straightened up and spread his tail feathers at him. What did that mean? Did he like me? Liu Muqing blushed. Then he remembered the other reason a peacock might spread its tail, and his face turned pale. He stared at the elegantly posed peacock demon, utterly uncertain. Could he be Challenging me! Liu Muqing guessed gravely. Does he want to have a dance-off? A ridiculous dual-POV story. The leads dote on each other, with no switching or role reversal. Readers with strong preferences about relationship dynamics, please consider carefully before reading. Theme: Love can overcome distance