Work Text:
The afternoon sun hit the glass of the prime tropical aviary at the zoo, but honestly, nobody cared about the other birds because Peacock Lan Wangji was going completely crazy.
It was his first mating season, and his hormones were making him entirely frantic.
He had eyes only for Peacock Wei Wuxian, who was a gorgeous peacock with dark, iridescent violet¹ black feathers and a highly elegant crest. Because it was his very first mating season as well, Wei Wuxian felt incredibly flustered and shy about the entire ordeal.
Every single day of the spring, the ritual repeated. Lan Wangji tracked Wei Wuxian down near a sunlit patch of grass.
With a heavy, metallic rustle, Lan Wangji lifted his massive, pristine train and fanned his feathers into a towering, perfect semi circle of glittering eyespots.
Look at me, Wei Ying. Lan Wangji roared, his possessive instincts sending a thrill through his crest.
Please, look at me.
Following the peacock dance, Lan Wangji turned his back first, strutting backward to build anticipation. Then, with a sharp, sudden pivot, he faced Wei Wuxian.
Shhh-r-r-r-r-r-it.
Lan Wangji vibrated his tail feathers rapidly. The train rattling made a deep, low hum that literally vibrated the ground under Wei Wuxian’s feet. He threw his head back and let out a loud, trumpeting "hoot-dash" scream.
Wei Wuxian’s crest flattened.
He was incredibly shy about the whole ordeal.
Oh god, Lan Wangji is so loud...and so huge.
Wei Wuxian panicked, though in a pleasant way, his heart hammering as the vibration rattled through his talons.
He is looking right at me. What do I do?
Wei Wuxian let out a soft, nervous chirrup and shuffled his feet. He tried to take a few steps back and pretend to preen his wing to hide how flustered he was, but his eyes kept darting back to the perfect symmetry of Lan Wangji's feathers.
Lan Wangji saw him hesitating. His vibration became even more frantic and reassuring. He aggressively but carefully strutted closer, keeping the wall of feathers right in Wei Wuxian's line of sight.
Don't run, I am yours.
Finally, totally overwhelmed by the display and the aching pull in his own body, Wei Wuxian let out a trembling little coo. He stepped shyly into the center of the feathers and dropped low to the dirt, flattening his body and tilting his tail to the side in a shivering, open invitation.
Lan Wangji immediately folded his fan down. He stepped up and mounted Wei Wuxian from behind, his talons gripping the feathers of Wei Wuxian’s back to anchor himself. The sudden, heavy weight pressed the other flat against the earth.
To steady himself, Lan Wangji leaned down and clamped his beak gently but firmly onto the feathers at the base of Wei Wuxian’s neck.
Mine, my mate. Lan Wangji thought as he held him tight.
Wei Wuxian let out a breathless squeak as the pressure on his neck melted his shyness into pure, liquid heat. He pushed his hindquarters upward, panting as they curled their tails together. The alignment was brief, intense, and electric, just a few seconds of wild, focused friction as Lan Wangji transferred his seed.
As soon as they parted, Lan Wangji let out a low, satisfied trill, resting his head against the back of Wei Wuxian's neck for a lingering, quiet moment.
During the day they mated frequently, but as dusk fell, a quiet, irresistible pull took over Wei Wuxian.
It is time.
He slipped away from Lan Wangji to find a quiet, dark nesting box near the back wall. He spent the evening hours tucked away in the shadows, and every morning, a new, perfect, cream colored egg mysteriously appeared in the nest. Once morning came, he slipped back out to Lan Wangji, who always waited anxiously outside, pacing around.
They did this like clockwork for two weeks.
Once the nest had ten eggs, the final hormonal switch flipped.
One morning, Lan Wangji raised his feathers to start the dance, but Wei Wuxian did not even look at him. The hesitant and shy peacock was gone, replaced by a fiercely determined protector.
Wei Wuxian flattened himself completely over the nest like a pancake, refusing to move.
No more mating. Wei Wuxian insisted, his eyes wild and protective as he tucked his wings tight over the eggs.
My babies are here. I must keep them warm.
While a normal wild peacock would simply leave to find other mates, Lan Wangji was a complete gentleman. He did not leave. Seeing his mate’s total devotion, Lan Wangji folded his train and stood like a stone sentinel directly in front of the box.
He will guard them and scan the area.
No one wilL touch their family.
Since Wei Wuxian refused to leave the nest to eat, Lan Wangji acted as a provider. Whenever the keepers dropped food, Lan Wangji ignored his own hunger and picked out the absolute best pieces, the sweetest red berries, the plumpest grapes, and the best grains. He carried them gently in his beak to the dark nesting box.
He ducked his head in, offering the food directly to his mate.
Eat, Wei Ying. Lan Wangji hummed with quiet tenderness.
Wei Wuxian’s eyes softened instantly. He let out a grateful coo and plucked the food from his beak.
Best mate ever!
Wei Wuxian thought warmly, swallowing the fruit and settling deeper onto his eggs, feeling completely safe.
On a random friday morning, their caretaker, Jiang Cheng, marched down the path to the aviary, holding a feed bucket and feeling incredibly tired.
He unlatched the door, expecting the usual morning screeching. What he did not expect was the sight of Wei Wuxian, a male peacock with gorgeous, violet black breast feathers, flattened in the nesting box, glaring at him like a demon.
Jiang Cheng completely froze. "What the actual hell...?" he muttered, dropping the bucket with a loud clatter. "Wei Wuxian, you are a cock! Why the hell are you incubating a clutch of eggs?!"
Before he could even take a step, Lan Wangji dropped down from a branch, standing between Jiang Cheng and the nest. He let out a sharp, defensive hiss.
Stay back! Lan Wangji’s rigid posture screamed.
Jiang Cheng pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a massive headache coming on as he stared at the overprotective husband guarding his broody, male feathered peacock or peahen. Whatever Wei Wuxian is!
"I don't get paid enough for this," Jiang Cheng growled, backing away. "I'm going to get a coffee and pretend none of this is happening.