Dax and Gwen met up with Kim and the other at the top of the small waterfall the ducklings enjoyed riding down. As Dax alighted beside Kim, she looked at him with amusement lighting up in her eyes.

“Are you ready?" Kim asked Dax.

Dax shifted his feet awkwardly, “Let's go."

Gwen who's attention had been on the waterfall, anticipation for the ride ahead of her, looked up at them curiously, detecting something they weren't saying in their tone.

“Okay, well I hope the rest of you have fun," Kim said, “but me and Dax are going to step away for a bit if you don't mind."

And with that, she pulled Dax into the trees, disappearing out of sight.

Where were they going, Gwen wondered suspiciously. She was going to follow.

So, as quietly as she could, she slipped through the trees after her brother and his girlfriend.

Kim pulled Dax into a small clearing with a giggle, and he looked at her nervously.

“You think this is far enough from the others so they won't hear us?" Dax asked self-consciously. It was just him and the girl he liked, and they were about to do something… interesting to say the least, so of course he was feeling a bit awkward.

“Relax," Kim told him assuringly, “Nobody's going to hear you."

Dax looked around the clearing, at the green leaves, the sunbeams shining through the canopy, they were standing beside a gentle quiet creek, it's trickling calming to the senses; so this is where it was going to happen. There could be worse places he guessed, “I hope you're right," he said uncertainly.

“I still can't believe you agreed to this," Kim said, “I mean, are you sure you're up for this?"

Dax shifted nervously. He knew this whole thing was stupid, but he wanted to do it. He knew he was strong and capable, he knew Kim knew that - he didn't feel intimidated by what was about to happen - but now he wanted to show Kim his more sensitive side, he wanted Kim to be able to experience the reality of his weaker self, to be able to stand over him and know it didn't apply to her, that in this one embarrassing way, he was different than her.

No he didn't know why, he just really liked Kim, and the thought of her seeing him so fragile after she already knew he was so strong… he just wanted that, don't question it, okay? He just thought she was pretty, okay, and he wanted her to enjoy his weaknesses as much as his strengths.

Still, he couldn't help but shudder as he wondered how it would feel. Obviously there would be some pain, but would it really hurt so bad it'd knock him down completely? Would he be in too much pain he wouldn't even be able to appreciate Kim's being there? He shook out his feathers nervously.

“I just hope it doesn't hurt too much," Dax said.

“Don't worry," Kim laughed, “I'm sure it will be excruciating."

Dax felt his stomach knotting.

“I KNEW it," Gwen shouted, bursting suddenly from her hiding spot in the bushes accusingly, “You two are planning something weird."

Dax and Kim went still, faces going red as they looked at eachother, even more aware than they had been before of the ridiculousness of what they had been planning to do.

But Kim regained her composure first.

"Oh, it's nothing," Kim said, throwing a wing off to the side dismissively, "me and your brother were just about to have a little bit of fun, that's all, why don't you come over and watch?"

"What!?" Cried Dax, spinning toward Kim. He was embarrassed enough with Kim around for this, but she was the girl he had a crush on, (which actually was even more embarrassing he supposed, when you think about it - but it was embarrassing in a good way,) but Gwen was his sister, she didn't need to see him embarrass himself the same way he would around his girlfriend.

"Come on Dax," Kim said, "she's harmless." She turned to look at Gwen, opening a wing in invitation, "Come on over."

Gwen narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but flapped over to join the two in the center of the clearing anyway.

"If you two do anything weird, I'm telling our parents," Gwen said.

"Go on," Kim said, "I'm sure they'll get a kick out of it." She chuckled at her own pun.

Gwen didn't look convinced.

Rustling her feathers, Kim turned to look at Dax, "Okay, is there any certain way you want me to do it, or do you just want me to come at you plain and simple?"

But Dax was still taken aback by Gwen's presence.

“Does she have to watch?" Dax complained.

“Why not?" Kim asked, “She might learn something."

Dax groaned, irritated at the thought of Gwen being here, but not wanting to turn Kim away as well.

"So what exactly are you doing?" Gwen asked.

Kim looked at her, all too ready to explain, “You know how all birds go, right?" she asked Gwen.

Gwen's eyes went wide, “But that's gross, isn't it?" Gwen asked.

“Exactly," Kim said, “But guys have it a little bit differently from us girls, which can create some… inconveniences for them."

“I don't understand," Gwen said, looking confused.

“Let me demonstrate," Kim said, looking over at Dax and giving him a sweet smile. She glanced down as if measuring for her target, then back up at Dax's face. Dax suddenly felt awkward, his legs feeling long and lanky under him, like he was just standing there, so exposed and unprotected. But that's how he wanted to feel around Kim right now, wasn't it? What was the purpose of having the ability to be embarrassed if you weren't going to use it in front of a cute girl? He just hoped Gwen's presence wouldn't cause him too much unwanted embarrassment.

Dax's mind went back to the moment the other day that had led to all this, him and Kim were sitting by in the water watching a couple of their peers playing around as they kicked a small coconut back and forth, all was going well when suddenly-

CRACK!

It flew right into one of the boys, right where his legs connected at the surface of the water.

He gave a quack as he folded in on himself at the surface of the water and started moaning in agony, the other ducks started laughing.

“Oh, that must've hurt so much!" Kim laughed hysterically, this somehow making Dax blush.

“You know about… that?" Dax asked.

“Of course I know," Kim said, eyes filled with amusement, “you didn't think I would?"

He knew a lot about girls and how it all worked differently for them, but somehow it all felt strange to him that Kim would actually share in this knowledge of male vulnerability when he felt so naturally that he should try to be the opposite of vulnerable… Still there was a strange appeal to the fact that he was and she…

"And that really doesn't happen when it happens to you?" Dax said awkwardly.

"No, not at all," Kim replied.

"That's so cool," Dax blurted, before suddenly going red, "I mean not that..." He suddenly didn't know what to say, feeling extremely embarrassed in himself.

Suddenly, Kim's eyes lit up, "We could try it if you want."

"Try what?" Dax asked, confused for a second, then understanding, "wait, you mean like, on me?" He said, really going red.

Kim nodded, "If you want. But only if you want. It's not like I want to…"

Dax didn't know what to say, he shifted his feet awkwardly; on the one wing, this was Kim, and she was the prettiest girl he knew, on the other... showing his weakness to a pretty girl that she would never have... He felt himself blushing.

"Don't worry, it's not a domination thing," Kim said assuringly, "I know you are plenty capable in your strengths, it's just... this will be just for fun."

Dax shook out his feathers, trying to hide this sudden self-consciousness he felt, "You mean our differences," Dax said shyly, "it'll be fun to poke fun at our differences."

Kim smiled brightly back at him, "Exactly."

So now here Dax stood, on his long and lanky legs underneath him, feeling awkward at the vulnerability he was about to display to her.

As Kim moved in front of him, preparing her legs for the kick, stretching them out for practice, she stopped and looked at Dax seriously, sensing his uncertainty; he shifted on his webbed feet.

“You ready for this?" she asked.

“My feet are wide enough, right?" He said, shifting again nervously, looking himself up and down, knowing all of this he saw now was about to be subject to all the insecurity he was going to feel in a moment, “I don't feel like they're wide enough."

“They're fine," said Kim, “Just stand still, and I'll do the rest." She looked at him intently, "You sure you're up for this?" She asked again.

Gwen peaked from behind Kim curiously, and Dax caught her eye, he forced himself to look away and focus on Kim instead; he wanted to do this. With Kim. So that's what he was going to do.

“Ready," Dax said, nodding firmly, determined to get this on before he could… chicken out for lack of a better word.

“Okay, there's no going back," so with that, Kim pulled back her leg, readying it…

Then swung it forward.

Right into where his legs connected, contacting hard.

Dax quacked in shock as the pain hit him. The very same moment his father did, two male ducks, father and son, simultaneously hit with the same pain in front of the girl of their lives.

Panic rose as the pain shot through him; oh gosh it was way more real and intense than he could've imagined. Queasiness; his body felt like a black hole suddenly, wanting to implode in on itself to contain the pain within his most uncertain place.

He crumpled, inward, crying out in his hormonal teenboyish angst, wings fumbling to grasp himself, knees clinching inward, anything he could do to close himself off from the pain of the real world. But it was all for nothing, his entire body felt wrong, every nerve felt disconnected from his body as he struggled desperately to grapple for the pain inside and unable to reach it, as if his entire body was simply an illusion with no way to truly contain what was really real, the exploding pain in the weakest part of himself; his wings, his legs, no matter how desperately they flailed to close himself off from the pain, they felt like a loose flabs, as if he was controlling them from a completely different plain of existence then his true self and the pain which resided within the most fragile part of himself he could imagine, the only part of himself that felt real, because because oh gosh this pain was real.

So, he could only lie there and writhe and moan on his knees, trapped within the pain of his body to which he had no control over.

“Oh my gosh!" Kim burst with laughter, “It actually worked!" Kim knew that in all technicality, it could happen to any boy, but seeing it come through so reliably on the handsome boy she liked, it just hit her in a way that was different than how she had experienced it before seeing it happen to other boys.

But Gwen's eyes however, were round with horror. “HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO DAX!" she cried, suddenly going after Kim. Fortunately, Kim held her back with her wing.

“Relax, it's alright," Kim said in amusement.

“He doesn't look alright!" Gwen said, her protective fury overflowing her.

UGH! Why did Gwen have to be here, Dax moaned to himself inwardly, Kim was one thing, but Gwen... Despite the pain, he couldn't hold back the blush; in the end, either way, both of them were girls! UGH! Embarrassment!

“No really, he'll be okay, it's just his male weakness," Kim said, “All boys are like that."

“Dax isn't weak!" Gwen exclaimed indignantly.

Kim released her wing and let Gwen come at her, first Gwen body slammed, and then she turned and repeated the move on Kim that Kim had performed on Dax.

“There!" Gwen cried, “Just like you did to my brother!"

But Kim merely flinched, and stood her ground. Gwen's eyes went wide with surprise.

“It doesn't work on us girls," Kim told her confidently, “Try it."

Curiously, Gwen tried tapping her foot against herself, testing to see if she felt anything. Nothing happened. Then suddenly the realization hit her.

“Wait, that's my…"she began to turn self-conscious.

“Exactly," Kim said at Gwen's discovery, “And boys have it even more embarrassing down there," she gestured toward moaning, crumpled Dax with a wing, “though not too much more, remember, us girls have to lay the eggs," she chuckled, "Pretty cool, right?"

“But Dax is not weak," Gwen said again, firmly.

“No, he's not weak," Kim admitted, “But he is male, which puts him at certain… disadvantages," she turned towards Dax's moaning figure, watching with amused pity for a moment, then looked back at Gwen, "if you do it safely, it's all the pain and embarrassment, but none of the damage. It's fun," Kim said brightly.

Gwen stopped and turned to Dax confused, "Is it fun?"

"Do I have to answer?" Dax moaned miserably. In truth he really didn't know the answer to Gwen's question. On the one wing he was in excruciating pain, on the other... Kim was watching him do it. He blushed.

"See, he doesn't like it," Gwen said, turning back to Kim accusingly.

Kim laughed, "Do you have any idea how much pain he must be in? If he didn't like it, he would've flat out said so."

Gwen looked at Dax. "Is that true?"

Dax just laid there moaning, too much pain to answer anymore.

“Okay," Gwen said uncertainly, turning to go, giving Kim one last glance, “But I'm watching you," she gestured with her wings, then turned to flap away.

When Gwen was gone, Kim sympathetically stepped up to Dax, “How are you holding up?"

Dax just moaned horribly, every part of him felt so fragile here at Kim's feet, crumpled in pain like this, it was a huge contradiction of how he had been growing to see himself, as a brave coming-of-age leader; he felt himself as the weak, scrawny, insecure teenager he had once seen himself as, all of it gravitating toward the pain he felt in his weakest spot as he tried to cover it, and all the fragility he felt, desperately with his flabbily useless wings.

But in all this insecurity, there was a sense of elation, Kim was seeing a side of himself he would've felt too embarrassed to show off to her otherwise, but because of the pain, he had no choice, he couldn't stop moaning, laying here crumpled, holding himself where he was most embarrassed if he wanted to, Kim could right now only see him in this weakest, most personal state of his boyhood fragility, neither able to understand how this could feel so bad and so good at the same time. If knowing that this is what it meant to be male, then how was Dax suddenly so glad to be male in this much pain, humiliated so much besides the girl he liked?

"Is it true that only males are really this weak?" Dax managed finally, finally managing to pull himself to his feet a little, though still shielding himself with his wings. Kim blushed, he looked so cute standing like that.

"Don't worry," Kim laughed, waving it off, "I know what you're capable of, you boys are just unlucky, that's all."

Dax felt himself blushing, weak on his feet, and still feeling his body gravitating toward where he had been kicked, but the pain was slowly starting to ease, "How can that be both so cool and so embarrassing at the same time?"

"Because you boys are both so cool and embarrassing at the same time," she said, nudging him playfully, "And us girls are just here for it."

Dax blushed yet again. Why did girls have to be so cool?

When they returned to their waterfall spot, a commotion had arisen among a few of the ducklings. Gwen stood over another duck about her age, crumpled on the ground in front of her, crying out in pain.

"I'm sorry!" Gwen cried, "They told me it was fun!"

"Well they lied," the poor boy duckling cried out in angst.

Dax and Kim exchanged a quick look at eachother, and then looked away, agreeing they had no idea what was going on.

When the two rejoined their friends, the others looked at them curiously "How was it?" One of them asked.

"Did you have fun?" asked another.

"Where did you go?" asked a third.

Dax waved them off, "Oh, nowhere really, Kim just wanted to show me a certain... spot." He looked at Kim and blushed, he wasn't going to tell their friends that he wasn't talking about the same kind of "spot" they were probably thinking of.

Gwen landed beside them a moment later and looked at Dax and Kim accusingly. "It didn't work," she said upset.

All the friends looked back and forth at eachother in confusion.

When Dax and Gwen returned to their nest later that day, Gwen rushed immediately to greet her parents with a hug. As she crashed into her father, Mack flinched a little, "Woah, careful," he sputtered, "I'm still a little... sore down there... for reasons I'll not mention" He looked over at Pam, and she exchanged a sweet look with him. Dax couldn't help but notice his dad was standing unevenly on his feet, just like he himself had been just a bit earlier. Obviously they had been up to something he didn't know about.

As they all went inside to their eating place, Pam proudly produced a clump of berries, "While your father was down in the nest 'resting', I went out and found us all some berries, so dig in."

The two grown ups exchanged another set of romantic looks again at the word "resting", and Dax knew something definitely had been up between them while they'd been gone.

As they all started plucking at the berries to eat, Mack looked at his kids curiously, "So, how was your day," he asked, "did the two of you get up to anything interesting today?"

"Dax made Kim kick him somewhere weird!" Gwen blurted out accusingly before Dax could stop her.

"Gwen!" Cried Dax in horror, trying to cover her beak with a wing unsuccessfully, fumbling out his berries as he did so.

The nest went silent for a moment, and Mack and Pam looked at eachother, stunned.

And then the two of them burst into spontaneous laughter.

"Like father like son I suppose" Mack said, looking at Pam with humor. "Just the embarrassing consequences of being male I suppose," he let himself blush in Pam's direction.

Pam held a wing to her beak to contain herself, but it was no use, "You boys these days," she sputtered, "What is it with you guys?"

Dax's face went red.

Gwen just stood there confused, no idea to what had triggered these sudden hysterics.

Boys, they were just weird, girls? They were just here for it.

THE END