This one's a bit longer than the last one, 2 for one deal! Can anyone guess who Ryan is? Cuz he's not an OC...

Baxium sat on his ugly yellow couch with Ryan, both drinking beers and watching an action movie with a non-human alien as its star. To be precise, the race of alien was Alynian, known for their deep purple and blue skin tones and tall, slender figures. This particular one, Hijule Hithe, was more on the blue tone with a face almost as long as his neck.

"Does it upset you that all the non-human stars of these things are more human-like than most of the alliancers that come to Earth?" Ryan asked, glancing to Baxium.

"I haven't really given it much thought, but it would be nice to see a Triceraton in a lead instead of an enemy or something in every film," he replied thoughtfully. "Though we don't have it nearly as bad as some other guys."

Just as Baxium noted that, a character played by another race was brutally knocked out by Hijule.

"I don't imagine that went over well with other Grisbons," Ryan muttered.

"Nope," Baxium agreed with a shake of his head.

A few minutes passed and Baxium suddenly had a new outlook on the film and the actors in it. He noticed a trend that didn't sit well with him. "Now that you mention it, I don't see a lot of what humans call 'ugly aliens' in the good guy mix. What's up with that?"

Ryan sipped his beer with an expression that stated he did not want to open that can of worms. "It's typical if I'm being honest. We did it to other humans who looked different from us before any alliancers came. Guess the short stick's getting passed on."

"That's fucked up."

Ryan patted Baxium's shoulder. "I know man, I'm sorry on behalf of us crappy humans."

"No need," Baxium assured him. "I know well enough there are good ones out there. And I can't say there are some races out there that I myself don't have particularly good feelings toward. I'd probably make them villains in my movies, too."

Baxium gave a pause as he continued thinking. "But it makes you wonder."

"Wonder what?" Ryan asked.

"I don't mean to get too personal, but it's been bothering me lately..."

"Well? Spill it," he encouraged.

Baxium sighed. "It's Mira. She hasn't shown any signs that she wants to move forward and I don't know what to do about it."

Confused, Ryan sought clarification before providing any advice. "You mean like... more intimate stuff or am I totally misunderstanding you?"

Baxium nodded. "Yeah, more intimate. I mean we kiss and are close, but that's it. She hasn't even tried to touch my frill or even commented on my horns, and all she does is hold my hand and sometimes kiss me. I don't know what I'm doing wrong or if she's not interested in me at all like that... Which I could understand, but I'd like to know, you know?"

With a lot of information to take in, Ryan needed to pause the movie while taking a drink from his beer. "Alright, wait. She hasn't tried to touch your what?"

"My frill," he repeated, pointing to the bony crown-like structure of his head. "It's not like it's bad looking, and I think my chipped horn has character," he continued, gently touching the horn between his nostrils. There was at least a full inch of bone that had been broken off the side. "Should I get it filled in?"

Baxium looked at Ryan with a confused and vulnerable expression he hadn't been expecting. Though Ryan was a good friend of his, it was still awkward for him to think about Baxium doing anything intimate with another human being. On top of the initial awkwardness, Ryan had absolutely no idea what Baxium was talking about. He knew he needed to approach this topic with caution.

"Look, B. You know things are different for humans and Triceratons, and it's the same thing with dating. As a human, I can tell you that it would never occur to me to touch your frill or talk about your horns- if anything I'd think that was rude."

"Really?"

Ryan nodded assuredly. "Yeah. Typically, when we're ready to take it further we'll be more physical. Like, uh... more kissing and touching around the hips and back." As he spoke, Ryan made awkward movements to help Baxium visualize what he was talking about.

"I wouldn't have considered that," Baxium said thoughtfully. "But I can't kiss like you humans do. I mean, I can try, but it's very awkward."

"Everything about this is awkward," Ryan said with a laugh.

Baxium gave a chuckle. "Yeah, sorry about that. I just don't know how to let her know I'm interested in doing those things, but it's not easy for me to do..."

Ryan shrugged. "I mean, you could try literally telling her that."

Baxium thought for a second before the logic sunk in. "Would that not put her off?"

Ryan confidently shook his head. "No. Anyone who's mature enough to be in a relationship doing that stuff should be mature enough to talk about it. Take it from a guy who knows."

Baxium took a drink and thought some more. "Thanks for your advice. I need to think about it more."

Ryan waved it off and grabbed the remote. "Don't worry about it man. Just do what feels right for you." He played the movie again and left Baxium to his thoughts.

Please let me know what you think, and if you know who Ryan is! I see y'all reading but it'd be nice to know what you think, too. Reviews can be anonymous!