Eric, even though his back was turned, heard the faint clicking of the thermostat as Gabe turned it back down and he looked over his shoulder, teasingly stern. When Gabe joined him on the bed, he reached out to tuck the blanket a bit closer around his shoulders. Contrary to his complaints about the heat, the only warmth that Eric valued was the warmth of another body against his and he leaned his shoulder against Gabe's, letting it press there lightly.
"Not a big deal at all." Eric said, taking a swig of his vodka, a holdover from Moscow. "Is like... extension of friendship." He tried to explain as he took another sip of his vodka, leaning to the side to set the glass on the table next to the bed. The bed itself felt too soft and squishy for him, given that he was used to sleeping in a cave on rocks and, recently, on the glass floor of his tank. But it was what humans expected so he met Gabe's eyes, canting his head with a pleased smile as he let Gabe take in his face.
"You like?" He asked, tilting his head down to rest it against Gabe's shoulder. "I not fish for compliments. I remember, seeing myself in a mirror for the first time. I was like, is that what I am? I am never seeing myself, down in the deep." He reached out, dragging a fingertip lightly down Gabe's jawline. "You not ugly, by the way." He told him with a soft smile against his shoulder. "And not just compared to ugly fish."