Short Story: [Emberfate] Pet Name

Hey everyone! 

After being inspired by a random conversation in the Discord server, I decided to write a more light-hearted short story for Emberfate this month. I haven't decided whether to turn this into a themed series yet with one story for each love interest, so let me know your thoughts! 

In any case, I hope you all enjoy this silly little story! 

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You're pulled out of your concentration at the faint sound of the front door creaking open, quickly followed by a bout of noises in the form of clinking keys, dull thud, and a lowly muttered curse. Lifting your gaze from its focus on the computer screen, you stand up from your chair with a stretch and a smile.

That must be Chris coming home. A quick glance at the clock shows you that he's gotten back earlier than expected. 

"Chris! You're back already? How did it go — did you have fun with your friends?" You yell a greeting across the apartment, as you leave your room and begin heading towards the front door to greet your partner with a kiss. A moment later, Chris' voice rings out in response. "Yep, 'course I did! I got some food on the way home, by the way. We're pigging out on lasagna tonight, sweetheart!" 

Sweetheart? 

You almost trip over your own feet at the unexpected pet name, a first in your entire relationship with Chris. Bemused and half-amused, you continue on your path until you reach your partner, who's now wrestling with the shoe cabinet door that seems to have gotten stuck. 

As you draw near, you brandish your phone like a weapon and point it at him with a fake serious expression. "Who are you, and what have you done with my Chris?" 

Chris stands up from their crouching position, cocking his head at you in confusion. "What? What are you talking about?" 

You wave your makeshift weapon at him to block his movement as they step forward to pull you into a hug, eliciting another baffled stare from him. "Sweetheart? When have you ever called me that before? You're an imposter, I know it!" 

He barks out a laugh with a roll of his eyes. "What? Is it not normal for couples to use pet names for each other? Am I not allowed to do that?" 

You squint at him with a hint of suspicion. "It's not normal for you, no. Unless it's something weird to taunt me like... snookums." 

"Snookums?!" Chris repeats the word with a twist of his face, then snorts with laughter again. "You're right. Sweetheart is far too boring for my dearest. How about... buttercheeks?"

A noise of disgust escapes you, but the corners of your mouth turn up uncontrollably in amusement. "Only if I get to call you... cutie patootie." 

You fail to restrain a chuckle as you watch him almost choke on nothing in his shock. His lips part in a silent protest, then a familiar spark of challenge enters their eyes followed by a smirk. "Anything your heart desires, my love muffin." 

Chris leans in, pressing a quick kiss to your lips, while you're still reeling from the emotional damage done by his words. Picking up the takeout bags off the floor, they head towards the kitchen to presumably get dinner ready, whistling to themself. 

Shaking your head, you let out a snort and follow after him to help with setting out the food. "Oh, it's on, Chris. It's so on."

"Whatever do you mean, snugglebug?" 

"Oh nothing, sugar lips. But you still haven't explained — what brought this on anyway?" You prod him with your elbow, dodging lightly as he tries to nudge you back. 

"Huh? Nothing really, I guess." Chris pauses to pour himself a glass of water, downing it in one gulp. They then repeat the motion before handing the glass to you, which you take appreciatively and sip at before looking back expectantly at him. 

"Quill's girlfriend called him while we were out, and uh, we all heard him talk to her in a baby voice, complete with disgusting pet names and all. He looked pretty embarrassed about it after hanging up and realizing we could all hear him from the other room, so of course, like good friends do, we had to tease him a bit over it." He smirks at the memory before leaning against the kitchen counter with a shrug. "But that sparked a conversation about the gang about whether it's normal to use pet names with your partner at our age, and it turned into a shockingly heated debate." 

Immediately, your mind is filled with the mental image of a bunch of tough-looking guys, gals and non-binary pals sitting on their motorbikes, arguing till they're red in the faces about whether the use of "babe" and "honey" is acceptable or not. You can't help but laugh, entertained by the thought. "Damn, I wish I could have been a fly on the wall for that discussion. And what was the consensus?" 

Chris lifts a shoulder in a shrug again. "It was apparently a very deep and complicated topic, so it was put on hold for the day, to be continued another time. But it did get me thinking — I've never used one with you, and I figured I might as well try it out to see your reaction and what you like." He grins then. "Though I must say, being accused of being an imposter was not the reaction I expected, puddingbun." 

"Hey, you can't blame me for thinking that now, can you?" You return his grin, pulling the clean forks from the cupboard and handing them to Chris. "Now go set the table — I'm starving, Chrisboo." 

At the look of absolute repulsion on Chris' face, you can no longer hold in the peal of laughter as you brush past him to bring the lasagna out to the dining room, leaving him still standing rooted in place and contemplating his own retaliation.

Oh yes, you're going to have a lot of fun with this pet name discussion for sure.