Autumn Leaves

Pet-Names

'It isn't until she's actually in her room, that she realises what has been niggling her since she first saw Loki sitting in his room, burning innocent pieces of plaster with his glare.

'Loki?' she ventures, cautiously.

'Yes?'

His voice has a definite undertone of melancholy to it, and Savannah briefly wonders why.

'What do you mean 'like' him?'

Loki looked temporarily confused, and then he said-

'Do you consider him as a potential ... mate?' The words seemed to cause him some pain to voice, and Savannah stored it away in a mental file called 'Loki being weird, and unfathomable', before shaking her head so vigorously that she almost got whiplash.

'Me, like Steve? Nope. Not at all. Damn, Loki, you're shit when it comes to interpreting situations correctly.'

'But you said-'

'Yes, I know what I said. But I thought you mean as a friend.'

Loki looked so relieved, that Savannah started laughing again.

'Why on Earth would you think that that would be in any way possible?'

'Because I saw what happened in the hallway, and-'

'Oh, Loki. You should never jump to conclusions without proper evidence. You disappeared suddenly, and I was worried about you, and-'

'You were worried about me?'

'Well, yes. You just disappeared like that, and I thought something bad had happened. And then I heard your laughter, so I left my room to  follow it. I could hear it faintly, but it sounded more clear if I had my eyes closed. So I was wandering about a massive sky-scraper, and I run into Steve. We're in an awkward position for a bit, but nothing more.'

'I knew that,' Loki said, sheepishly.

'Course you did, sugar plum fairy.'

'What?'

'If you're going to lie, I'm going to call you embarrassing names, my honeysuckle boo-bear.'

'I was not lying.'

'We know you weren't, my favourite lickle iggle-piggle.'

'Stop patronising me.'

'You love the names, really.'

He didn't particularly mind any endearing names that Savannah gave to him. However, he wasn't about to say that to her, so instead, he said-

'I do not. I would advise you to refrain from using such foolish pet-names.'

'Yes, my heart, my love, my stars, my everything.'

And suddenly, Loki wished that she meant it genuinely.