A term of endearment needs the permission of the person it names.

Affectionate names are only affectionate if the person named accepts them. The same word can be lovely from one person and diminishing from another, and the difference lies entirely with the recipient rather than with the intent behind it. Good intentions do not settle the question.

Use the name someone offers you, and if you want to use something warmer, notice whether they use it back. If someone asks you to stop, stop straight away without making it a discussion. And you are entitled to ask the same, plainly, without explaining why it bothers you.