[ Cisco blinks once or twice at the nickname, but doesn't otherwise comment on it, which is yet another sign that something is not quite right with him at the moment. Normally, he'd crack some kind of sassy remark about her encroaching on his turf as the king of nicknaming. Instead, he just laughs softly, and a bit unconvincingly. ]

You know how I operate; caffeine goes in, genius comes out.

[ He picks up his menu, too, but it's clear that he's not really reading it. Instead, he chews at his lower lip, staring vaguely at a list of various types of pancakes. Cisco thinks about putting it off until they have their food. But the thought of eating is actually kind of unappealing at the moment, and he also has the feeling that the longer he waits, the more likely he is to chicken out. So, clearing his throat, he forces himself to say: ]

Actually um, the coffee's 'cause I'm kind of nervous right now. I, uh- there's something I wanna tell you.