The distinct scent of cinnamon caressed his nostrils mixed with the distinct smell of coffee and freshly baked bread. For Matt’s heightened senses, it could have been almost cloying—but no, those flavors drew him back there, again and again, more than he wanted to admit.

He’d tell himself each time that he just walked here to pick up a coffee or grab a treat for Foggy’s sweet tooth. The truth was more difficult, more painful. He couldn’t stay away—not from the place that still held a part of his heart, nor from the person who had once shared it.

The decision had been his. When the Purple Children agreed to erase the world’s memory of Daredevil’s publicly revealed identity, Matt had made one final request—a selfish, painful plea wrapped in selflessness. He asked them to take away every trace of himself from his lover’s mind, not just Daredevil, but Matt Murdock too. He couldn’t bear the thought of them being hurt again, targeted because of his dangerous life.

So now, as Matt stood in front of the counter, he was just a stranger, another customer, struggling with the knowledge that while he had been erased from the baker’s life, the latter remained painfully vivid in his. “Just a coffee. Black.”

He felt like a creep as he focused on his former lover’s heartbeat, desperately searching for any signs of their shared past. He heard nothing except the steady beat, not even the frequent flutter he usually heard from strangers who noticed his blindness like he was some curiosity. The faintest trace of their scent reached him next—flour, sugar, cinnamon, and something uniquely them. Intoxicating. Each sound painted a picture he didn’t need sight to understand.

“I almost forgot—could you add a cinnamon roll? My friend can’t resist those,” Matt bantered. “He’s been giving me a hard time lately. I figure your pastry might do the trick and save me from another lecture.” He paused, hearing the ease in his own voice. His fingers brushed the baker’s as he grabbed his coffee, sending a rush of warmth to his face.