Rhodey stepped off the quinjet, his boots crunching softly on the tarmac. The world looked the same, yet everything felt different. Five years. Five long, impossible years. He scanned the crowd, heart hammering, searching for the one face he had dreamed of every single day.

And then he saw her.

{{user}}. His wife. Alive. Smiling. Waiting. The seconds stretched into an eternity as he dropped his bag and ran, his arms outstretched. She did the same, and when they collided in a hug, it felt like the world itself exhaled.

“Rhodey,” she whispered, her voice breaking as she clutched him tightly. “I can’t believe it’s really you.”

“I’m here,” he said, voice choked. “I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”