Jonghyun is uneasy when he wakes. The island, still only ash and sand, feels very vulnerable. He had burrowed into the sand to sleep but it gave him little comfort. He crawls up to the surface to look for the others. No one had fallen asleep easily after the fire. He can see Jinki out in the surf, recharging himself. It had been hard on him, being on land so much for so long. Taemin and Kibum are sharing a cloud to sleep on. It's a little surprising, considering the way Kibum had berated Taemin for destroying the garden. Jonghyun himself had initially been equally furious over it, but as he watched Minho’s reaction he realized that it was what needed to be done. Minho's still sitting on the table stone, the only thing that had survived the fire. He's still mostly covered in bark below the neck; it's starting to crack and pull away, showing fresh pink skin underneath. Jonghyun makes his way over to the table, switching from his current badger form to human form. He gives Minho a good morning kiss and sits facing him. Minho reaches out a hand and Jonghyun takes it, absentmindedly picking at the cracking bark.

“Did I scare you yesterday?” Minho asks, almost whispering.

“I was scared for you, yes.”

“I’m sorry.”

Jonghyun looks up, taken aback by the comment.

“Why are you sorry? It’s not like you did it on purpose, right?”

“I just don’t want you to be unhappy because of me.”

Jonghyun tries to think of a reply but is interrupted. There’s a thud and the two look to see Kibum on the ground. He sits up and holds a hand to his head.

“I think he kicked me,” he groans.

“I mean after yesterday I wouldn’t be surprised.” Jonghyun mutters.

Kibum sticks his tongue out at Jonghyun before getting up and sitting behind Minho. Jonghyun’s almost done debarking Minho’s hand and he starts on the other as Kibum starts peeling bark off his back. They sit in relative silence, the only sound coming from the snapping bark.

“So what are you going to do now?” Kibum asks.

“What do you mean?” Minho replies.

“Well, you’re entire home’s just been destroyed and now it’s literally just going to be you, Jonghyun, and this rock on this island. What are you going to do?”

“I can still grow plants, Kibum. It’s not like Taemin hit me with lightning and magically brought me back to life.”

“What’s all the bark for then?”

Minho laughs. “It was to protect me from the fire.”

Kibum makes a dissatisfied noise. Jonghyun’s amused at the whole thing: if Minho had been able to bring the garden up like he was yesterday, he’d be able to grow them a new garden.

“Don’t you trust me, Kibum?” Minho asks.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you, I just don’t see how you can replace 50 years of work in a timely manner. After all, Jonghyun’s still going to have to eat even if you can just sit and photosynthesize.”

Jonghyun moves to Minho’s legs when he finishes with his hands, Minho himself pulling bark off his own chest. When enough bark has come off, Minho stands. Taemin’s finally woken up and come off his cloud. Minho walks over to him, kisses his cheek, and comes back to the stone as Taemin shyly walks off in the direction of Jinki. Minho holds out a hand to Jonghyun; when he takes it, Minho pulls him to his feet and into his arms. Minho leads him in a waltz of sorts. Jonghyun tries his best to remember the music he heard at the circus and starts singing a half remembered tune. Kibum watches wearily from the rock. As they circle around and around, green shoots start to pop up everywhere Minho’s stepped. Eventually, there’s a large blanket of grass all around the stone. As they go further out, treetops start popping out. It’s not long before the old perimeter of the garden is reestablished. Once there’s enough greenery, Minho brings Jonghyun back to the stone. He lets go of Jonghyun’s hand and reaches out for Kibum.

“What do you want me for? You seem to be doing just fine on your own with Jonghyun.”

“But how am I supposed to have flowers in my garden if you won’t dance with me?” Minho asks.

Kibum sighs and blushes, taking Minho’s hand.

"Besides. I didn't build this garden over fifty years."

Jonghyun continues to sing as Minho and Kibum waltz around, small flowers popping up in their wake. As time goes on, the garden starts to look more vibrant than Jonghyun can remember. All the bark has finally fallen off of Minho and the new pink skin is returning back to it’s normal tan color. Minho looks better and brighter than ever. Though Jonghyun still isn’t quite sure what’s going on, he realizes that maybe this was exactly what Minho needed.