[MN] Paid someone's rent with no promissory note. Do I have any recourse here?

Hi all. I'm beating myself up over this one, and I just want to know if it's worth it to get a consultation with a local attorney.

Myself and a few "friends" moved to MN from SD this year. My girlfriend and I paid for their portion of the security deposit and a few months' rent for these people because they were between jobs and didn't have access to their savings at that time. I was first told that they would pay us back once they had access, which then became when they had a job, and now they're saying they'll pay us back once our lease is up in March.

Some of this was communicated via Discord (which I have screenshots of as backup). I asked if they would be willing to sign a promissory note retroactively covering the loans, but I'm getting radio silence. The evidence that I have consists of the aforementioned Discord screenshots, plus proof (via venmo/paypal/the app our landlord uses to collect rent) that I was reimbursed for rent in recent months, but not previously.

I dont know if it's relevant, but they each owe me between $1000-$2000 separately, and they owe my gf around $600 each. My gf is at the point where she says she's personally okay with taking the financial hit, but I lent them quite a bit more than her and I want to know if it's worth it to book a consultation or something. Any advice is appreciated, thank you in advance!