Seokjin's been kind of lonely since moving from his hometown to the coast. He couldn't bring his dog, because he knows he would freak out the entire trip and just couldn't put him through it. On his way to work, there are veterinarians and pet shops and shelters, and there always seems to be some kind of animal making eyes at him.

Pets are expensive, and affording to adopt, pay for vet bills and food, and any unforseen happenings prevents Jimin from actually going in. He knows if he holds something cute and fuzzy he'll melt and adopt it, funds be damned.

Jungkook points out an ad pinned to the board at work. The poster sounds pathetic and a little desperate:

“I am going through a difficult breakup and impulsively bought 11 reptiles. I have made a huge mistake. My roommates are furious. No rehoming fee. Call or email me...” There's a name and number and email address.

“Dude! Snakes are awesome! I've always wanted one."

Seokjin has no doubt, although Jungkook's said that about most animals he's seen. Or heard about.

  Hyung, this girl has a genet! It looks just like a cat and a ferret had a super long baby!

“Well, looks like now's your chance, although 'reptiles' could mean just about anything cold-blooded.”

His friend deflates a little, scratching the side of his nose and re-reading the flyer. “Uh...I don't think my mom would be pleased. She's kind of...not into reptiles. At all.” He looks put out for a moment, then sighs. "It's kinda weird though, isn't it? This ad. It's...a little desperate."

"They say it was a mistake," Seokjin points out. He holds open the door for Jungkook and shivers at the blast of icy air. It's not as cold as home, but it's still plenty cold, and he shoves his hands deep into hsi pockets. "Pets are a big responsibility, and many reptiles are considered exotic. They carry an additional ethical responsibility."

"Hyung," Jungkook touches his arm, looking just as cold but not willing to acknowledge it, "please stop. You're sounding like Namjoon hyung." His eyes brightens a little. "You think he'd be interested in a snake?"

Namjoon is a bit like a Basilisk—he can break anything he looks at. "I doubt it, but you can ask him yourself, if you come over."

"Because, like, maybe I could get a snake but keep it by you guys. That way my mom doesn't have to know, and I can still fulfil my childhood dream."

"I doubt it, but you can ask Namjoon yourself, if you come over." Seokjin refuses to be the middleman.

“C'mon, hyung!” Jungkook whines, bumping their shoulders together. He's trying to be cute, but Seokjin is immune. Most of the time. “He'll do whatever you tell him to.”

“He does not.” Tell Namjoon not to trip, and he's going to go flying. “Actually, do you remember the last time you tried a scheme like this?”

“How was I suposed to know there was a boy and a girl?” They ended up with a whole litter of hamsters that mysteriously disappeared one by one until Namjoon caught the adult female eating them.

“Research, Kookie. Learn things. You have a great natural talent for many things, but pet care may not be one of them. Not right now.”

“But hyung...” Jungkook whines, dragging his feet.

“No buts.”

Namjoon also says no to Jungkook, more out of trauma than rejection of reptiles, but he can't deny Seokjin when they share ownership of their apartment. Seokjin doesn't comment on the seemingly infinite number of collectibles collecting dust along the shelves of the living room, spilling over from Namjoon's office-slash-bedroom, and Namjoon doesn't comment on the pink, frou frou decor in the rest of the apartment, because Seokjin's the one who cooks and cleans and shops and essentially keeps Namjoon alive and functioning.

He does worry about the flyer, when told about it. “It does sound sketchy,” he says thoughtfully. “And being something like a reptile, I doubt there's any way to set up a neutral meeting point in the middle of winter, so you'd probably have to go to their house...”

“It'll be fine, Namjoon. I'll have my phone, and it will even be charged.”

“I still don't think you should go alone.” Namjoon reads the news every day, out of South Korea as well as internationally, and somehow he always spirals down the 'related news' of negative articles and events.

Jungkook throws his hand up. “I'll go!”

“If you're volunteering, Namjoon, that's fine. I think you're overthinking the nefariousness of potential predators, though, if for no other reason than I'm a kinda big man.”

“But you're pretty, hyung.” Jungkook dodges the backhand attack and hides behind Namjoon.

Seokjin emails the address on the ad, having taken a photo of it as a reminder. He's not sure if the poster is male or female, although he assumes from the almost dozen reptiles that 'Park Jimin' is male.

And he's right. They set up a date for Seokjin to meet the seven geckos, bearded dragon, two turtles, and single python on a Saturday, just before noon; a boy answers Seokjin's knock, and he looks down at a round, cute face and then a wide, scaly face that seems to challenge him.

"Hello. Kim Seokjin?"

"Ah, yes." He offers his hand. “This is my roommate, Kim Namjoon.”

The boy smiles warmly. "Park Jimin. This is Amanda," he introduces, hefting the two-foot reptile in his arms. She closes her eyes and turns her head into Jimin's arm. "She's kind of wary of strangers," he apologizes as he steps aside to let Seokjin and Namjoon inside.

The apartment is dated, with visible cracks in the paint, but spacious and open. The front door faces the kitchen on the left and living room on the right with a short hall leading to a series of closed doors. Black plastic frames showcase flyers of local bands and performers along with some movie posters. Shelves are filled with video games, movies, CDs, and figurines. A small glass tank with a filter and vivd green plants houses a single deep red beta fish.

"Have a seat wherever. Can I get you something to drink? Tea, water?"

"Water, thank you." Seokjin sits on a well-worn sofa, leaning forward to push a pillow behind his back so he doesn't sink as much. Namjoon doesn't pay attention and falls into the cushions with an oof!.

"Here." Jimin passes them each a bottle of water and sits cross-legged on the floor, settling the lizard on his lap and petting her back. "I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to get to know you a little before showing you everyone. I'd like to do this right, at least," he mutters, more to himself than Seokjin.

Seokjin offers a brief life story with added comments and praises from Namjoon. He's from outside the city, is the younger of two brothers, has always played sports for fun but never on a set team, and moved for the first time for school and only rented an apartment last year with his best friend. He's had pets but never reptiles.

"They're a bit more involved than a cat or dog," Jimin warns. "Because they're cold-blooded, they need greater monitoring, but most pet stores can help with cage concerns and food. This girl," he taps Amanda's nose, "is an Australian central beardie and is just about two years old but could possibly live ten years or more if cared for properly. She's as big as she's gonna get, but I was thinking of getting her a bigger tank. Adults should have a twenty to fifty gallon-sized tank. They're not cheap. She needs branches to climb and a constant heat source and a basking spot close to the lamp and, depending on the bedding, she needs to be misted or bathed, so she gets a proper amount of water. She eats a green salad every day, some fruit, insects, and there's a calcium powder every other day.

"It sounds like a lot, I know." He smiles, and Seokjin realizes his lips are dry from hanging his mouth open. He's had friends with pet lizards, and they made it look easy. Namjoon, at least, looks more engaged, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

"You must take really good care of them all," he comments.

Jimin drops his gaze to the lizard and shrugs. "It becomes second-nature after a while. Anyone could do it, if they just tried a little." He sounds sad for some reason. Seokjin tries to salvage the mood and asks why Jimin adopted so many pets and why reptiles.

"I'd always had cats and dogs growing up. My parents didn't want anything else, like birds, rabbits, fish, or reptiles, because they smelled." He shakes his head. "Clean the cages once in a while, and it's fine. It's actually not that hard to care for any animal, if you just pay attention.

“I’m also kinda a believer in retail therapy," he continues, more reserved. "So after this last breakup, I went shopping. Sometimes, Hoseok hyung or Yoongi hyung, my roommates, or my other friend goes with me, but they didn't this time, so..." He waves Amanda's little foot with a half-smile.

Seokjin nods, understanding. “And if it was clothes or shoes, you could simply return them.”

"Exactly. And, you know, I'm super aware that these are actual lives, and maybe if I lived by myself, I’d keep them all. Or if they were cats—Yoongi hyung loves cats.”

"Don’t go spreading lies about me!” a voice calls from down the hall. Seokjin assumed no one else was home.

Jimin smiles. “He tries to put up a tough front,” he informs lowly, “but he’s really soft and sweet." He sighs and chews his lip. "Hoseok hyung is the bigger reason i’m looking to rehome, though."

“Why’s that?”

“I hate snakes.” A boy around Jimin’s age shivers as he stalks out of one of the hall doors and to the kitchen. He retrieves a soda from the refrigerator and faces them, gesturing emphatically and shaking the can. "I have never liked them. Judgmental shoelaces to giant pool noodles... I don't care. And what does this heartbroken fool go out and do? Brings home the largest snake I have never wanted to see in my entire life." He steps around the coffee table to hug Jimin and kiss the top of his head, nuzzling him a little. "I love you to pieces, Jiminie, and I'm sorry you're going through , but you've gotta think things through.”

“I know.” Jimin pats his elbow. “I’m sorry, and I'm trying to fix it.” He gestures to Seokjin. "This is Kim Seokjin and his friend, Kim Namjoon. They saw my ad.”

Hoseok offers his hand and introduces himself, still hanging over Jimin. “You don't seem the type,” he remarks to Seokjin. “You actually want a roomful of snakes?”

Seokjin feels Namjoon tense beside him and shakes his head. “Actually, I’m more interested in the other reptiles.”

"See," Hoseok shifts to lean his elbow on Jimin's head, "and I don’t think they’re so bad. They're pretty neat, and some of them are kind of like hairless cats, real friendly and cuddly. Again—one maybe two...but not seven."

“I'm sorry, hyung,” Jimin mumbles, pouting at the slumbering bearded dragon on his lap. Hoseok makes a distressed noise and encircles Jimin's head with his arms, squeezing him tight.

“I love you bunches, Jiminie, and I hate seeing you sad, so stop that.” He only releases Jimin when Jimin taps out. “Do you wanna show them the Amandas in my room?”

“Are you done?”

“Taking a break.”

Jimin looks at Seokjin, gesturing to the short hall as he stands. “Hoseok hyung's making a mixtape. He and Yoongi hyung are musicians.” Hoseok's room is tidy except for a vast collection of hats. A large tank sits in front of the window, where two turtles sit side-by-side on a log split in half lengthwise beneath a sunlamp.

“You don't mind turtles?” Seokjin asks Hoseok, who shakes his head.

“They're okay. They remind me a lot of Yoongi hyung, actually. No motivation to do much but eat, and even then, they seem to put it off for as long as they can. They don't bite or anything, either.”

Namjoon crouches beside the tank to hover eye-level with the duo. “They're so small...”

“The person I got them from said they're sisters from the same batch of eggs and are two years old, now. Turtles who make it that long can live up to thirty years or so, so if you're looking for a long-term companion,” Jimin gently pats the ledge of the tank, “these are your girls.”

“Do they have to go together?”

“No, but I think it'd be nice if they did. They're sisters.” He points out their short claws, an indication of their female .

They look like the average pond turtle to Seokjin. “No to be mean or anything, but couldn't you just release them at a pond?”

Namjoon answers before Jimin. “That's illegal. I recognize this species, and it is highly invasive, because of people just releasing their pets. Same thing with the more common housepets, cat and dogs. Domestic pigs actually go feral quicker than anything else. A couple months, and they'll get hairy, grow tusks, and become aggressive. Dogs are a bit more hardwired to be people-oriented. Cats...” he frowns, squinting at the sunlamp. “Cats are kind of the same no matter what, I guess. I actually don't know. The strays by us are all friendly, anyway.”

“Here, too,” Jimin says. “We'll all actually feed them, sometimes.” He reaches into the tank and gently pets the turtles' heads. They close their eyes and retreat into their shells a little.

“What else did you say you had?” Seokjin asks. “Turtles, a snake, the bearded dragon...”

“Geckos.” Jimin looks at Hoseok and tilts his head. “I think Yoongi hyung's busy right now, though.”

“He's been at it since three this morning,” Hoseok replies. “I tried making him take a break, but he nearly broke me.”

Jimin faces Seokjin apologetically. “He can be pretty grumpy...”

“That's okay. I could maybe come back at a better time?”

“Yeah, that's fine.” He readjusts his hold on Amanda the bearded dragon. “Sorry to take up so much of your time.”

“It's my time to offer! Don't worry. I'm actually getting a little more excited,” Seokjin admits. “I may start looking for good spots to set up a tank at home, now.” Seokjin grabs Namjoon's arm, and they follow Jimin to the front door. He stops in the hall, looking at the farthest door, but he shakes his head.

“I hope you seriously consider it, at least. I feel bad that I can't keep them all, but it'd be nice to know where they go, so I could visit. That's why I only have my posters within the area.”

“Has anyone else contacted you, yet?”

“One guy did, like, within three days, but when I looked him up online, he's already got a bunch of animals. I'd kind of like if the Amandas went someplace where they'd get more attention.”

Namjoon nods sagely.

“Understandable. I only have this guy at home,” Seokjin gestures to his roommate with his head, “and our friend comes over a lot, but he's into any and all animals, so any Amanda would be spoiled with attention.” He pulls his boots back on. “I've got your number; you have mine. We can figure out another day to meet, when your roommate is more inviting.”

Jimin laughs behind his hand. “I don't know if we can ever consider him inviting, but we'll plan for a day he's in a better mood.”

Back at their own apartment, after stopping to pick up takeout for a late lunch, Namjoon comments on how bad he feels for Jimin. “Breakups are rough, but how rough must it have been for him to spend that much? The animals, the food, the tanks...”

Seokjin shakes his head. “Everyone's different, Joon. He's trying to make it right, now.”

“And I respect that.” They sit at opposite ends of the sofa with plates of food. “I admit, I'm kind of into those turtles.”

“Really. The turtles.”

“The turtle is a sacred figure in Native American symbolism, representing Mother Earth. They're also a key member of the ecosystem, so it's like hosting a superstar of nature.” He drops a bit of rice on his shirt and picks it up with his fingers. “Plus, did you notice they were smiling? They're really cute!” Seokjin hadn't; he was being an attentive guest and focusing on his host. Who's also very cute.

“I can give you his number, if you want to negotiate a turtle deal.”

“I dunno,” Namjoon sighs. “Do I really have the time to dedicate to them? Can I afford their care and raise them to meet their full turtle potential?”

Seokjin lets him philosophize and eats in silence.

Later, he texts Jimin, and he happily says that both his roommates will be out Monday evening for some performance thing. Usually, he'd go along, but he assures Seokjin that he can miss it once.

Namjoon doesn't go with him the second time, but having been there once and meeting Jimin, he gives his blessing and makes Seokjin promise to call him if anything came up.

Jimin answers the door a little bit after Seokjin knocks. Seokjin can hear movement inside, a somewhat painful thud, and then the chain lock sliding out.

“Sorry!” Jimin says breathlessly. “I'd fallen asleep.” He's dressed comfortably in sweatpants and a big T-shirt, set for a night in.

“Don't worry. I heard something fall, though, are you okay?”

His cheeks turn redder, and Jimin nods quickly. “Yeah. I'm fine.” He waves a hand over his shoulder. “I'll introduce you to the others, now.” His room is on the left, he informs, across from Hoseok's, then there's a bathroom and finally Yoongi's room.

It's very...black. Everything follows a monochrome aesthetic that Seokjin finds to be rather dull, but he's always been one for bright colors. Against one wall is a bookshelf with three large glass tanks, the most colorful spot in the room.

“Yoongi hyung always uses headphones, so he can't hear them talking.”

“Geckos talk?” Seokjin spots five of the reported seven geckos until Jimin points to the ceiling of the middle tank and a hidey-hole of the bottom tank.

“All geckos chirp, but I think it's cuter to say they're talking. Being girls, I'm sure they're gossiping about Yoongi hyung. Sometimes, he'll let one or two out at a time to just hang out on his desk or himself.” He reaches into a top tank, standing on a short step ladder. “Would you like to hold one?”

Seokjin shrugs and receives a handful of a carrot-orange lizard with a white belly and black eyes.

“She's probably the most friendly,” Jimin comments. “I think it's because she's orange, because with cats, too, the orange ones are always the friendliest, but I dunno. She's just a good girl. If she'd stay as warm as she needs to be, I think she'd happily be carried around everywhere. Live in your pocket or something.”

“And what kind of gecko is she? Aren't there a few different kinds?”

“Lots, I think, but I just know she and the others are leopard geckos. The worst thing, and I don't want to freak you out, but the worst thing about her and the others is their diet. Unlike the turtles and beardie, geckos are not omnivores. They eat living insects.”

Seokjin swallows, eyeing the sweet gecko slowly working her way up his arm. He's been fishing, and as long as he's using lures, or someone else baits his hook, he's been okay. There's just something about bugs that he is not comfortable with, but maybe he could talk Jungkook into feeding them.

“I wouldn't have to catch them myself, would I?” he jokes.

Jimin laughs behind his hand. “You could, but it would take a while!” He gently picks up Amanda the orange gecko, informing Seokjin to avoid touching their heads and tails, whenever possible, and places her back in the tank. “If you'd like, I can show you where I go for supplies. They're not far, but they will deliver if you buy something big, like a tank or big bags of food. I mean,” he backpedals a bit, “it's a part of this process, I guess, if you're still interested. You could totally just go online for yourself or whatever.”

He sounds a little put out, and Seokjin can see him withdrawing again. “That sounds like a good idea. You want to go now, or...?”

“If you'd like! I'm free, and they're open until ten, I think. Just lemme change—I can't wear sweats in public.”

Seokjin waits by the door, not wanting to hang out in a stranger's bedroom, and admires the pretty betta fish. It seems to float, effortlessly staying upright and elegant.

Jimin reappears wearing jeans and throws on a thick jacket, hat, and gloves, finishing the miserable winter look  with a very long scarf. “My friend made this for me,” he explains, folding it in half before wrapping it around his neck. “He said he wasn't sure when to stop, so he just kept knitting until it was as long as him.”

“Looks cozy.”

“It is! I like it a lot. It's just a little itchy, still, because his cat and dogs like it, too...” He picks a short dark hair from the knitted rows and drops it.

Jimin locks the door behind them and leads the way to a set of stairs that open to the street. Seokijn adds his weight to push it open. The wind stings their faces, and Seokjin hears Jimin whine.

“I hated walking my dog in this kind of weather,” he says, muffled by the scarf.

“Mine lives with my parents. It gets even colder, so I'd have to carry him outside to let him pee, and then I'd carry him back inside. My mom refuses to do that, so he's learned to suffer.”

“Poor dog.” They run to catch a bus waiting at a stop, taking it a couple stops and walking half a block to a well-let store with neon outlines of animals surrounding an OPEN sign. A bell rings as the door opens, and Seokjin holds it for the woman walking out.

Inside, it smells like hay and is warm enough that Seokjin s his coat and puts his hat into his pocket. Pocket pets run around their cages or burrow into the bedding. Each row seems to be dedicated to a different type of animal, and the whole side wall is covered with fish tanks.

Jimin makes a beeline for a round enclosure of ferrets. They're snuggled together so that Seokjin can't tell where one ends and another begins, but they seem to wake up, sensing Jimin's presence, and climb over one another with excited squeaks.

“Don't you have enough pets?”

“I just like to look.” Jimin draws a finger along the outside of the glass, and the ferrets try to follow it. “I've never had one of these before; I'd like to, someday.” He sighs and looks around the store, maybe sensing the ghosts of past paychecks. “Crickets and things are kept beneath the reptiles, in the refrigerator.”

“They're refrigerated?”

“I don't know why, but yes. I go through enough food that I just keep mine in a box in Yoongi hyung's room, though.” It's cheap food, at least, Seokjin notices. A bait shop would probably cost more.

“These are what I usually get,” Jimin says, pointing to cricket and mealworm containers. “I've not tried other brands, but these have been raised a really beneficial diet that'll then help whoever eats them.”

“You don't pick them up by hand, do you?”

“You can. Or use chopsticks. Amanda the yellow gecko has to be fed with chopsticks, because she'll try grabbing your fingers as well as the cricket. It's just easier using something to put some distance between you.”

The front bell rings, and they look over their shoulders at a man being lead to the dog toys by a little poodle in a plaid parka.

And Jimin's gone. Seokjin is about to make a comment about how cute the dog is, but when he turns his head, he's alone, and he hears Jimin asking the man if he can pet the little dog. The dog is the one who gives permission, sniffing Jimin's feet and knees and trying to jump to his face.

Seokjin meanders over to say hi, then he asks if Jimin's eaten once the man continues his shopping.

“The bugs didn't make you lose your appetite?”

“I don't think anything could make me lose my appetite,” Seokjin muses. He's always been a healthy eater.

Jimin suggests a pizza place nearby, both for the good pizza and options and so they're not outside long.

It's comfortably warm in the pizzeria; Seokjin and Jimin both drape their jackets over their chairs, but Jimin keeps his hat on. “I get bad static,” he admits, a little sheepishly.

Rather than sit in silence while waiting for their drinks and food—which Jimin seems to expect, by the way he starts looking everywhere but Seokjin—Seokjin starts asking questions. They had a more one-sided introduction the other day, he reasons, so he asks Jimin about his schooling and where he's working, a bit about his family, and then some more about his pet ownership history.

He learns a lot. Jimin is the other of two brothers. This city is his hometown. He dances, although he says he's nowhere near as talented as his roommate.

He also scrunches his nose a lot, hides his mouth when he laughs, giggles more than laughs, and sometimes he laughs so hard he nearly falls off his chair.

Neither Namjoon nor Jungkook appreciate Seokjin's humor as much as Jimin, and he feels so validated tonight.

After a dinner if possibly the best pizza Seokjin has ever had, they face the freezing night again and browse an electronics store for a few minutes after they miss their bus.

“So how are you feeling about the Amandas?” Jimin asks as they ascend the stairs to his apartment. “Anyone seem like one you'd like?”

“I rather like the geckos, and Namjoon actually told me he is interested in the turtles.” Jimin looks surprised but delighted. They stop outside his door. “I don't know yet, though. Even if I like them, they may not like me, and I'd kind of like any pet I'd get to actually like me, so...maybe I can visit some more and see if they come to like me?”

Jimin's holding his elbow, watching Seokjin talk while nearly chewing his pinkie finger. “I don't think you have to wait long,” he comments softly. He drops his arms and digs in his pocket for his keys. “But if you'd like to visit them, just text me. Even if I'm not here, Hoseok hyung or Yoongi hyung could let you in.”

“Okay!” Seokjin nods. “Cool... Well, thank you for showing me around. I'll think about it some more and text you, either way.”

“Okay.” Neither seem to want to be the first to say goodbye, then they're saying it at the same time when the silence gets awkward and apologizing over one another.

“I'm sorry,” Jimin says one last time. He steps around the door and bows a little. “Good night. Get back safe. Stay warm.”

“Yeah. Good night.” Seokjin stares at the closed door for a beat or two and takes the stairs back down to the street.

He's pretty sure he wants to see Jimin again more than he wants to see his pets, now.

---

a/n: Written for Jinmin Week. (prompt no.008: From a craigslist ad: I am going through a difficult breakup and impulsively adopted 11 different types of reptiles over craigslist. I have made a huge mistake. My roommates are furious. I have 1 ball python, 7 various geckos, a bearded dragon, and 2 red slider turtles. They are all named 'Amanda'. No rehoming fee.)

I know little about reptile handling, but this prompt called me by name, so I had to write it. It was also just supposed to be a short thing, like the whole story as long as this is, but it's not turning out that way, and if I could manage my time better, the whole story would be here, now. But I'm me, so. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯