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Steve is clingy, and Jonathan can be sentimental, but he’s not usually very touchy.
(I know it’s a fandom joke by now that he has sensory issues but seriously, autistic Jonathan is so near and dear to my heart.)
When they share a bed, Jonathan is all curled up on his side and Steve is starfished out, always stealing the blankets and moving in his sleep
Steve would say the weirdest shit in his sleep, very loudly, and it would scare the SHIT out of Jonathan, who is a light sleeper and sometimes has insomnia.
Jonathan is always cold. Steve is the human furnace.
-(Steve wakes up earlier and just… watches Jonathan sleep because Jonathan looks peaceful for once.)
Golden retriever Steve x black cat Jonathan
Steve is bisexual and Jonathan is demisexual. For a long time he wasn’t interested in anyone like that, and then he had a brief crush on Nancy growing up, and now Steve.
Steve definitely calls Jonathan “sweetheart” on accident in a crisis and Jonathan gay panics and stutters.
Steve would try to ignore his feelings for a while and try to distract himself with girls.
He’d definitely be dealing with internalized homophobia, and I think part of him would also panic a bit because how do you fall for the guy you hurt? You’ve already fucked up too badly.
Jonathan wouldn’t have that nonsense, though, and he’d be the one to snap Steve out of it.
He’d ragebait Steve into confessing, mostly driven by his own irritation at being into Steve.
At first Jonathan half-thinks his crush on Steve is divine retribution (before he gets to know him better).
Steve compliments his photography once and Jonathan has to take an angry walk.
Joyce CLOCKS their tea immediately and tries to pretend she knows nothing, but keeps “subtly” telling Jonathan he can tell her anything
Even post–S1, Steve still has moments where he’s sarcastic, defensive, or mean—especially when he feels insecure, jealous, or embarrassed. The driving force for his change is his care for Nancy (he and Nancy become genuine friends as he grows to know her and feel for her troubles), and Jonathan.
His worst fear becomes letting Jonathan down, especially because in the beginning, it seems like that’s what Jonathan is waiting for. He doesn’t want to be another person in Jonathan’s life that hurts him.
Early on, Steve unconsciously expects forgiveness, praise, or emotional access just because he’s “better now.” Jonathan does not let that slide—and that’s part of why Steve grows. Jonathan doesn’t baby him.
Jonathan helping Steve make his stupid puns, a deadpan expression on his face. Dustin feels so betrayed. Nobody ever sees it coming.
Every time Jonathan shows off his snobby alt music opinions Steve gets the grossest sappiest look on his face.
Nancy is so very amused by this. Robin makes fun of him. Dustin judges him but is ultimately supportive.
Dustin takes the longest time to figure out that Steve is into Jonathan though. Heteronormativity. He still thinks Steve likes Robin for the LONGEST time.
When Steve’s talking about finding someone who is “better for him,” Robin thinks he’s trying to confess to her, but he’s just like “omg no I have a boyfriend actually” and they have MLM/WLW solidarity and bro out.
Robin does NOT understand it at first. She cannot connect Jonathan and Steve in her head, it’s too weird, but when she sees them together for the first time, she gets it. Then she makes fun of Steve for being whipped asf.
Jonathan gives off mom vibes to the group (he was often doing domestic tasks at home growing up when their mom was absent or emotionally unstable, such as cooking, cleaning, and tending to Will)
Steve likes to think he’s the fun dad. He looks after the kids too but in a more laid back way.
Steve: Jonathan said we can’t do that
Dustin: since when is he the boss of you?
Steve:
Steve: this is a trap
Jonathan playfully insults Steve but in ways that sound like he’s actually complimenting him
Steve is flattered until he catches on, and then later on in the relationship, he knows how to catch them. He plays oblivious and acts like it’s sincere, just to amuse Jonathan.
Jonathan’s love language is providing & acts of service bc of his childhood.
Steve used to take it for granted, because Steve has money and forgets Jonathan grew up poor.
Now, every time Jonathan buys something for him or makes something for him Steve is warmed by it, but doesn’t say anything about it. He doesn’t want to mention it and hurt Jonathan’s pride.
Steve protects Jonathan as a love language, and also likes trying to take care of him financially (although Jonathan’s pride makes it hard for him to accept financial help).
Protective Steve. Jonathan rolls his eyes bc he can “take care” of himself
They all use guns against the demogorgons but it’s somewhat of a running gag between the three of them that Steve always somehow loses or ends up breaking his gun and has to improvise.
-Jonathan starts bringing backup weapons specifically to hand to Steve when Steve inevitably loses his gun.
-Nancy keeps a tally in her notebook.
-Steve improvises weapons like it’s a sport—shovels, bats, table legs.
Something something scene where Jonathan is teaching Steve how to shoot and Steve gets flustered.
Steve instinctively standing between Jonathan and cops/adults because he knows Jonathan already feels “responsible enough” which Jonathan finds both infuriating and embarrassingly endearing.
Steve, when they rescue Will and he eventually meets him, becomes weirdly gentle with him because of Jonathan. Jonathan notices and it wrecks him a little. Steve being a brotherly figure to the kids makes Jonathan feel fond.
Jonathan basically has a weird relationship with Will because Will is his only friend and his little brother and his son (kinda, because he did a lot to raise him) all at once. Gotta unravel some codependency issues there.
Jonathan has chronic pain from his back actually, which isn’t helped by working all the time to support his family.
Steve starts carrying things without asking because he finally notices Jonathan’s back pain. Jonathan complains that he’s “not an invalid,” but secretly melts every time Steve takes a heavy box out of his hands.
Steve gets in the habit of quietly putting a heating pad in Jonathan’s bed before he gets in. Jonathan pretends he has no idea who’s doing it.
Jonathan acts like he’s unfazed by Steve’s dumb heroics, but the second Steve isn’t looking, he’s got that horrifyingly fond boyfriend face. (Nancy sees it. Robin sees it. Steve absolutely does not.)
Jonathan tries to teach Steve photography. Steve is terrible at it. Jonathan tries to be patient but keeps making these quiet little sarcastic “compliments” like: “Wow, no, that’s great, you totally captured… some kind of blur, I guess.”
Steve enjoys being bad on purpose but ends up taking some cute pictures of him and Jonathan that Jonathan discovers later (they’re taped on Steve’s wall at home, some of the only decorations he bothers to put up.)
Jonathan keeps a whole stash of Polaroids of Steve—some candid, some lovingly framed—but pretends they’re “for reference.”
When Jonathan buys Steve coffee or brings him lunch, Steve doesn’t comment because it would fluster Jonathan, but he gets really heart-eyed.
Robin makes fun of him endlessly.
Steve keeps trying to pay Jonathan back for things but Jonathan refuses so instead Steve:
-Pays for gas before Jonathan even gets into the car.
-Quietly funds “movie nights” for the kids so Jonathan doesn’t have to.
-pops into the Byers home with dinner when Jonathan is tired from work and would otherwise have to cook (Joyce is a horrible cook and she always forgets to).
They become that couple who bicker constantly but are weirdly soft the whole time. Nancy watches from across the room like she’s at a zoo exhibit. It’s like watching a fox and a hound playing—too weird.
Both of them still assume Nancy has better things to do, so she ends up third-wheeling them without meaning to. It SHOULD be weird, because Steve is her ex, but after everything they went through together and Barb’s death, they’re her closest friends.
They each get jealous of guys/girls who flirt with the other but don’t know how to express it without sounding like middle schoolers.
Jonathan responds to feeling insecure or slighted by giving the cold shoulder, which reminds Steve of his parents. Steve doesn’t react very well to this, it makes him spiral. This becomes something they have to work on together,
Joyce loves Steve so much it’s embarrassing. She fusses over him every time he visits. Jonathan pretends this is annoying.
Jonathan keeps making him mixtapes (another part of his love language)
-Steve listens to them religiously. Robin keeps catching him humming these obscure alt-rock songs and is like, “Dude. You don’t even like that band.”Steve: “I do now.”
Steve gives Jonathan forehead kisses when he’s tired. Jonathan short-circuits every time.
Jonathan rarely initiates affection, but when he does, it’s always at weird times:
When Steve is tying his shes
When Steve is washing dishes
When they’re checking over weapons before fighting monsters
(Jonathan just bumps into him, leans his forehead on Steve’s shoulder, and stands there like a cat.)
When Steve gets beat up, Jonathan kinda loses his shit. He is usually practical because he can’t physically win fights but when Steve gets hurt he’s murderous, just like he would be for Joyce or Will.
Jonathan becomes the unofficial spotter for Steve because Steve tends to just charge at things without looking. Jonathan: “Left! LEFT, STEVE—”
Steve: “Oh—HEY!”
Steve and Will share protective instincts for Jonathan. Once Jonathan gets hurt and they both hover like mother hens. Jonathan hates it. Secretly loves it.
Steve buys expensive camera film or filters without thinking twice. Jonathan panics every time.
Steve just leaves it with Jonathan’s things and waits for him to find it
Steve hides the receipts like contraband.
Eddie lowkey flirts with Steve but Steve is just like “I have a boyfriend” and then realizes what he just said and goes bright red.
Eddie is so bewildered and amused when it turns out Jonathan is Steve’s boyfriend
Jonathan is obviously super protective over Will and Steve doesn’t realize that protectiveness actually extends to ALL his loved ones until Jonathan gets into a fight to protect him.
(Honestly, Jonathan has a mean right hook. Lowkey a sleeper build, you would not expect him to be as strong as he is.)
I genuinely want angst where Jonathan finds out about the shit going on with Billy beating up Steve and lowkey sexually harassing him, and he is fucking LIVID.
Seeing Steve and Jonathan makes Will so much more confident and hopeful about being gay.
He comes to view Steve as a second older brother. He and Dustin become closer friends as a result.
Jonathan smoking weed and shotgunning Steve. Much to think about…