Stonathan ❤️

111

NOT MINE!!

all credits go to argylemikewheeler on ao3

A/N: This is a super long chapter and im pretty sure i've done this if so my apologies! 

(HELP THIS LAGGED MY LAPTOP SO BAD)

Everyone seemed to think that it wasn't until their junior year of high school that Steve Harrington finally noticed Jonathan Byers. If anyone had bothered to pay attention though, they would have noticed that junior year was just the time it was publicly encouraged for Steve to notice him. And for all the wrong reasons.

Truthfully, Steve never stopped noticing Jonathan. Ever since their first day of Key Club, back when they were nine, Steve had always taken strange interest in the boy. Jonathan hadn't been very much of a talker back then either, but he would talk to Steve-- or at least just listen to him talk. After just two months of meeting every day at Keys, Jonathan finally spoke more than his usual five words: hi. good. that's cool. bye . Jonathan told Steve about everything: his mom, his baby brother, his dad-- oh his fucking dad . Jonathan bared it all.

He had a vulnerable soul-- and coincidentally, a very quiet one too.

The next three years of friendship-- and noticing-- were disguised by attending separate schools. Jonathan went to Hawkins Middle while Steve went the next town over to some pretentious private school. The main parental bragging point was that he had a uniform and learned to speak French. Well, Steve would've if he actually paid any attention. In fact, just by reading over Steve's notes after school, Jonathan picked up more French than Steve ever did. It was somewhat of a planned stupidity though; hearing Jonathan say words Steve didn't know meant he could make up whatever meaning he wanted. As Steve approached high school age, those possibilities began to narrow down to a particular theme.

Steve confessed it, awkwardly, over a mid-day snack in Jonathan's kitchen. No one was home. His dad had started going missing-- rather than purposefully absent. Steve tried to hang out at Jonathan's house more frequently to try and give positive memories and energy to a space wrecked with rejection, abuse, and revoked love. Steve knew what some of that was like. He intended to do his best to make his best friend's life better.

And for some reason, that included coming out on a Wednesday afternoon in the summer before high school.

"You ever think about girls, Jon?" Steve asked, popping a peanut in his mouth.

"Hm, I don't know-- and stop calling me that. I hate it." Jonathan pushed himself up onto the counter. He gently kicked Steve in the arm before breaking into a smile.

"Oh come on, do you ?" Steve grabbed Jonathan's knees and leaned into him, teasing him right under his nose.

"I'm not sure!" Jonathan admitted, lifting his hands up to shove Steve back. His face was red, flushed all the way up to his hairline. "Do you , Steve?"

Steve paused, despite having this be his plan all along. "Actually, Jonathan ... no. I don't."

Jonathan laughed, a snort of awkwardness, before blinking at Steve slowly. "You're kidding."

"No. No, I really don't." Steve leaned back and braced his arms against the counter by the kitchen sink. "I think... I think I'm gay. Maybe."

"Oh."

" Probably ."

"Okay." Jonathan nodded. He crossed his ankles, stopping his swinging feet-- the only movement in the room.