Nicknames: Jess, JJ, Steve Junior (which he hates) Golden Retriever, JS
Face Claim: Gavin Casalegno
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Love Interest: Will Byers
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A bit about him/brief backstory: Jesse is the younger brother of Steve Harrington. While also well-liked, he's not nearly as popular as his brother and often grew up in his shadow. He is a year older than Will, Mike, Lucas and Dustin, so he didn't originally hang out with them a ton as they weren't in the same grade. He first became involved with them after Will went missing. Wanting to help them, he aided them in their search for Will. When Will returned from the Upside Down, Jesse got to know Will better, and empathized with Will as the latter continued to suffer following his return. Over the summer when Mike and Lucas got girlfriends and Dustin was away at camp, Jesse and Will grew ever closer. Jesse's friends his age were largely focused on getting girlfriends as well, leaving both boys alone. They would frequently go to Starcourt Mall together and attempt to play DnD as just two of them. Jesse didn't have a clue what he was doing, but he decided to learn DnD to cheer Will up and ensure he still had someone to play with, and expressed annoyance at the other boys for how they were treating Will. He started to develop feelings for Will, but wasn't sure what they were/was in denial about them. By the time Will moved with his family and El to Lenora Hills, Jesse truly realized he was in love with Will. He tried to deny it though, believing Will could never feel that way for him. During that time, Jesse attempted to date girls, but it would just never work for him, with one date calling him gay (in an insulting way) to his face. He continued to frequently write to Will, making sure he was kept in the loop about what was happening at Hawkins. Jesse went with Mike to visit Will and El in Lenora Hills, because he knew Mike was going to leave Will to his lonesome and be busy sucking face with El. He also really, really, really wanted to see Will. He began to envy the way Will talked about Mike, feeling threatened although he doubted it was anything to worry about. At the skate park, Jesse showed Will his skating moves and they skated next to each other, where Jesse couldn't help but notice Will staring at Mike. That's when Jesse realized Will liked Mike and had for a long time. Although upset knowing Will didn't feel the same way, he did his best to show his support for him and that he would always be there for him, while also trying to drop subtle hints about his romantic feelings.
Personality: He is nicknamed "golden retriever" because his personality resembles a golden retriever. He has a sunshine personality and gets along with pretty much everyone he meets. He's always trying to lighten the mood, telling jokes and doing anything to make people laugh and smile. Beneath his extrovert side though, is a romantic and tender soul, who has the biggest soft spot for Will. When it comes to the people he cares for, he is extremely protective and will often lose control, sometimes getting a little too angry as he will stop at very little to protect them.
Random facts about him:
- He's known he was gay since he was 13 and developed a secret crush on one of Steve's buddies, and although he doesn't openly say he is gay (for obvious reasons), he is very comfortable with his sexuality and doesn't care if people question his lack of interest in girls
- He has a celebrity crush on actor Rob Lowe and owns many posters of him
- Steve became aware of Jesse's sexuality after learning about Robin's sexuality, and although he was surprised (despite his confusion at the number of posters Jesse owned of Rob Lowe making him wonder), Steve has been nothing but supportive of Jesse ever since
- He is close to Lucas, Dustin, Mike, El and Max as well as Will
- He sort of envies Mike and Will's closeness, more so as he develops feelings for the latter
- He was not interested in Dungeons and Dragons at all until he was 15, preferring to draw, play some sports, and design things
- He and Steve weren't always the closest growing up, but became closer when Jesse was 14 and Steve was around 17-18
- He loves going to Starcourt Mall and is almost always able to talk Steve into giving him a discount at Scoops Ahoy
- He's addicted to Slush Puppie and has been known to drink 4 slushes in one sitting
- He can't wait to get his driver's license and constantly begs Steve to teach him how to drive
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