Steve has a habit of dropping his voice low when talking to Jonathan. It annoys Jonathan severely.
He knows Steve only does it with him, too. He has witnessed him talking with Robin (his voice is high-pitched, brighter and either animated or exhasperated depending on the topic), has overheard him talking to Nancy (not that high-pitched with her, and softer), and has heard him talk to Dustin (a little more authoritative in tone, but not nearly as low-pitched). But when talking to Jonathan, he keeps dropping to this low, gravely tone of voice, that sometimes sounds like a mockery, sometimes sounds like a challenge.
Jonathan is incredibly bothered by it every time it happens. And once he noticed it once, he couldn't stop noticing it—it happens every time Steve talks to him, it's like it's an unconscious reflex at this point. Jonathan can't fucking stop thinking about it. What the fuck does Steve want, doing that? What, is he trying to prove that he even sounds more masculine than Jonathan? Is it not enough to have a better build, better face, better hair, better clothes? To have money, popularity, both parents, a house with a pool? He's even taller than Jonathan by a few inches—why does he need to make his voice lower, as well?
Jonathan didn't even know he was insecure about sounding masculine. He never thought about it before. But it has to be it, right? It has to be an insecurity. Otherwise why would he be thinking about the sound of Steve's voice all the time? Why would he be paying that much attention to every aspect of how Steve sounds like, and mentally cataloging it like it's his job? Why would he be so annoyed with it?
And then something changed. One day, they were working at the radio station as usual, and Steve used that damn voice again to talk to Jonathan.
Except it was directly in Jonathan's ear.
It was casual, too, they were just passing each other and Steve stopped Jonathan by putting a hand on his shoulder, saying something like "let me know if those boxes are too heavy for you." It was the usual, mocking and challenging tone of voice. But he had leaned his head towards Jonathan's, and the sound of Steve's low-pitched, almost gravely voice was so much closer than he was used to.
It sent a shiver down his spine. A very distinctly not fear-related shiver.
Jonathan glared at Steve's way-too-close face for a moment too long, jaw tight, before shaking off the hand on his shoulder. "I got it," he said as he walked off, not looking back. Looking back would only give Steve the satisfaction of knowing he rattled Jonathan; that's never going to happen.
But as soon as the boxes were out of his hands, Jonathan grabbed his ear and started forcefully rubbing his fingers over it, like he could dust off the effect of Steve's voice. Goddamn Steve and his annoying goddamn voice.
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