What is it about Steve that you like?
Oh man, anon, this is a difficult question to pin an answer to. It really, really depends on context, on ‘verse, and what exact Steve you’re talking about. I’ll try to do a general overarcing answer for you, but I might delve into this in more detail later, if I get the time.
Ever since they first met, James was captivated by Steve’s stubbornness and the outright goodness in him. It’s like a beacon. He’s strong, stronger than anyone James has ever met, and brilliantly good. Steve is also extremely intelligent and creative, not just in an artistic sense. He sees the world in a different light than other people, and illuminates it. Sometimes that illumination touches the shadows, but Steve is a healer, a fix-it kind of guy, so even in the darkest places he finds good and does his best to draw it out.
To James, Steve has always been beautiful, physically and mentally. Pretty much no matter how you frame it, he does love him - it just depends on circumstance how that manifests.