theres just something (delusional) theres just something about the way that jon and elias talk to each other especially in s3 where theyre both kind of…familiar with each other. better the devil you know. elias is someone who jon can get mad at and be rude to because after all he’s shown himself to be a villain and the enemy. he’s someone who jon can be vulnerable to because he’s fucked up his relationships with all his other coworkers and he knows that elias is the closest thing he has to getting any help in this fucked up situation. tim saying “this place loves you too much to let you get swapped” and jon’s first thought is “what about elias? surely he’s the same?” jon can take 2 seconds out of the crushing guilt that he constantly feels for becoming an avatar of fear to tell elias to shut up or play along with elias’ smarmy remarks. for the whole time jon’s known elias he’s always been on some level scared of him but now he’s also resentful and angry and he can’t stop doing what elias tells him to do and he can’t stop reaching out towards him because he’s all that he has. so every interaction they have is charged with those conflicting feelings and weird familiarity. monster intimacy with my monster boss