"Days of Our Lives" viewers first met Steve "Patch" Johnson in 1985 when he came to Salem as an old acquaintance of Bo Brady, per Soap Central. Steve and Bo had initially met while they were serving in the Merchant Marines. Together with a woman named Britta, they became best friends. The trio were very close and even got matching knife tattoos to solidify their bond. However, when Bo and Steve both fell in love with Britta, a bitter battle ensued between them. The two got into a physical altercation which led to Bo using a knife and taking out one of Steve's eyes. Things may have been tense between the former friends, but they soon found themselves bonded together for life.

Steve came to Salem at the request of Victor Kiriakis (John Aniston). He was hired to help Victor in his illegal activities. However, soon after arriving in town, Steve met Bo's younger sister, Kayla Brady (Mary Beth Evans). The two fell madly in love with one another, and Steve and Bo resolved any issues between them and went on to resume their friendship. When Kayla and Steve got married, the duo went from being best friends to brothers-in-law (via Soaps In Depth).

From there, Bo and Steve were always by each other's side during good times and bad and even fought common enemies together.