The bat, the nerd and the crush
Steve Harrington x Dustinās sister!reader
Summary: Steve helps Dustinās older sister learn some basic self-defense, and the two of them end up growing a little closer in the process.
Word count: 655
Notes: no season 5 spoilers :)
Steve Harrington had faced demogorgons, demo-dogs, Russians, and one extremely dramatic Scoops Ahoy uniform⦠but nothing ā absolutely nothing ā compared to the way his stomach flipped every time you walked into a room.
Dustinās older sister.
Awkward, nerdy, way too good at math, and somehow the hottest person alive without even trying.
Which was unfair. Truly.
āOkay,ā Steve said, clearing his throat for the fifth time as he stood in the Byersā backyard with a baseball bat slung over his shoulder. āLesson one: stance. You need a good stance so you donāt, uh⦠fall. Or die.ā
You snorted, pushing your glasses up your nose in a way that made his brain short-circuit. āFalling sounds more likely. Dying is dramatic.ā
āWell, Iām trying to avoid both outcomes,ā he said, flashing what he hoped was a confident smile. It probably looked more like a grimace.
The others were inside ā Dustin, Mike, Lucas, Will ā arguing about which D&D mini belonged to who. That gave Steve a perfect window, even though he pretended this was purely educational and not at all an excuse to be near you.
āAlright,ā you said, stepping closer. āShow me the stance.ā
āRight.ā Steve planted his feet. āSo, you wanna be steady, knees bent, not too wide, but not too narrow, andāā
You copied him immediately. And ā of course ā looked way cuter doing it. Steve blinked.
āYouāre⦠doing it really good,ā he blurted.
You raised an eyebrow. āDoing it really good?ā
āOh my god,ā he groaned under his breath. āI meantā youāre doing a really good job. Whatever. You get it.ā
You giggled, and it hit him like a full-speed Vecna tentacle to the chest. Why was your laugh that cute?
āOkay,ā he said quickly, desperate to recover. āLesson two: swing.ā
āShould I be scared?ā
āNo. Probably. Maybe a little.ā He handed you the bat. Your fingers brushed his. He definitely did not squeak ā at least he hoped he didnāt. āJust hold it likeā yeah, like that. Uhā right. Now when you swing, make sure your armsā uhā stay loose. Not floppy loose. Focused loose.ā
You stared at him. āSteve⦠what does that even mean?ā
āI donāt know,ā he muttered. āI panicked.ā
You laughed again, and Steve wondered if creatures from the Upside Down ever died from embarrassment, because he was about to.
āHere,ā he said, stepping behind you before he could overthink it. āMind if Iā?ā
You shook your head, cheeks a little pink.
He placed his hands over yours on the bat, guiding your arms gently. You tensed at first ā he did too ā before relaxing into it.
āSee?ā he murmured near your ear. āWhen you swing, put your weight into your hips. Twist a little. Likeāā
You swung, and the bat cut through the air perfectly.
Steve blinked. āHoly crap. That was⦠actually really impressive.ā
You turned to him, smiling shyly. āIs that the official Steve Harrington approval?ā
āItāsā yeah. Consider it stamped. Gold star. A+.ā He nodded way too fast. āIf a demogorgon shows up, youād smash it to bits. Likeā dust.ā
āWow.ā You laughed again. āHigh praise.ā
He rubbed the back of his neck. āYouāre a natural. Plus youāreā uhā yāknowā¦ā
You tilted your head. āIām⦠what?ā
He swallowed. Oh no. No backing out.
āYouāre⦠really cool. And smart. And, umā¦ā He gestured vaguely at all of you. āPretty. Likeā really pretty.ā
Your eyes widened. āSteve.ā
āI said it!ā He threw his hands up. āToo late to take it back.ā
You stepped closer, barely hiding a smile. āWell⦠thank you. For teaching me. And for⦠that.ā
He smiled, softer this time. āAnytime. Really.ā
The back door slammed open.
āSTEVE!ā Dustin yelled. āAre you corrupting my sister?ā
Steve sighed. āNo! Iām teaching her how not to die!ā
āSame thing!ā Dustin snapped.
Beside him, you giggled quietly ā and Steve decided heād fight a hundred Upside Down monsters if it meant hearing that sound again.








