summary: dustin henderson never had a good role model when it comes to love and it shows when he gets his first serious crush. but then he looks around and notices the way steve treats you, he realizes he had the best role model this entire time.
warnings: straight fluff, i mean tooth rotting sweetness, steve being completely boyfriendish again, dustin dealing with anxiety, light cursing, fem reader, domesticity again because i love it. just steve being perfect again.
from jen: i've had this in my drafts for weeks but got a surge of inspiration so i finished it and am positing it at 3am! i hope you guys love it as much as i do. i love steve harrington and mileven and lumax! as always, with love <3
Dustin Henderson had a problem.
A cute as a button, super smart, Suzie – with a Z – problem.
He met a girl he couldn’t get out of his mind no matter how hard he tried, but it wasn’t like he ever actually tried. Suzie was smart, she was sweet, added onto his perfectly timed jokes about the universe. She was perfect for him, all he had to do was make a move.
But it’s been weeks of spending time with her and he still hasn’t. He told himself it was because the timing wasn’t right or the moment wasn’t perfect, but he knew the truth.
Dustin was scared. Not just of rejection, no he was sure Suzie Q shared the same feelings as him. What he was truly scared of was how he had absolutely no idea what he was doing when it came to love and the feelings adjacent. He loved his mother, she was his favorite person in the world, but it’s always been only him and her.
After his dad split, she never moved on. She was .. eccentric so to speak, an acquired taste, and she wasn’t the kind of woman who was going to prioritize a man’s comfort over her own happiness, so she opted to staying single and raising her son. Dustin didn’t mind, not even a bit. He loved growing up with his mom. But he’d be lying if he said this was the one downside to his childhood.
He didn’t have a real example of how love should look. How could he possibly be any good at it? He was sure he would screw it up with Suzie, and he really didn’t want to.
There was new theater opening up in town and with every new movie, the group made plans to see it together every time. Everyone had chosen to meet up at Mike’s house, of course, and would carpool together. Nancy and Jonathan opted to stay home this time but she was nice enough to let Steve drive her car so everyone could fit.
It was a hectic blur of the kids racing each other to the car, everyone wanting to get the best seats in the wagon. Max and Lucas scored the best seats next to each other, right behind the front seats, leaving one left open – which Mike was happy to let Dustin take so he and El could sit together in the far back.
Dustin trudged behind, lost in his thoughts about Suzie. As he rounded closer to the car, he noticed you and Steve not far behind him, talking to yourselves.
Just as you two made it to the car, Dustin watched Steve reach for your door handle and hold it open. Dustin noticed how he didn’t even interrupt the conversation as he did so, or the way you didn’t even flinch at his action. You simply thanked him and slid in, just before Steve made sure your feet were safely tucked inside and pushed the door shut before rounding the car and sliding in himself.
Dustin stumbled into the car, and his mind started wandering. It wasn’t the first time Steve had done that, he always opened the doors for you – car doors, front doors, literally any door around, Steve made sure you didn’t touch it. It was .. sweet.
“Alright, you little shits ready?” Steve announced from the driver seat, grinning at the sound of everyone grumbling about his nickname for them.
This was just the first time Dustin really started to notice the things Steve did for you.
After managing to find and kill a hoard of demogorgons together, Steve and Dustin became pretty much inseparable. In the years following that time, it hadn’t changed, even after you and Steve became official. The duo became a trio.
So when Dustin managed to convince Steve to play in one of his DND campaigns, Steve made sure to bring you along. If he was going to suffer, he was gonna make sure his beautiful girlfriend was nearby.
You’re perched in the passenger seat of his BMW, fingers drumming along to the song playing over the radio. Steve and Dustin are talking, or rather arguing, beside you about the importance of punctuality.
“Steve, it’s my campaign. It’s one of my duties to arrive early enough to set things up properly to ensure the smoothest route into reality shifting fun!”
Steve’s face twists in pure annoyance. “What?”
You giggle to yourself at his expression. You can tell he’s trying to understand what Dustin is talking about but he’s already running on thin patience after even agreeing to this.
He and Dustin continue shouting over each other as Steve pulls into the gas station.
“We don’t have time for gas!” Dustin yells, his fingers wrap around the head rest of Steve’s seat and angrily tugs at it.
Steve hastily parks his car, and whips around, smacking Dustin’s hands away from the leather.
“Henderson, I swear to God, I’m gonna kick your ass to the curb,” He threatens, but there’s no real bite in his tone.
Dustin grumbles under his breath, sinking back into his seat with his arms crossed tightly over his chest. Steve turns towards you, his face losing it’s playful annoyance and morphing into something softer.
“Yeah, I’ll take a pack of Twizzlers!” Dustin quips from behind you guys.
You stifle a laugh while Steve grimaces, sending a deadly side eye to his best friend in the back seat.
You control your laughter to smile at him and shake your head. “I’m good, thank you,”
Steve smiles back, nodding once before snagging his wallet and rushing out of the car and into the store. You and Dustin make small conversation while he’s gone, talking about the campaign and some stupid idea the other guys in the club had that he immediately shut down.
It’s a few minutes when Steve emerges from the store with a bag in hand, and finishes pumping the gas. Steve grunts as he drops back into his seat, setting the bag down between you and him.
You barely notice as he rummages through it. There’s a pack of gum, a small blue Gatorade – his favorite – a pack of Twizzler’s and a full size Butterfinger chocolate bar – your favorite. Steve quickly tosses the pack of red vines to Dustin in the back and happily hand you the candy bar.
Dustin notices the way you light up at the sight of your favorite candy. You happily say your thanks before tearing the packaging open and taking a bite. Steve smiles and as fast as the moment happens, it’s over and Steve is driving away again.
It’s completely normal, a simple and insignificant moment none of you would even remember in a week but it sticks with Dustin. You hadn’t even asked for it, actually you declined the offer, but Steve still came back with something for you and you loved it. It was like he knew you better than you even knew yourself.
The third time Dustin really noticed how far Steve would go for you was when Steve decided to take everyone out for breakfast – his treat, he said. It was as chaotic as every other moment and by the time everyone was barreling out of the car to get in the restaurant, Steve was threatening to never do it again.
Everyone knew he was lying.
Like always, Dustin noticed the way Steve jumped out of the car and jogged around to open the car door for you, even offering you his hand to help you out. Dustin watched Steve hold the door of the restaurant open, sticking his arm out to thud against Will’s chest when he tried entering before you. And he noticed when he pulled out the table chair for you, gently pushing you toward the table once you sat comfortably and then taking the seat beside you.
Every movement of his was easy and casual – like it was as instinctual to him as breathing was.
Within twenty minutes of ordering, the food began to come out and settle across the table. Steve was one of the first to get his plate, but Dustin noticed how he didn’t even lift a fork until your plate was sitting in front of you.
Today, you had decided to try something new. Instead of your usual order, you took the waitresses recommendation of the special – some sandwich she raved about. You picked up one of the triangle halves and bit into it, and immediately regretted it.
While the waitress made it a point to really sell you on the sandwich, it was not good. Maybe that was harsh – it wasn’t disgusting, it was just filled with every condiment you hated. Even pickles were involved.
You had to physically stop yourself from spitting out the small bite you managed, but there was no stopping the sour look on your face.
And of course, Steve noticed. He paused mid fry and turned towards you.
“You don’t like it?” His brows are pulled together, a small frown forming on his face at the sight of your discomfort.
You quickly shake your head. “No, no, it’s good!” You lie.
Steve didn’t even try to make it seem like he believed you before he was lifting his plate and switching it with yours.
“You can have mine,” He said.
“Steve, it’s okay really,” You tried to protest, but he wasn’t having it.
“Don’t worry about it, I love these kinds of sandwiches,” He reassures. Your gaze softens and you glance down at the food Steve ordered.
A perfectly made cheeseburger, just the way you like it. It practically taunts you. You’re a big girl, you should be able to eat what you ordered even if you don’t like not. You shouldn’t inconvenience your boyfriend.
But that burger looks so good.
Steve gently nudges your shoulder, gesturing towards the plate and you cave.
Dustin watches the entire interaction across the table and how your shoulders immediately loosen once you take your first bite. Steve seems happy enough now that you’re eating and takes his own first bite of the sandwich.
He doesn’t seem to mind the switch, but a part of Dustin wonders if Steve ordered the cheeseburger the way you liked it just in case.
You, Robin and Dustin were hanging out at Steve’s house while you all waited for his shift at Family Video to be over. There was a rerun of an old 70s movie playing, and Robin is watching intently when Dustin asks if you can help him make some popcorn.
You’re barely halfway into unwrapping the bag when Steve gets home. You both glance up at the sound of keys jingling and the unmistakable feeling of his presence. Your smile is wide at the sight of him, a few grocery bags in one hand and the other holding a bouquet of pink tulips.
Steve makes his way further into the kitchen, setting down the bags and holding the bouquet towards you. Dustin watches as you both mirror the same smile, easily falling into place against each other.
“Thought you might like these,” He murmured, raising his free hand to push a strand of hair from your face. Your eyes were glowing as you admired the flowers in his hand, a gleeful smile on your face.
“I love them!” You gushed, looking back up at him. Steve’s smile widened and Dustin was sure he could see his heart grow three sizes in his chest.
This wasn’t the first time Steve bought you flowers. In fact, he did it quite often. If he passed them in the grocery store, a new bouquet was coming home with him. If you had a rough day, he cheered you up with some daisies. If you had a great day, he was celebrating it with some roses.
He didn’t care if he ‘wasted money’ on things that would inevitably die. You loved flowers and he knew it, and he would do anything to make you happy.
Dustin couldn’t stop staring at you two in front of him, so lost in each other but then Steve suddenly remember he was also there.
“Hey, Henderson. You good?”
The last time it really hit him was when Dustin asked Steve if he could drive him to a study hall across town. He agreed, of course, but Dustin was surprised to see you weren’t already with Steve. When he asked about it, Steve just mentioned how you offered to babysit Holly for Mrs. Wheeler.
The ride was smooth, some light conversation and normal teasing but as Dustin glanced over to Steve, his eye caught on the two pictures resting against his dashboard. One was a black and white photo strip, you and Steve posed in various ways together, from the movie theater photobooth. The other was a polaroid photo of you by yourself – wearing a pink dress, sitting atop a blanket in the grass and smiling sweetly into the camera.
It was the perfect capture of your and Steve’s relationship, and also the way Steve saw you – gross and in love together and so effortlessly beautiful on your own. But something else tugged at his chest. The way these pictures were placed tightly behind the dashboard and perfectly in view for Steve only.
It was his way of having you with him when you weren’t around, even if no one else saw. Something just for him.
Steve interrupted his thoughts as he began talking about some rude customer interaction he had earlier that morning, but Dustin wouldn’t stop thinking of every moment he noticed between you and Steve – and how he worried so much about not having a good role model when he had the best one right in front of him.
Later that evening, you and Robin met up with him and Steve back at Steve’s place. The four of you were sitting around the living room, talking about everything and anything. You and Steve sat next to each other on the smaller couch and Robin and Dustin sat across from each other on the longer one.
Robin was explaining how she embarrassed herself in front of Vickie when Dustin noticed Steve whisper in your ear.
“Want some ice cream?” He asked, and you nodded excitedly at his suggestion. You loved ice cream, so why not offer it?
Steve pressed a quick kiss to your temple before wandering off to the kitchen.
Now was his chance, Dustin thought.
After Steve dropped him off at his study hall, he’d been racking his brain on how to ask Steve about it. His stomach was in knots. Not because he thought Steve would make fun of him, but what if even after his advice, he still failed?
Shoving all his negative thoughts down, Dustin followed Steve into the kitchen. He stood in the doorway, fiddling with the ring on his finger. Steve was moving across the kitchen, grabbing two bowls from the cabinet and then the ice cream from the freezer.
Steve looked up from the tub of ice cream, scooper halfway in. “What’s up, man?”
Dustin made his way further into the kitchen, his nerves running rampant.
This is Steve. You can talk to Steve. He gave you your first can of Farrah Fawcet spray for God’s sake.
“Can I ask you something? Like .. something serious,”
Steve stilled then. He stood up straighter and placed the ice cream scooper down on the countertop. “Go for it,”
Dustin hesitated before finally, he asked. “How did you know how to .. be like that. With her?”
Steve’s brows furrowed, head tilting at his friend. “What d’you mean?”
Dustin felt like maybe he should let it go. Pretend like he didn’t even know what he meant and changed the subject but something in Steve’s eye made him feel like he genuinely wanted to understand. So he continued.
“I mean, the way you are,” He begins. “You open her doors, buy her snacks and flowers, and stuff. You even give her your food if she doesn’t like hers,”
He knew he did those things but he also didn’t notice every time, much less that Dustin was noticing too. He was also curious as to why he was asking.
Steve was quiet for a moment and he thought about what Dustin was really asking him.
“I didn’t always know,” He confesses.
That makes Dustin perk up. If Steve could learn, so could he. When Steve noticed his reaction, he continued.
“Yeah, I mean, she didn’t exactly come with an instruction manual,” He joked, pulling a small smile from the younger boy. “But I paid attention. It’s polite to open doors for your girlfriend and I like seeing her smile so if buying her flowers or switching my dinner with her does that, then I don’t mind,” He shrugs and starts scooping the ice cream again.
He says it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, and the easiest decision for him to make. He heard what Steve said, it’s all about making her happy but what if he can’t do that? What if he fails once and never gets back up?
“Yeah but how?” He questions again. “What if you mess up or do the wrong thing?”
Steve softens and slowly, begins to piece things together. Dustin had mentioned his growing crush on Suzie and Steve realized it wasn’t just curiosity making him ask these questions, but his own way of getting as much information as possible so he can do it himself.
“Sometimes I do, Henderson,” Steve says gently. “But when I do, I listen to her and I own it. And I make sure I don’t do it again,”
Dustin seems to accept his answer and swallows hard.
“I guess I just.. I don’t wanna mess things up with Suzie, you know?”
In that moment, Dustin looks so small to Steve. He’s no longer the 13 year old kid he met in high school, he’s now the same age Steve was when they met – but in this moment, he looks 13 again and he’s asking his best friend in the world for advice. Steve doesn’t wanna let him down.
“Hey, man, you’re not gonna mess anything up, alright?” He assured Dustin. “You asking proves you’re already doing better than I did when I was your age, and look at me now,” Dustin smiles at that.
“Yeah, man,” Steve nods and watches Dustin’s shoulders loosen just a bit. “You really like Suzie then, huh?”
Dustin smiles wider. “Yeah, I do.”
“Then all the advice you need is this,” Steve says. “Be kind to her, pay attention. You don’t have to buy her things but let her know you’re always thinking about her. Just be there for her, alright?”
Dustin grinned at his best friend and gone was all his worries, washed away with the advice he gave him. He could do that, he knew he could and he would. He was gonna ask Suzie out tomorrow and he was gonna make sure he was the best damn boyfriend out there.
Steve smiled at the new expression Dustin wore. “Now come on, my girls waiting on her ice cream,”
Dustin nodded, moving to help him carry the bowls back into the living room where you sat. Sure enough, Steve handed you your bowl first and watched you took a bite, making sure it was perfect before he took a bite of his own.
Dustin knew then he could have his own true and pure love because there was proof in front of him. You and Steve, the epitome of unconditional love.
