diff --git a/ext/date/date_core.c b/ext/date/date_core.c
index dce0bf99ec5a2d..0ff3868b406012 100644
--- a/ext/date/date_core.c
+++ b/ext/date/date_core.c
@@ -51,18 +51,18 @@ static double positive_inf, negative_inf;
 #define f_add3(x,y,z) f_add(f_add(x, y), z)
 #define f_sub3(x,y,z) f_sub(f_sub(x, y), z)
 
-inline static VALUE
+inline static int
 f_cmp(VALUE x, VALUE y)
 {
     if (FIXNUM_P(x) && FIXNUM_P(y)) {
 	long c = FIX2LONG(x) - FIX2LONG(y);
 	if (c > 0)
-	    c = 1;
+	    return 1;
 	else if (c < 0)
-	    c = -1;
-	return INT2FIX(c);
+	    return -1;
+	return 0;
     }
-    return rb_funcall(x, id_cmp, 1, y);
+    return rb_cmpint(rb_funcallv(x, id_cmp, 1, &y), x, y);
 }
 
 inline static VALUE
@@ -6154,6 +6154,7 @@ static VALUE
 d_lite_step(int argc, VALUE *argv, VALUE self)
 {
     VALUE limit, step, date;
+    int c;
 
     rb_scan_args(argc, argv, "11", &limit, &step);
 
@@ -6168,25 +6169,22 @@ d_lite_step(int argc, VALUE *argv, VALUE self)
     RETURN_ENUMERATOR(self, argc, argv);
 
     date = self;
-    switch (FIX2INT(f_cmp(step, INT2FIX(0)))) {
-      case -1:
+    c = f_cmp(step, INT2FIX(0));
+    if (c < 0) {
 	while (FIX2INT(d_lite_cmp(date, limit)) >= 0) {
 	    rb_yield(date);
 	    date = d_lite_plus(date, step);
 	}
-	break;
-      case 0:
+    }
+    else if (c == 0) {
 	while (1)
 	    rb_yield(date);
-	break;
-      case 1:
+    }
+    else /* if (c > 0) */ {
 	while (FIX2INT(d_lite_cmp(date, limit)) <= 0) {
 	    rb_yield(date);
 	    date = d_lite_plus(date, step);
 	}
-	break;
-      default:
-	abort();
     }
     return self;
 }
@@ -6241,9 +6239,9 @@ cmp_gen(VALUE self, VALUE other)
     get_d1(self);
 
     if (k_numeric_p(other))
-	return f_cmp(m_ajd(dat), other);
+	return INT2FIX(f_cmp(m_ajd(dat), other));
     else if (k_date_p(other))
-	return f_cmp(m_ajd(dat), f_ajd(other));
+	return INT2FIX(f_cmp(m_ajd(dat), f_ajd(other)));
     return rb_num_coerce_cmp(self, other, rb_intern("<=>"));
 }
 
diff --git a/test/date/test_date_arith.rb b/test/date/test_date_arith.rb
index f5ac5bf30b4cdd..5b03d6e7eb9e62 100644
--- a/test/date/test_date_arith.rb
+++ b/test/date/test_date_arith.rb
@@ -262,4 +262,17 @@ def test_step__noblock
     assert_equal(8, e.to_a.size)
   end
 
+  def test_step__compare
+    o = Object.new
+    def o.<=>(*);end
+    assert_raise(ArgumentError) {
+      Date.new(2000, 1, 1).step(3, o).to_a
+    }
+
+    o = Object.new
+    def o.<=>(*);2;end
+    a = []
+    Date.new(2000, 1, 1).step(3, o) {|d| a << d}
+    assert_empty(a)
+  end
 end
diff --git a/version.h b/version.h
index c4bd04f96f04bb..82cdb46aa80dc8 100644
--- a/version.h
+++ b/version.h
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #define RUBY_VERSION "2.4.4"
 #define RUBY_RELEASE_DATE "2018-03-22"
-#define RUBY_PATCHLEVEL 281
+#define RUBY_PATCHLEVEL 282
 
 #define RUBY_RELEASE_YEAR 2018
 #define RUBY_RELEASE_MONTH 3