Looking Through Windows by Inthemorninglight (@weirdo-twins)
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply; eating issues
Relationship(s): Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler, Jonathan Byers & Will Byers, Joyce Byers & Nancy Wheeler
He knew his mother was drinking in the kitchen. He knew the Will thing hovered like an awkward, dismal specter in the corner of the evening.
He wonders, now, why he pushed it. Why he wanted to bring her home so badly and sit her in front of a family he knows is worn thin on good days.
...
Or, the first time Jonathan brings Nancy home for dinner
Recommendation: This is a gorgeous fic that deftly teases apart the complex Byers family dynamics to reveal the beating heart of love at their core and what it's like for Nancy to see into it. Jonathan is as dutiful, responsible, and caring as we know him to be, but he's allowed to be a little frustrated, too, and his soft joy with Nancy is so warm and lovely. There is so much subtle, quiet, supremely effective character work going on, all wrapped up in such evocative writing that I had to stop and sit with lines as I read, just to roll them around a little and really soak it in.
Additional notes: I really enjoyed all of the characters and dynamics here, but I particularly appreciate this take on Will's response to the traumas he's experienced.
