Oh Baelor is soooo agonising and feeling guilty about his attraction for charm school Dunk. Hes researching “is it ethical for me to bend a raffle student over”. Love to see his heart event
You are so right about that!!!!!!! Doesn't help that Dunk is just so decent. If Dunk was a bad person Baelor would feel better, if Dunk was rich he wouldn't feel too bad, but Dunk is a dude who was a homeless orphan until he aged out of the system and got taken in by an old man who is now in cancer remission. He feels BAD.
Context For Au: {Part 1} {Part 2} {Part 3} {Part 4}
TLDR: Dunk won a raffle to attend Royal Charm School, a university esc school made for the various royals of the continent of Westeros and Essos to meet, connect, and get a degree if they so choose. All ships (except Cuck Aerion) are open as this is basically a dating sim AU.
Every Semester all of the Charm School Raffle kids are invited to attend a dinner with the Crownlands family as a way to check in and as a philanthropist flaunt to the media. Essentially a "YEAH! WE TARGS AREN'T EVIL! WE HAVE A SCHOOL WHERE COMMONERS CAN ATTEND VIA RAFFLE!!", which still isn't the best but it's not the worst. Baelor pulls Dunk after one of his lectures to ask if Shiera or Brynden gave him a suit for their dinner yet, to which Dunk informs Baelor that they haven't and he's fine with not attending though, he wouldn't know how to act proper. Honestly, he's from Flea Bottom, it probably isn't a good look to have him in their castle.
Now, Baelor has had students refuse to go before, from sports schedule interfering - family issues - health reasons and the like but he has never had a student refuse on the basis of believing that they'd taint the environment. Like Dunk was some parasite or infection. Not a boy who first day princess carried his nephew halfway across the school to the nurses office and now just carries Daeron to his room whenever he passes out at the stables ever since finding out Daeron suffers from insomnia, not wanting to wake him up. Not the man who he hears gave Valarr's car a full check up when he complained it sounded weird, not the man who took a horse kick to the chest for Egg. Hes heard from Valarr and Kiera that they believe Dunk's childhood wasn't great but he wonders what could have happened to make his b- star student feel this way.
Baelor decides it might be best to build Dunk's confidence up a bit more before putting him in front his his family, and since Dunk is an education major and raffle ticket winner, it wouldn't be odd for him to have one on one discussions with Dunk. Hell, he has had many raffle students simply exist in his office so Baelor tells Dunk that Monday and Wednesdays after class he would like him to stay after for some extra mentorship. He is free to decline should Dunk have other duties or need time with friends or family, but for an hour or more, Baelor would love to have Dunk talk with him. Dunk asks if this is some sort of therapy session or a mentorship think, to which Baelor replies with why not both. Dunk gives an awkward chuckle and agrees. Apparently, starting now.
Baelor questions what about attending dinner makes Dunk nervous, and is a unimpressed by the answer being all of it. But it is a place to start nonetheless. First private lesson is about the royal family, a genuine answer that isn't what the media presents, or what they pay the media to present. His fathers bad jokes, mothers eye for clothes that Maekar inherited from her, his various brothers eccentrities, about his children and nieces and nephews, ones Dunk have met and ones he hasn't. He tries to make them seem like people, something that helps most of his raffle students when they are nervous about attending, but it seems to do very little for Dunk.... Odd.
The next time Dunk visits theres a whole table set up for them, complete with proper tableware and food. Dunk is confused but before he can question Baelor has him sit for what he is calling an "etiquette" lesson or a practice dinner. If he can survive a few meals with plain boring Baelor, then he can survive one meal with his family as the guest of honor. So Dunk agrees and it starts off miserably awkward. Baelor doesn't know whether to be concerned or upset, but given how Dunk has a hard time talking to him on a good day, he lets it be. So Baelor asks how he got into rugby, and where he expected a nice answer of love for the sport he got something truly upsetting, he got "They'd give free meals and I got to use the showers." before a horrified look from Dunk realizing what he just let slip.
This is how Baelor finds out Dunk had several bouts of homelessness as a child and spent a lot of time doing sports as they always gave players food and let them use showers. One of the schools even let kids use a washer and dryer for free so Dunk often used that, and it was always an excuse to stay at school instead of going home. It is as painful of an admission for Dunk to say and it is for Baelor to hear. Dunk then apologizes, saying it's not something Baelor should have to worry which causes the first crack in Baelors exterior as he practically shouts that it is exactly what he should worry about. Baelor needs to know about the issues of the country he is inheriting, he should be made aware of failures of the various systems in his country.
Dunk freezes, hands gripping the table at Baelors impassioned rant which makes Baelor apologize immediately, not noticing the slight flush on Dunks face. The giant forgives him and they get to awkwardly eating, but as their bellies fill they get to talking more and it's nice as Baelor discusses how the recipe is his mothers favorite and Dunk mentions how there was a nice Dornish couple that was always willing to give him some extra food for yard work, and its how he learned how to make tea. Apparently in Dunk's various running aways he spent some time all over the Westeros continent so he has plenty of stories to tell.
The meal ends with a nice goodbye between them but there's an ache inside Baelor's chest at what he learned as well as a strong desire to leash and pamper.... For a man younger than his eldest son.... oh boy.
GUILT ALREADY SETTING IN!!!!!!!!!!!