Yeah so i feel like i have a bunch of great ideas for Stormhedge modern AU but I never do anything with them so here's me actually putting them somewhere that other people can see. So anyway heres a snippet of a modern au.
Dunk is taking a year off of playing pro rugby following the PR disaster of him being outed on his pro team. He'd played in the olympics for Ireland, just missing out on a medal playing Rugby 7s when he was like 20. He transitioned to playing 15s after the last olympic cycle and got a contract playing (second row, 8-man) for the Summerhall Reds in England, owned by Maekar (43) and Baelor(48).
He'd been trying to play through 'the incident' (which def involved Aerion somehow) and focus on the game but after a few weeks of slurs being shouted at him from the stands, and the Targaryens throwing him into media interviews he's not comfortable with, his performance starts suffering and he hires a therapist and moves home. He's about 24-25 now.
(in-?)Conveniently Arlan's part time worker at the mechanic shop back home (one of his old buddies) has a stroke and has to quit, and Dunk thinks its' as good reason as any to take a break from pro rugby and go help his old man until he can get better help.
SO he moves back into Arlan's doublewide trailer (and no, he doesn't really fit), starts growing his hair out again, and is doing really well in therapy, thank you very much.
He'd put away quite a bit of money from his contracts over the last few years, living extremely cheaply because that's how he was raised and Arlan would strangle him from across the border if he dared spend it frivolously.
A street over from the shop there's a cute little cafe (co-owned by Lyonel and Rowan) which serves the BEST pastries and baked goods. Dunk is there every morning right after it opens (after his morning run) to grab coffee for Arlan, the shop receptionist, and himself on his way to work. His therapist says he needs to treat himself more after the hell he's been going through with Summerhall.
Dunk is a very quiet guy, but also very nice and warm when you get him talking. He's not always talkative, but he's always listening, meeting people, stepping in when people need a hand, He's super polite and just generally curious about how the town's changed since he moved away to play rugby at 17. He's awkward as hell, but he charms everyone through his awkwardness and humbleness anyway.
He's quite principled about how he spends his money, avoiding chain restaurants at all costs, figures if he's spending it on anything it'll be rugby, food or local business.
Most of the clothes he actually wears are quite old, patched, repaired, etc. It's hard to get clothes that fit him so he takes good care of the ones he has. Lots of old jeans and work pants, flannel shirts, etc. 95% of the clothing he owns is team kit that has his name on the back, or it's targaryen colours, so he left most of it back at Summerhall and has been mostly avoiding wearing it cause he's sick of the emo ass black and red and is still conflicted about wearing their brand when they've so got him so royally fucked up.
On the same block as the cafe is raymun's pub - the Green Apple. Dunk ends up a lot there after work, grabbing a pint with Arlan, watching the game, etc. Him and Ray get along well too, of course.
Sometime he's in there during the daytime (it's pretty empty) and his olympic reel / life story comes on the sport channel. Dunk's stomach starts sinking and he starts panicking and asks ray to change the channel, Cue friendship bonding, dunk comes out as bisexual ray is like 'that's dope! I think it's way more interesting that you willingly decided to play for the targaryans tho. They fucking suck."
When Dunk moves home Lyonel is away on a business trip. He's super rich of course, co-owning a couple businesses / properties, will inherit other investments through Stormlands Co, and is also a consultant (whatever the fuck that means)
Dunk keeps hearing about 'The queer book club' or 'Ly'll take care of it when he's back' 'The other owners' away so it'll be our secret for now' 'get all the pop music you can in now cause Lyonel will have something to say about it' 'Baratheon's due for his oil and transmission in a week - we'll have our work cut out for us when he gets back' - this, that, and the other thing about him.
Lyonel (36) is usually in the pub pestering Raymun about getting on aux to play whatever his ADHD has convinced him to keep on loop that week, Forcing other regulars to play him at pool and darts, and generally being a well-liked bother.
Raymun and Dunk go to the gym together. Ray drags him out to play a Rugby game after a few weeks of begging and Dunk slowly working up to it with his therapist. Dunk gets a black eye in the first game because of course he does, and starts to fall back in love with the sport.
Lyonel goes to the same gym to swim laps sometimes, he used to swim competitively back in school. He played a little rugby too back in his day, some 7s and played fullback in 15s at Uni, he actually played with Maekar when Maekar came back for his masters.
He's swimming laps and sees Dunk one day who's using the pool and the sauna for recovery. Cue looney-tunes style "AWOOGAH" moment from both of them while the other isn't looking.
Lyonel tells rowan about this giant he has a crush on that is going to his gym and even though rowan is only half listening, she clocks that it's duncan immediately -- 'Oh he's very tall you say? that's nice sweetie - pass me that pen please' 'it's a small town, I'm sure you'll run into him... if he's still here'
They keep nearly having conversations, but getting pulled away from each other ... like two ships passing in the night....
Lyonel has always got couch surfers, hates having empty rooms, loves taking in strays and having company. He owns the building and lives in the two levels above the cafe and is always running into Rowan as she's opening and he's just about to head to bed. Raymun used to hang out with him late after the pub closed and that's actually how Rowan and Raymun met, while ray was still kinda drunk and red was half asleep, waking up.
Daeron comes to stay at some point, idk it's a subplot we'll come back to it
ANYWAY one day lyonel's car has a flat, and he's having a fucking moment about it cause he's a dramatic ass about everything, #diva
Red calls Dunk and Dunk comes straight over from the shop, hair half-up, hasn't shaved in a few days, arms and face covered in grease. He's wearing coveralls with the arms part tied around his waist cause it doesn't fit anymore, a tank top underneath and big heavy boots. Dunk is like 'Red, i can't beleive someone as capable as you has never changed a tire?'
'Dunk i just got my nails done and it's not my car - besides SOMEONE has to run the actual business *glare*'
Lyonel had just finished telling red about his gym crush and nearly chokes on his tongue when this guy strolls up in sweaty mechanic mode with rugby upper body....
Lyonel is wearing fucked up eyeliner cause he had an event late the night before, dunk's mouth goes dry and is SO nervous, he drops his tools a couple times and takes a really really long time fixing the tire,
Cue Gay Panic, cue unbelievable flirting montage
dunk is blushing down his chest. Lyonel can't stop thinking about licking him.
They get to talking about why he moved home and dunk is like *Nah, Fuck it, i'm gonna come out to this unbelievably attractive man* they hit it off!
Lyonel begs to take him out for dinner as payment and wines and dines him.
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