5sos Fluff

Caught up in the cute *Calum*

4/4 preference

[ CALUM ]
Calum is not stupid. Not by a long shot. In fact, he's probably one of the best problem solvers you know, and you're very proud to call him your best friend. But despite his uncanny (and under appreciated) intelligence, he's always struggled with reading and spelling. He can read and spell of course, but when you were in school together it had always been his weak spot, and since he dropped out of school for the band he isn't as good as other people his age and he's really insecure about it. Whenever there's a statement the band needs to read or anything that's longer than a few sentences, Calum passes it off to one of the other boys. His mates tease him about it from time to time, like when he makes spelling errors in his tweets or stumbles whenever he does read something, and he always laughs along with them. Truth is though, it really bothers him. But, having known him since you two were in diapers, you've come to realize the extent of his insecurity.
The thing is, you love English. Reading, writing, storytelling - it was your favorite thing in the whole world. You recite and read with such eloquence and grace that you're in multiple advanced writing and literature classes in college, and while you try to avoid the topic when you're with Calum, sometimes you just can't help it. You have a true passion for it, and you have to share it - especially with your best friend.
You were staying at the band's house for about a week while they're back recording for a while. They've been so busy with their skyrocketing careers you haven't really had time to hang with Calum, so you decided to take a week from college to make the most of this opportunity. You had gone to the beach with the boys today, and now you and Calum were in his room, just relaxing and enjoying each other's company. Calum was scrolling through his phone while you had your nose stuck in a book. You were so lost in the world encased within those pages that you didn't hear Calum address you.
"Huh?" you ask vaguely, continuing to hungrily absorb the words.
"I said, what are you reading?"
You tear your eyes from the page and look at Calum, who's laying on the bed next to you. You dog ear your page and close the book, handing it to him.
"Jane Ear," he scrutinizes the front page.
"It's pronounced Eyre. It's wonderful," you gush, "it might actually be my favorite book."
Calum snorts, "you say that about everything you read."
"I'm serious this time!" you insist, snatching the book from him and leafing to the page you left on, "just listen to this:
'It is far better to endure patiently a smart which nobody feels but yourself, than to commit a hasty action whose evil consequences will extend to all connected with you.' "
You glance over and beam at him, "isn't it just beautiful? Charlotte Brontë writes so poetically, but the practical implications she puts into every word just-"
"Sounds great," Calum cuts you off and rolls away from you, reaching for his guitar.
You frown, "you don't have to be so rude. You asked, anyways."
"Well, sorry not all of us are sophisticated readers and writers like you, y/n" he retorts bitterly, forgetting about his guitar and looking at you enviously, "I mean, I don't have any idea what the quote you read meant. And I hate it! I can barely even read simple things without stuttering, and my spelling's shit. You, on the other hand, read these classics and absorb every word, and when you read things out loud you do it like they're your own words." He sits on the edge of the bed, his back to you, "I feel so stupid when you talk about these things."
You blink, realizing you forgot how sensitive this subject was to him.
"Alright, let's get one thing straight. You are not stupid. Just because you're not a flawless reader doesn't compromise that. It just takes practice. And the last time I checked," you peek over his shoulder with a grin, "you were a little preoccupied being in a world famous band."
He cracks a reluctant smile at you, but it disappears quickly as he says, "it's more than that. I can't even read the simple stuff, let alone the shit you do."
"Well," you announce, "maybe it's time to change that. Come here." you sit and lean against the bed's headboard, patting the space between your legs.
Calum looks at you skeptically while he climbs over and sits between your legs, his head resting above your heart.
You grab your book, turn it to the first page, and place it in front of Calum's nose.
He cranes his neck to look at you, "what do you want me to do with this?"
"Read to me."
"You're kidding right?" he laughs, as if waiting for the punch line.
"Serious as a heart attack."
He shakes his head and puts the book aside, "no, its so stupid."
"Calum, how else are you going to improve? You have to start some time, and just bitching about it isn't gonna make you any better. Besides" you reach for the book and hand it to him, "it might as well be with someone who's not gonna judge or make fun of you, because I know just how much of a genius you really are."
He hesitates for a second before opening the book to the first page and starting. You have to admit, his reading has gotten worse over the past couple years of completely neglecting it, but the two of you continue slowly, pausing frequently to sound out longer words and to clarify what passages mean. Eventually, it becomes a nightly thing; after your daily adventures, you two would retreat to his room and Calum would read to you for hours before you were both too tired to continue.
A few nights into your stay, you and Calum were once again holed up in his room, his increasingly confident reading filling the room.
"Pre... Prec..." Calum holds the book up to you and points to the line he's on.
"Preconceived." you recite.
"Preconceived" he repeats, allowing the word to become familiar on his tongue, "opinions, foregone determinations, are all I have this hour to stand by: there I plant my foot."
Just then you hear a snicker just outside the door, and both of you focus your attention on it.
"Shhh.. God you're fucking loud"
"Wait... He stopped."
"Do you think they heard us?"
"Yeah," Calum says loudly, "we did."
There's a pause before the door opens and three slightly guilty-looking band mates enter the room.
"You're all cocks," Calum mutters, hiding his now pink face in the book.
"No! It's great!" Luke beams at him, "we heard you a couple nights ago, and it sounded like you had some sort of speech impediment"
"th...the... girl went through the gear... garf... garden" Ashton mimicks, squinting at his hands, which are opened in front of him like a book. Michael and Luke laugh, and Calum sinks lower next to me.
"Oh, like you guys are any better," you retaliate good-naturedly, knowing they mean no real harm.
"Oh believe me babe, we know," Mikey holds his hands up in surrender, "we suck just about as much as Cal. Except for Genius Boy Hemmings."
"We just think it's so cute how you've got baby Cal reading storytime to you every night, just like back in year three..." Ash croons, a cheeky grin plastered on his face.
"Alright you guys, shoo! We're just getting to a good part!" You wave your hand at them dismissively.
"Can't we stay?" Luke begs, "we love storyti-"
"Out."
The boys' shoulders slump as they make their exit. Just before Mikey closes the door, he calls over his shoulder, "remember Hood, i before e, except after c."
Cal flicks him off, and once they're finally gone, he emerges from the book, his face still tinged pink.
"Cocks," he mutters again.
"Oh shush, they're just jealous someone cares about you enough to tutor you." you say.
Cal smiles at you gratefully before turning his attention back to the fine black print. "Alright, so where were we..."