A/N: This is based on The Eclipse Series. Noctis' POV.
Prompt: #35 Doctor
Summary: Even smart men can be dense.
Doctor and Philologus are Latin for "Learned Man".
Philologus
There had been many times he had fought the urge to stand and gawk rather foolishly, whenever his friend worked so swiftly and methodically before him. The results that came out of Sapien's efforts always astounded him. The man was much more than just a learned man. He was a genius. In the times of crises, he always knew who he had to go to when he needed something done and not just done, but done well. True, he had Vires and he had Des, but neither of those two were as effective as Sapien. Well, they were compelled to activity because of Sapien's initial instruction and guidance. They had never really gotten a chance to show if they could, though there had always been room for improvisation on each of their parts, but that is another thought entirely.
There was always that knowing glint in Sapien's eyes that told you, he could read exactly what you were thinking, when you were thinking it. He has never met another man that could read anyone so well as his spectacle wearing friend. So he is very thankful that this man was his best friend and most trusted confidante. He does not think he would have been half as progressive with his life if Sapien had been his enemy. He is sure he would have failed, miserably.
Knowing all this and being as close to him as he was, he could not understand how Sapien could miss that Mira had loved him all along. Or how Mira, could not see just how deeply Sapien loved her back. They were two very observant people. They were two very insightful people that saw things that nobody else did not. So how both could have missed something so obvious to someone like him, was all together baffling. He had watched them during Stella's pregnancy with Lumina like two people utterly clueless and lost. They had been so uncharacteristically daft.
Sapien always had the uncanny ability of hiding his emotions rather well. So anyone who was not so well acquainted with him as he was, would not have noticed. Even as dense as Des could be, even he had noticed the shift in Sapien's personality during that stressful time. Only Des never did have enough of an attention span to think it over entirely and had not figured out the real reason behind Sapien's sudden change in demeanor. It was hard not to when the change was minor to all but the three who knew him best. He is rather thankful that Des had not figured it out. They were all saved from the blatant and vocal remarks that would have come out of his mouth. Vires, who was much more patient, seemed to have realized the truth of the matter and had wisely remained silent on the subject. All it had taken was an exchanged look between himself and Vires for the two of them to know that the other already knew and vice versa. There was really nothing else to be said, or unsaid as was in this case, between them.
At first, it had been a little humorous to witness two people who were so good at knowing things before they happened, be so profoundly ignorant to the feelings they both possessed for each other. Then he had noticed the shift. The amusement had disappeared then. It was then changed to confusion and then exasperation as the shift became a rift. Then it became a chasm. A chasm certainly would not due when the both of them suited each other so well. Yet, it was not until the night of Lumina's heart wrenching birth, that he had finally been compelled to action. Enough had been enough, after that. Especially after watching just how much the chasm between Sapien and Mira was tearing up his friend. So, a day went by and after making sure that his wife and children were going to all be fine, he had ventured to find his brother.
"What is wrong with you?"
The carefully administered expression, completely devoid of emotion, that came in response to his question almost tempted to him to cuff Sapien in exasperation. He had completely understood how Sapien must have felt when he and Stella had, had their own chasm before. He had been in as bad shape as Sapien had been in that moment.
"What do you mean?" Sapien responded with a carefully neutral tone.
"Do something," he said, not even bothering to point out the obvious.
A long pause followed in what he knew was spent with Sapien debating whether it was pointless to deny it or not.
"I did," was the slow answer, but there was emotion in the tone then. "That was the mistake."
"An obvious something? Or rather a subtle something?" he asked, giving him a skeptical look.
"It should have been obvious," was the monotonous reply.
That response caused him to sigh with an understanding nod. It had been more than obvious that Sapien was more than hurt. Something must have been everything because Sapien never did anything by halves. He had wondered just what had happened to make things this awful.
"You know," he pointed out a moment later, while diverting his eyes to the distance, but still kept a view of Sapien's face. "For intelligent men, we have both been rather stupid."
"More so I, than you," responded Sapien. Anyone else would have sighed out loud, but somehow Sapien managed to keep the sigh within. "At least Stella never stopped wanting to talk to you."
"There must be a logical reason," he explained.
"The logical reason is that she didn't appreciate my attention."
Just then, they had both seen Mira walking out in the gardens just below. Sapien had gone very still but his eyes moved with Mira's form as she walked about the garden, gathering flowers for Stella. He had watched as Sapien seemed glued to her every movement like a man would at something he absolutely had to have but realized he could not. Something he craved more than his next breath nonetheless. It reminded him of when he had purposely kept Stella away. That deeply entrenched ache that could feel no relief until she was in his arms again. It was the same thing he felt more for Stella in each passing day and it was only when he saw her smiling face that he felt at peace once again.
"Mira is not a fool," he worded carefully, watching Sapien blink up at him in surprise.
"Of course she's not," Sapien stated with a confused frown.
"Then she could not refuse to love you," he stated simply.
The emotion expressed on Sapien was a mixture of open skepticism and a miniscule amount of hope before turning back to continue watching Mira. There was nothing more that he could say after that. It was not his place to give advice on the sensitive issues of the heart when he had just been fortunate enough to have someone as patient and wonderful as Stella to love him back. Especially when he had not exactly been wise during the course of his courtship with Stella at all. From the look on Sapien's face, he had known that something was going to give. The inevitable snap, he hoped, would bring about happiness to a friend that he considered his closest brother. One who he thought deserved it more than all others.
With no more need to say anything else, he had left his friend to continue watching Mira alone. The conversation he had left him with an all encompassing need to see his own beloved. With quick strides and a few cheating teleports later, he was within their rooms a short time later. He took a moment to stare at his wife with their two children before joining them himself.
"Where is a camera when I need one?" he asked, dropping to sit beside Stella as Lunae climbed onto his lap.
"Papa!" shouted his oldest, just before climbing up to clutch his shoulders.
He responded with a light kiss in the toddler's hair.
"Is there something wrong?" asked Stella, looking into his face carefully. She must have felt his inner turmoil from just a moment before.
"What do you mean?" he tried to hide anyway.
Stella merely responded by smiling at him knowingly. It left no room for coyness.
"An issue with Sapien, but I think it will be righted," he confessed.
"Of course it will," reassured Stella with as much confidence as he had. "This is Sapien."
Despite knowing that nothing would ever become of it, he could not help but say the next statement.
"Sometimes, you make me wonder if you like Sapien better than I," he said petulantly.
"For a knowledgeable King, you really are silly sometimes," Stella commented with a soft chuckle and then chuckled even longer when she saw the look on his face. She leaned in close then and kissed the tip of his nose. "Smart men really can be thick headed."
He knows he must have blinked at her in confusion.
"I would not have suffered through two childbirths for Sapien," she said firmly.
The sudden smirk that appeared on his face had her laughing this time, which caused Lunae and Lumina to laugh in reaction.
"Am I a smart man to you then?" he asked.
She chuckled again. "You are learning."