Title: Heartbeat – Kardiak

Rating: K+

Word Count: 1,018

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans.

Summary: A fight with Kardiak led to the team deciding to monitor their own heart health...Looking back through Robin's EKG data proves interesting and a certain redhead may have something to do with that.

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"I have seen from the news it's been a rather slow few days for you Titans, and yet your EKG data is still all over the place." The cardiologist sitting in the Titan's medical bay poignantly noted speaking to Robin.

The team had voluntarily decided to assess their heart health after a tougher than should have been battle with Kardiak who was normally one of the easier villain's to disarm. While they trained constantly and had a healthy respect for athleticism, Robin had to admit the team's diet was that of an unrestrained kid at a junk food buffet. Even Beast Boy, being a vegetarian, rarely touched vegetables, so the heart rate check seemed overdue. All except Starfire had voluntarily worn the cardiac patches for the past 48 hours, and to her credit Starfire had tried to as well, but hers melted after the first hour. The cardiologist had reported that for that one hour her heartbeat had been completely normal much to the delight of the alien teen.

Starfire had told the group she wasn't sure what to expect as the closest Earth heart she'd found to Tamaranean hearts was the crocodile's. Ah aliens, but when she explained the heart rate drop to reduce oxygen necessity and the extra heart flap that acts to send blood to to her first stomach to aid in the digestion of more challenging food items, it made sense.

"Can you tell me what happened at 2:00PM on Tuesday?" The cardiologist asked zoning into a region where skips occurred in the normal pattern.

"I...uh...don't remember." Robin muttered, though he did in fact remember.

That was about the time Starfire had shown up at the door to the evidence room where Robin was just finishing up the Kardiak paperwork. She had grabbed his arm in an effort to coax him away from his work. He'd protested, naturally, but with less gusto than he would have in the past. The next skip was when she'd placed a second hand on him, one to his cheek to gently turn his face so he locked eyes with her. There was willpower and a tinge of joy hidden in those Emerald eyes, and his resolve disappeared entirely. She'd been doing that more since she knew it got her what she was asking for. It sent his heart fluttering each time and he wasn't used to it yet. He wanted to tell her it was a bit too intimate for friends, but that would mean she'd stop, and he also didn't want that. He reasoned she had to have some idea though since she never did that to the others and additionally never utilized that persuasion tactic on him when the others were around.

"What about 4:41PM on Tuesday?" The cardiologist asked tapping the eraser end of a pencil to her clipboard.

"Nothing notable." He shrugged.

Nothing notable except Starfire had cushioned his fall using her own body during their spar. Her rational had been that she wanted his heart monitor data to look normal and injury wouldn't help. He'd explained that their lives were to be lived as normal since that was the point of the assessment. If something sent his heart into an arrhythmia, it was better to know from the data what did. Never mind the fact that he had that entire conversation while still lying on top of her, much to the amusement of their team members.

"You realize I can't help analyze the data if you give me nothing to go off of." The cardiologist muttered in annoyance.

"That was training; I was sparring with Starfire. That was probably about the time she launched me into the air." He replied hesitantly.

"Better. Now what happened at 6:23AM on Wednesday?" The cardiologist asked.

Oh shit. That was the one he really didn't want to talk about...He'd gone up to the rooftop to see the tail end of the sun rise, but accidentally stumbled upon a topless Starfire sunbathing in the early summer glow. She didn't notice him, but he could literally feel his heart skip. He'd fled just as quickly to the safety of the gym, but it sent his heart racing all the same.

"I'm honestly not sure."

The cardiologist made an annoyed clucking sound and began more rapidly tapping the clipboard.

"Noon on Wednesday?"

"Kardiak broke out of prison. We responded to an alert." Robin mumbled.

"Anything specific to these two data points? One near what I assume was the middle of the fight and one near what seemed to be the conclusion based on the beats per minute data." The cardiologist pointed to a graph.

"For the first one...I believe one of the Titan's had been swatted out of the air by Kardiak; they were falling and I responded." Robin quietly explained.

It had been Starfire. She had been the one swatted by Kardiak's nanite veins. Robin's heart still stopped like it was holding a breath whenever anyone fell, but especially her. A leftover fragment of muscle memory from the loss of his parents since the body never truly forgets its traumas.

"And the other?"

"Uh, nothing specific. The kid Kardiak had abducted was freed." Robin scratched his neck nervously.

Yes, the kid Kardiak had abducted was freed...And Starfire was the one holding onto the tiny child with dark hair and bright green eyes. A kid that looked like it could easily be their own, and his heart gave a little pang of longing for a normal future with her. It wasn't often he thought about leaving the hero life behind, but she gave him reason to mull it over sometimes.

"Okay. You have to tell me what happened at 4:45PM on Thursday. The readout is quite concerning." The cardiologist declared.

He cleared his throat nervously buying time to think of an excuse.

"I know what happened and I can assure you, it's nothing medically concerning." He sheepishly mumbled.

"Client privilege means whatever it is, I won't say a word. I would feel much better if I had an idea as to why your heart literally stopped for 30 full seconds."

"Um...well...Starfire...my teammate...kissed me."

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I know, I know. I really need to get back to CC. I will try and work on it this weekend, but marathon training has started up again. Additionally I'm job hunting and studying for a professional exam to get to my goal career so life's a little bit chaotic at the moment. The oneshots have been flowing though.

And it is true that you're supposed to live life as you normally do when a cardiologist monitors your heart. My friend ran 9 miles with hers when she was wearing her doctor ordered monitor and her doctor encouraged it so they could properly assess the data. Also the crocodile facts are true. They do slow their heart rate down to 2-3 BPM so they can stay under water for long periods and they have an additional flap that redirects blood to their stomach so they can digest bones. I'm not saying Starfire would eat bones, but I'm also not saying she wouldn't. Heh. There's your ADHD thought of the day.

Review if you'd like.

- FWFT