"Ya know," The thief drawled in a low murmur, "I've never seen you without that hood on. Why don't you take it off?"

Raven pressed her back against the wall behind her, her eyes fixed on the shadowy outline stalking towards her. Unconsciously, she fixed her hood so it hid her facial expressions even better than before.

Just as he reached out for her, his pale, skull face glistening in the darkness swarming around them, Raven shakily levitated off the ground and tried to fly over Red X. However, she felt his gloved hand seize her ankle and she lost all concentration as she fell into his waiting arms.

Her eyes widened when she noticed him peering down at her, searching for her facial expressions, and she flinched away when his hands grabbed her hood. She instantly fought back with him, pressing her hood securely to her head as he tried to jerk it off.

"I just want one look." He told her, irritation setting in. "How hard would that be? Besides, it seems to me you're hiding something. What're you hiding? A scar, perhaps?" Curiosity dripped off his voice like sweet honey, and Raven only began to fight harder.

She kept this hood on for a reason around the masked thief. For one, she definitely didn't trust him. He was one of the Teen Titan's most puzzling enemies—the guy they couldn't figure out a motive for his thefts. Robin obsessed over Red X for awhile, but now he seemed to recover and focus on other criminals. Red surely couldn't be trusted—no matter what his motive was.

Raven bit back a witty reply and kicked her legs, secretly hoping he wouldn't drop her (it would most likely result in pain). His arm only wrapped tighter around her legs, and his other hand was pulling sharply at her hood.

"I'm not here to fight," He snapped. "I'm just here to—"

"—let me go." Raven said in a low, dangerous, warning tone. "Now."

"Only if you pull down your hood." He replied smartly. Raven nearly groaned out of aggravation.

"I'm not taking this hood off."

"Why? Let me have a little guess. You don't trust me?"

Raven stayed silent. She went limp in his arms, exhaustion of her flailing hitting her like a tsunami of great size. Her hands still stayed on her hood stubbornly; refusing to allow him sight of her face.

"Are you self-conscious about yourself?" Red X probed.

"No."

"Do you have a bad case of acne?"

"No." Pathetic, Raven thought to herself. I wouldn't hide my face if I had acne. What a pathetic guess.

"You're deformed."

Raven bit her tongue. Her eyes averted to his chest, seeing the ragged X staring back at her. The cool air of the night swept through the two, leaving Raven shivering. The uniform she wore wasn't meant to keep her warm—it was meant for her abilities. And since winter was approaching, with the temperature dropping in the night hours, Raven felt suddenly cold.

"I can take it." Red X continued. "I'm sure you're not that bad."

Ridiculous! He's acting as if this is nothing. Well he's about to find out.

Her grip on her hood tightened when Red X leaned his head closer to her, his masked eye holes gazing down at her. Raven was shocked when her heart skipped a beat and her cheeks felt hot—blazing hot. Sure Red X certainly wasn't ugly, even though she's never seen his face before, but she could tell he wasn't ugly. He was a lot like Robin in many ways. Of course Raven found no attraction to her leader whatsoever, he just wasn't her type. But Red X has always caught her interest: his mysterious whereabouts, vague identity, and charming, playful personality, Raven couldn't help but feel a little lightheaded when he was looking at her so…intimately.

"You have great legs." He suddenly told her. Raven tensed up when she felt him run his gloved hand suggestively down her legs, going northward…

"Stop!" She shot out, grabbing his hand to stop his movements. A blush was apparent now, running down her neck. Never once has she been this…embarrassed before. The nerves of this guy! How dare he touch her like—

"Even though I've never seen your face," Red X suddenly shoved her against the wall, his hands holding her slim waist tightly, and he held her there by pressing fully against her form. Raven nearly gasped when he pried her legs apart to settle in between, his cape fluttering silently behind him like a lifeless companion. This was such a stimulating position, yet Raven felt intense warmth flutter inside her chest. Was she actually liking this? "I can tell you're actually very beautiful under that hood of yours."

Raven couldn't believe her ears. Was she dreaming? Did he just say she was….beautiful? Normally guys always told Starfire that, not her. Even Red X, while they're fighting, always focuses his attentions on Starfire—throwing Raven off to the side. So why does he suddenly engage in this kind of fascination with her?

It's simple, Raven's mood darkened. He wants something. He wouldn't do this just for nothing! Remember, he's only out for "number one".

Raven was about to call out her power, but Red X easily planted her hands above her head, making her feel completely vulnerable. Her hood rested limply on her head, threatening to droop back.

Please don't fall back…please.

"We both know you're not deformed." Red X said, suddenly quiet and genuine. "So why would you hide yourself? Do you know how much time I've spent wondering what you looked like? Trying to figure out what face could go with you? You're hidden appearance has made me think about you a lot. Now I came here to relieve my curiosity and solve the mystery."

Even Raven could sense the urgency lurking in his voice. He really did want to know…

But Raven wasn't used to this. She wasn't used to all this attention—his eyes watching her, trying to see past her hidden attempts. She definitely wasn't used to being in the limelight. She was normally a shadow hiding in the background, a silent raven, but now, she was the main subject. And his full attention was focused on her.

And for once, instead of seeing Red X as Robin's enemy, Raven looked at him as he was someone different.

"I'm not here to hurt you." Red X whispered through his rusty voice. Raven ducked her head, millions of thoughts running through her mind. His hands drew from her hips to her back, rubbing her in a soothing manner. "I just…wanna know you."

Without another word, Raven lifted her hands to her hood, hesitating. She took a deep breath, calming her emotions before slowly bringing her hood back. She felt her face come into view, and hesitantly brought her eyes up to look into his masked ones.

She felt his hands cup her cheeks, the fabric of his gloves rough against her soft skin. "Beautiful," He breathed as if in shock. "Almost as I imagined."

Raven suddenly had a smart idea. "Your turn."

His hands stilled on her skin, freezing. "What?"

"I showed you my face. Now you show me yours."

"That wasn't part of the deal."

"There was no deal." Raven narrowed her eyes. "What are you hiding?"

"Nothing. I just came here to see you. I want to focus on you, not me."

"You're lying. I showed you, now you show me." Raven felt cheated. She showed him something personal about herself—something she wasn't approving on even showing him, yet he wouldn't show her himself?

She tried to remain her composure, but when Red X brought his masked face inches from hers, she knew he saw the blush blazing across her pale cheeks. "Ya know, I might just take your offer."

"Show me." Raven urged, her voice wavering. "Please."

At least I said please, unlike someone…

"Alright, beautiful, I'll show you." He told her, and Raven almost smiled when he called her beautiful.

Raven's breath was taken away when he slowly set her down to slide off his mask. Her eyes took in his facial expression, her eyes widening.

"Wow."

A/N: I wanted to leave your imagination see his face xD Anyway, just a short one-shot there. Hope you liked it! I was going to put more "romantic" stuff in it, but I think it turned out great. I think Raven and Red X would make an understandable couple ^-^ Please review! :)

~YolandaFriella