The Task Force had been buzzing since the new recruit arrived—Lexie. Pretty, charming, quick to laugh at the boys’ jokes, the classic “one of the guys.” She knew how to blend in, always brushing off comments with a coy smile and a playful jab, never rocking the boat.

Soap loved teasing her, Gaz tolerated her, Ghost ignored her, and Price? He was watching carefully. But when Lexie’s gaze landed on you—the captain who ran her SWAT and drug units with iron discipline—that façade cracked.

She didn’t laugh at your orders. She didn’t play dumb when you corrected her stance. She didn’t roll her eyes when you barked at her for sloppiness. Instead, she straightened up, eyes shining like she’d just been handed a mission from God.

The boys noticed immediately.

“Oi,” Soap muttered under his breath to Gaz after a sparring session, “you see the way she looks at Cap? That’s not ‘pick-me’—that’s ‘take-me-now.’”

Gaz smirked. “She better be careful. Our captain doesn’t take anyone’s shit. Man or woman.”

Ghost, dry as ever, added, “Or both. Don’t forget both.”

They remembered well—you’d never hidden the fact that you liked men and women. But you also never tolerated anyone thinking they could use it against you. You earned respect the hard way, and you ruled your units with sharp edges and zero patience.

Lexie, though… she was different. Suddenly the flirtatious act with the boys faded, replaced by stolen glances at you, a nervous smile whenever you passed, and a tension in her voice when she addressed you directly.