Hi people! So, I'm back with a new piece. This is an Agents of SHIELD and Black Swan crossover. I recommend you watch both purely because they are amazing (but black Swan is a little on the messed-up side). You shouldn't need to have watched them all to get the stories but there may be spoilers.

I used to do ballet myself but my ballet-speak is a little on the amateur side. Sorry.

Everything you recognise is not mine. Enjoy the story and it would be nice if you could drop a review 🐼🐷🐱🐰🐣

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Whether you were a ballet fan or not, your TV broadcasted the same news story: the return of prima ballerina Melinda May as the Playground troupe prepared for the new season.
The story dominated the days' news channels and radio stations. The tabloids went crazy and the Internet had never seen a greater threat since Kim Kardashian's butt went viral.

The dance troupe itself was abuzz with nerves and trepidation. Amidst the chaos, two men stood calmly by the stage doors, waiting for their errant dancer. Phil Coulson glanced at the head of the troupe and choreographer Nick Fury. "She's late, sir."
Fury rolled his remaining eye, the other lost due to a cancer tumour. "If I didn't know you better, I'd say you're nervous."
Phil raised an eyebrow. "Not nervous, just pointing out a fact. Are you nervous? You look like you're gonna wear a hole in your brain with your mental pacing."
Fury scoffed and the conversation died into amiable silence.

At the other side of the room, a small gaggle of soloists lounged by the beams, half-heartedly stretching and warming up.
Daisy Johnson, a outgoing brunette watched the pair discreetly, shooting fugitive glances towards Bobbi Morse. Bobbie flicked her blonde hair over one shoulder as she cracked her toes.
Fitzsimmons spoke quietly to each other, heads leaned together in an effort to keep their conversation private. Mack and Hunter didn't seem to care about the current situation as they took huge gulps of water from their bottles.
Finally, Daisy threw up her hands and pounced on Simmons, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl's shoulders. "What's she like, anyway? Melinda May, I mean?"
Jemma Simmons looked up with a grin that appeared far too cheerful. "Of course you won't know about her. You weren't at the academy..."
Leo Fitz quickly agreed. "And you joined the soloists just after she left..."
"So, it's natural that you want to know more about her."

Just as the girl was about to launch into a tale about May's prowess, a large hand reached down and smacked the girl upside the head. Jemma spun around and fixed a glare at the tall dark-haired male who dropped his bag at his feet.

"Ward." Daisy and Bobbie were stood beside Jemma in a heartbeat, the others crowding behind in a blatant show of solidarity. Bobbi scowled at the dark-haired girl at Ward's elbow. "Kara."
Kara smile so sweetly, Bobbi was sure gold would have melted.
Daisy glared at Ward. "What do you want?"
Ward smirked back at her. "The question is, Daisy, what do YOU want? I heard you mention Melinda May, and naturally I sought to offer my...intimate knowledge about our resident ice witch."

Daisy opened her mouth to speak, but just as she was forming the first sounds of her favourite Ward- friendly insult, the stage door was thrown open, banging loudly against the wall. The young soloists all turned in unison, watching as a petit Asian woman strode in. She completely bypassed Phil an Fury, moving straight to the beams and tossing her bag down with a thump.
She turned, and Daisy was able to see the face of the Playground's Swan Queen.
Long, thick dark hair framed a thin face and high cheekbones. Dark brown eyes glared from under long lashes. Pencil thin eyebrows slanted dangerously as Melinda May shucked off her leather jacket. "What?!"
She hissed.

The young soloists scattered.

As Fury called for order and asked Ms Hill, the pianist to begin playing, Ward sidled up to Daisy's side. "That's Melinda May."

Melinda slowly rose to en pointe, carefully testing her ankles. She sunk down slowly, repeating the sequence over and over again, each time increasing the speed. She tapped each toe on the wooden floor and, after checking for anyone in her personal space, rose quickly onto en pointe and whipped around in controlled pirouette. Once, twice, thrice she span, her ponytail forming a perfect circle round her head. She extended one leg, using it maintain her momentum for a few more spins before settling neatly into fifth position.

Silence. Not one footfall was heard. Not one breath, even from Ward or Kara.

She scowled. "At this rate we won't have a production to put on."

Daisy watched, slouched against the practice bar. May seemed to move with an unnatural, unearthly grace that bellied belief. Every movement was calculated and perfect, not one part of her out of place. She took everything in her stride, from Jemma's stumbles to Hunter's bad, bad jokes.

Finally, Fury called everybody together. Melinda made sure to stay at the edge of the group. A large warm hand came down onto her left shoulder and she felt her skin tingle. She looked to the left, and smiled at Phil in greeting.

Fury looked pointedly at them with a look that plainly said 'behave', before clearing his throat. "So here we are again. The start of a new season. This season, there are going to be some changes. As you know, Rosalind Price has retired from dancing and so replacing her will be an old face: Melinda May.
This season, we will be opening with Swan Lake. A classic and absolutely done to death, but not like this. You are my chosen few to play the leading roles. Auditions for parts in the main studio at five. Dismissed."

Melinda and Phil split away quickly from the group, hoping to get away from the youngsters. No such luck.
"Hey, DC!" Chirped a voice
Melinda and Phil turned wearily as a Daisy skidded to a halt. She had whipped her hair into something that slightly resembled a bun and haphazardly tied her shoe ribbons.
Melinda glanced at Phil, watching as he smiled warmly at the girl. She was tall, taller than Melinda, who had to crane her neck slightly to look her in the eye.
Phil dropped a chaste kiss on the girl's cheek. "You can stop calling me that, Daisy. It was only or a couple of weeks."
The girl- Daisy, Melinda reminded herself- laughed, before turning to Melinda. Daisy stuck her hand out resolutely. "Hi, name's Daisy Johnson."
Melinda shook the offered hand. "Melinda May"
Daisy withdrew her hand. "Coulson talked about you all. The. Time. Not in a bad way..." Daisy hastened to add. "He always said you had the best pirouettes of the troupe. And pa de cha's. And attitudes and-"
Melinda held up her hand to stop the verbal diarrhoea. "Thank you, Daisy. I think Phil may have exaggerated a bit, though."
Daisy bit her nail. "I was watching you practice your pirouettes... and I was wondering... if it's no trouble, whether you could help me with mine?"
Melinda blinked in surprise, nodding her head mutely. With a final beam, Daisy spun away and ran back to her posse.

Phil chuckled lightly, receiving a punch in the arm that was only half- playfull. "You were always good with kids, Mel."
Melinda's jovial mood died quickly and she glared thunderously at her old partner. Phil raised his hands palm out in a calming manner. "You can't avoid the subject forever, Melinda."
Melinda turned away. "I've done well for three years. Drop it Phil."

Back at the bar, Daisy glanced back at Phil and Melinda. She saw Melinda hiss something at Phil before brushing past him, making a beeline towards the changing rooms.

"Another domestic, huh?"
Daisy whirled away from the oily voice in her ear, putting her hands on her hips as Ward smirked at her.
"What are you talking about, Ward?"
"May and Coulson used to be real close. They were partners, so that was to be expected."
Ward leaned against the bar opposite Daisy. "At that time though, May was married to a guy named Andrew Garner. They had a little girl, Katya. Cute little thing. She's dead now." He added bluntly.
Despite her misgivings about Ward and her distrust of everything he said, Daisy leaned in, egging him on. "How did she die?"
Ward leaned forward with a grin of his own, akin to that a shark might give its prey. "Some people say that she ran her own daughter over and drove her onto the road in front of a bus..."