Hello everyone!

So I know I said there wouldn't be a new story from me for awhile but my friend, the fabulous Ariel96 & I wrote this story years ago and it's been sitting in a random corner of the internet. We just decided we should go ahead and publish it! Ariel96 (or dorkassassins on AO3) has published the story on AO3 and will be updating there. Our posting schedule will be every Monday! Until I'm back in the country, the time will vary for me, but when I get back it should be at a regular time.

ALSO: We wrote this before Skye became Daisy and didn't want to change her name 5000 times so we are leaving it as Skye!

As always, I love hearing from my readers, so hit that review button :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Agents of Shield!


Natasha considered the clothes that were hanging in front of her. It was the first day of school and she wanted to make a good impression on the fourth grade. She didn't want to look like she was trying too hard but she wanted to look nice nonetheless.

She was stuck between a black shirt and a dark red shirt with black polka dots when she felt a little body sidle up close to her, "Go for the red one."

Skye took the red shirt off of the hanger and offered it to her. She raised an eyebrow at the little girl, "Why red?"

Waving the shirt around, Skye prompted her to take it, "Because the red makes you look like you're happier. You always wear black anyways."

She sighed but took the shirt, "That's because no one can see stains on black clothes."

Skye considered that and nodded, "Yeah, I guess so. Will you help me get ready? I don't know what to wear."

Casting a nervous look at the clock, she waved Skye out of her room, "Okay, gimme a second to get dressed."

She quickly got dressed and tried to tame her wild hair. It was a lost cause, her hair pretty much did whatever it wanted and no matter how hard she tried, it never listened. Staring at herself in the mirror for a second, she smiled at her reflection. Maybe if she looked like she wasn't nervous, she wouldn't be. Fake it 'til you make it and all that other motivational stuff. She didn't think it would work but she gave it a shot anyways.

Her smile slipped off her face and she let out a big breath before making her way to Skye's room. She wasn't surprised to see clothes strewn all over the place, despite everything, Skye wasn't very neat. They would have to clean this up before they left for school.

Skye looked up as she entered her room and whined, "I don't know what to wear! Kindergarten is a big deal and I want to look good."

She could tell that Skye was really nervous. Her thumb absentmindedly kept creeping towards her mouth before she noticed and curled her hands into fists. Skye only sucked her thumb when she was nervous, sad, scared, or about to fall asleep. She had been told that she wasn't supposed to suck her thumb but Skye was having a hard time breaking the habit.

Skye caught her staring at her thumb and blushed, "I wasn't going to do it."

She walked over to her and gave her a hug, "I know, but it's alright if you did. It's just us here."

Skye squeezed her tight and she pressed a kiss to the top of her head before changing the subject, "Okay, let's see what we've got here."

She grabbed a pair of leggings that were lying haphazardly on Skye's lamp and picked up a blue plaid shirt from her bed. She handed the clothes to Skye, "Put these on, I'll start cleaning up."

It didn't take too long to fold up all of Skye's clothes and hang up her shirts and by the time she was done, Skye was already dressed and was attempting to do her hair. Her arms were pretty short and she was having a hard time grabbing all her hair so Nat made her way over to her and tapped her shoulder, "How do you want it?"

Skye let out a sigh of defeat and handed her a hair tie, "Ponytail please."

Gathering all of Skye's long hair up, she tied it into a ponytail and made sure it would stay secure all day. Skye liked to run around and she didn't want her to have to worry about her hair falling out in the middle of recess or something.

Skye grinned at her, "Thank you."

"No problem. You go grab your shoes, I'm gonna get my bag."

Making her way back into her room, she pulled her black backpack from where it had stayed hidden all summer under her bed. She unzipped it, peeked inside, and nodded when she saw all of her notebooks and pencils. She tried to remember if she was forgetting anything but decided that it really didn't matter. It was the first day of school, her teacher wouldn't really mind if she was missing a couple things.

She walked back into Skye's room, set her bag on the floor, and walked over to Skye. She knew that Skye couldn't tie her shoes by herself but the little girl liked to try so she patiently waited until Skye looked up at her and gave her a pleading look.

Crouching down, she tightly tied Skye's converse sneakers and stood back up. Skye mirrored her and she inspected the little girl; Skye was dressed, her shoes were tied, her teeth were brushed, and her hair was neat. All she needed was her little backpack and they were ready to go to school.

She nodded in approval and pointed to where's Skye's bag was sitting beside her bedside table. The little girl ran, grabbed it, and stood back in front of her.

Nat crouched down, "Do you have your notebooks?"

Skye nodded, "Yep."

"Pencils?"

"Uh-huh."

"Crayons, glue, and paper?"

Skye grinned, "Yes, yes, and yeah."

Nat nodded in approval, "I think you're ready."

It was easy to see how nervous Skye was, she kept fidgeting and even though Nat could tell Skye was trying not to, her little thumb kept brushing against her lips.

She tried to make Skye feel better and gave her an encouraging look, "It'll be okay. School is fun, you'll make a bunch of friends."

Skye nibbled on the tip of her thumb and cast an anxious look her way but Nat didn't say anything about it. She reached out and caressed Skye's cheek, "The kindergarteners and the fourth graders aren't too far away from each other. I'll be really close if you need me."

She watched as Skye let out a big breath and straightened up, "I'll be alright."

Her voice shook when she said it but Nat was proud of her anyways, "I know, but I'll still be there if you need me."

Skye gave her a grateful smile and grabbed onto her hand, "Let's go."

The little girl started tugging her towards the door but she cleared her throat and Skye gave her a sheepish look before turning around, grabbing her backpack, and putting it on her back. Nat did the same and led her towards the top of the staircase.

She could hear the television playing downstairs and knew that Becky would be down there. Skye looked up at her and she tried to give her a reassuring look before tugging on her hand and leading her downstairs.

Becky was sitting on the couch watching some show and because of how the living room was set up, she was facing away from them. She and Skye crept past her and made their way into the kitchen for breakfast. They usually kept all the good food on the top shelves so that she and Skye couldn't reach it so Nat didn't even bother looking for that stuff. She immediately went to the cupboard and pulled out some bread before moving to the fridge and grabbing some jelly. She made two grape jelly sandwiches and handed one to Skye and they almost made it out the door before Becky shouted after them, "What are you two doing?"

Nat pushed Skye in front of her and turned around so that she was hiding the little girl behind her, "We have to go to school."

Becky didn't even bother standing up, she just craned her head around so that she could see them, "School doesn't start for another month."

Nat shook her head and felt Skye grab onto the back of her shirt. She reached back and pulled the little girl close to her before responding, "No, the school called and reminded us that it started this week, remember?"

Becky shrugged and turned back to the tv, "Whatever."

She quickly ushered Skye out the door and down the driveway towards the street. Luckily, their school was close enough to walk to. Skye grabbed onto her hand and swung it between them on the walk to school. They were both quiet, which was odd because when they were out of the house, Skye was usually a little chatterbox, and Nat understood why when she carefully studied Skye. The little girl was watching all the other kids who were walking to school with their parents. The other kids parents were laughing and holding hands with their children and Skye was watching them carefully. It hurt Nat to see how sad the little girl's eyes were.

Shaking their intertwined hands, she quickly tried to distract Skye, "You know what? I have no idea who my teacher is, do you?"

Skye looked up at her, "No, is that bad?"

Nat shrugged, "It probably isn't great. Don't worry though, we'll figure it out."

She breathed out a sigh of relief when Skye smiled up at her, "You always figure things out."


Melinda May glanced around the room, noting with satisfaction that everything was exactly where it was supposed to be. She hoped that all of her new kids were well-behaved, she had been stuck with some demon-children before and that hadn't been good for her blood pressure or her patience. Checking her watch, she was pleased to find that she still had a little bit of time before students began trickling in and they began the chaos that was the first day of school.

"Looks great." A strong arm wrapped around her waist.

"Phil, we're on the job now. We have young students," May protested, turning to face the bright face of her husband.

"Not for..." Phil glanced at the clock. "Twelve minutes." Then he kissed her.

"Stop it," May couldn't help but smile a little as they pulled apart and Phil pouted, "You're basically a big kindergartener yourself."

"I have to be one with the students in order to best teach them." Phil grinned. May rolled her eyes.

"Come on, let's see your room," she gave in, walking down the hall with her husband to his class. Several other teachers were also in the hallway, faces bright with excitement, and they all waved hello. As they approached Phil's classroom, May noticed two children standing in the hall outside of it.

"Hey there!" Phil called out.

The two girls spun around and May gave them a friendly smile. One girl seemed to be older, maybe a fifth grader, with shoulder length auburn hair. The smaller girl was tiny, with dark hair and large dark eyes.

"Good morning girls," Phil stepped closer. "Were you so excited for school that you came early?"

The older girl just stared at them, green eyes blank, while the younger girl gave them a tiny smile. May couldn't help but notice the way the older girl stayed close to the younger one, almost protectively. They must be pretty close.

"Well, I'm Mr. Coulson, and this is Mrs. May!" Coulson crouched down so that he was face level with the smaller girl. "What are your names?" He finished his question with an encouraging smile.

"Skye," the dark haired girl whispered.

"Wow, that's a beautiful name."

Skye practically beamed at that compliment, as if she had chosen the name herself, then the girl hastened to introduce her friend, "This is Nattie!" she gestured at the older girl.

May was once again impressed with her husband's ability to get through to the littlest ones at the school.

"Natasha." The redhead gave them an even look. Natasha's facial expression had barely changed throughout their entire conversation. May didn't know how or why but this girl was rivaling her in the ability to keep a straight face.

Natasha. May had a Natasha in her class this year, if she remembered correctly.

"Nice to meet you both! Are you friends?"

"Sisters," Natasha's eyes flickered slightly, the first sign of emotion May had seen from the girl.

"That's awesome! I bet Natasha is a great big sister." Phil gave them an easy smile. Mel thought that he might have been laying it on a little thick but apparently she was wrong because Skye seemed to be warming up to him.

"Yeah. She was helping me find my room." Skye nodded.

It didn't seem like their parents were here which was strange, May reflected. Especially since it looked like Skye was pretty young, probably no older than five. Most parents walked their kids to class on the first day and met with their teachers and at the very least, they made sure their kids got to the right room safely.

"What grades are you in? Maybe we can help you find your classes?"

"Skye's in kindergarten and I'm in fourth grade." Natasha let Skye take her hand and May watched as the older girl rubbed circles onto the back of the little girl's hand.

"You might be in our classes. I teach fourth grade and Mr. Coulson teaches kindergarten. Do you know who your teachers are?"

Both girls shook their heads.

"Are your parents here?" May frowned slightly.

Skye uncertainly glanced at Natasha but the older girl didn't hesitate when she said, "They had work."

"Are you Natasha Romanoff?" May changed the subject, "Because I have a Natasha Romanoff in my class."

"That's me."

Phil spoke up, "I don't think I have a Skye... Maybe you're with Ms. Anderson! Ms. Anderson is very nice."

"She's registered as Mary Sue Poots," Natasha spoke up. "But her name is Skye, not Mary."

Skye nodded quickly and May's eyebrows rose slightly at that but her husband was already moving past that comment.

"Oh! In that case, you are in my class! Yes!" Phil was so enthusiastic that even Natasha smiled slightly. "Come on Skye, how about I give you an exclusive tour of our classroom before your classmates arrive and Mrs. May can show Natasha to her classroom?"

Skye's dark eyes darted to look at Natasha and her thumb started brushing against her lips before the older girl gently pulled it away from Skye's mouth.

"Natasha and I will just be down the hall," May smiled at Skye reassuringly.

The little girl shrank back slightly, clinging more tightly to Natasha's hand.

"I'll stay with her until it's time to start class," Natasha told them. "Excuse us, we're just going to get a drink of water."

May and Phil watched as the redhead led the small girl down the hall.

"Well that was interesting," May commented evenly.

"I love meeting new students." Phil took her hand. "And with them in our classes, we're going to be seeing a lot of those two."


Skye could be brave.

She really could. Natasha said that she was brave and Natasha didn't lie. She trusts Natasha.

But now, in the big halls of the new school and facing the prospect of soon having to be on her own, Skye didn't want to let go of Natasha's hand. She knew that she could be brave but she didn't think her brain knew that because she wasn't acting like it right now.

And yet, there they were, in front of the kindergarten room door. There were a lot of other kids now and moms and dads taking pictures. Skye watched as one mom scooped up her daughter and kissed her lovingly on the cheek. They looked happy.

"I'm just down the hall," Natasha squeezed her hand and Skye turned to look up at the face of the older girl. Natasha was pointing to the classroom that was a few doors down. They had been pleasantly surprised to find that their classrooms weren't as far apart as they thought they would be.

"What if I get in trouble?" Skye nibbled on her thumb before yanking it away. She was in kindergarten now, she couldn't suck her thumb! The other kids would say she was a baby and she wanted to make a good first impression. Those were important.

Suddenly every possible reason to be nervous about kindergarten flooded back to Skye as she remembered her experiences with other kids.

People, even kids, weren't always nice.

"If anything happens, you find me," Natasha told her again. The firm look in Natasha's eyes let her know that if anything bad happened, she would deal with it. That made Skye feel a little better.

"Skye! Natasha!"

Skye turned to see Mr. Coulson walk up to them. His blue eyes were bright and happy and she couldn't help but smile a little. She liked her teacher so far. He seemed nice.

"Skye, I need a special helper," Mr. Coulson said seriously. "I don't know how I'm going to get everyone to pay attention to me. They're all too busy playing and talking!"

Mr. Coulson looked so genuinely worried that Skye instantly wanted to help him.

"Maybe..." she flushed slightly but kept going at Mr. Coulson's interested look. "Maybe um you could make a loud noise... like... um if you had a bell or something."

Mr. Coulson looked really excited at her suggestion.

"That's a great idea Skye!" he nodded. "I have just the bell. Do you think you could ring it for me?"

Skye nodded eagerly, pushing a stray strand of hair out of her face and giving him a tentative smile.

She followed him into the classroom and it was a little scary but she also felt really important when she rang the bell and everyone stopped talking and turned to look at her and Mr. Coulson. She was glad when he started talking and everyone looked at him and not her because she didn't like it when everyone stared.

Once everyone was paying attention, Mr. Coulson had them all sit on the floor while he read them a story and Skye had never heard it before but she loved it. It was called Chicka Chicka Boom Boom which was a really cool name for a book and it had all the letters in it. Skye knew her letters, but she'd never thought about them climbing a tree. And then she got to show Mr. Coulson that she could write her name.

It wasn't until later that she realized Natasha had slipped away and gone to her own class.


The first day of school was always Nat's favorite because all they did was go over the rules and play some games. She didn't have to pay too much attention to what was going on and everyone was nervous so no one questioned why she didn't bother interacting with anyone. She wasn't great at making friends and she would rather just keep to herself.

It had been a long, boring day full of rules and regulations. Her teacher had gone over her expectations for the class in the morning and for the rest of class they had done 'fun' activities that were meant to help everyone get to know each other. If she were being honest, she had kind of tuned out what was going on around her and her thoughts had focused on Skye. The little girl hadn't sought her out today so Natasha was assuming that everything was alright, but she didn't know for sure and that was killing her. By the end of the day, she had thought up several terrible scenarios in her head and she was anxiously waiting for the dismissal bell to ring so that she could go find Skye. She knew that it was highly unlikely that the little girl had run away or had spent the whole day in tears but she really needed to see that Skye was alright with her own eyes.

She had packed up her bag so that by the time the bell finally rang, she was already out of her seat and heading towards the door. She almost made it out of the room before she heard her name being called. Nat seriously considering ignoring Mrs. May but she dismissed that thought because she didn't want to get on her teacher's bad side on the first day.

Stopping and turning around, Nat waited for Mrs. May to walk up to her. If she craned her neck, she could see the door to Skye's classroom. She didn't see Skye yet but she didn't want the little girl to have to wait around on her own so she let out an irritated breath and hopped on her toes until her teacher stood in front of her.

She kept her eyes on Skye's classroom door and said, "Yes Mrs. May?"

"Were you going to get your sister?"

Well she was trying to. She nodded quickly and took a step towards Skye's classroom when she saw the door swing open and a bunch of little kids run out.

Before she got too far away, Mrs. May spoke up again, "Would you mind if I walked with you?"

Nat finally looked up and saw that her teacher was studying her intensely. It kind of unnerved her so she made sure that her face was neutral and that she didn't look like she was affected.

She took a step down the hall, "Okay."

Her teacher fell into step beside her and she made sure to keep her eyes on the hallway in front of her.

Mrs. May cleared her throat, "I hope you'll like my class Natasha, you seemed a little distracted today."

If she was shocked that her teacher had noticed her disinterest in class today, she made sure not to show it. She considered telling Mrs. May that she had been very interested in class today and that she must have been imagining her disinterest but Mrs. May seemed like the kind of person who could tell when someone was lying. Nat decided to stick to the truth, "I was worried about my sister."

They were almost to Skye's classroom and she could see that the little girl was talking to Mr. Coulson by his desk. She sped up a little and heard Mrs. May say, "You don't have to worry about her, Mr. Coulson is a great teacher."

Yeah, because hearing that magically gave her the ability to stop worrying about Skye. She nodded absentmindedly and quickly walked into Skye's classroom. The little girl turned to her as soon as she stepped into the room and gave her a bright smile. Even though it seemed like she was in the middle of a conversation with her teacher, Skye ran over to her and threw her little arms around Nat's waist, "Hi Nattie, I missed you."

She ran a hand over Skye's head and hugged her back. She felt a giant weight lift off of her shoulders upon seeing that Skye was safe and smiling, "I missed you too. Were you okay?"

Skye nodded, stepped back, and took her hand, "Do we go home now?"

Leading Skye to the door, she nodded reluctantly, "Yeah."

She had completely forgotten about Mrs. May and Mr. Coulson until Skye's teacher called after them, "Bye Skye! I'll see you tomorrow!"

Skye turned around and waved, "Bye Mr. Coulson!"

Nat tugged on the little girl's hand and led her down the hall towards home.

"Mr. Coulson is so nice."

Skye sat on Nat's bed while the other girl french braided her hair.

"I know, you've told me around fifty times," Nat commented lightly. Skye knew her sister didn't really mind.

"I like school. I can't wait to go back."

She really couldn't wait. Mr. Coulson was really nice and there were so many books and art supplies in the classroom. And there was a playground and Mr. Coulson had even said one of the second grade classes had a class pet and that they might get one too.

Nattie didn't seem as excited but Skye knew that sometimes Nattie was more careful about what she got excited about. Also, Nat had said she was bad at school, that she had been held back, which Skye didn't exactly understand but Nat had said it like it was a bad thing. But Skye didn't really think about it too much. Nattie wasn't bad at anything so she probably wasn't bad at school like she had said.

"I'm glad you liked it." Nat wrapped a hairband around the bottom of Skye's braid and kissed the top of her head. "What was your favorite thing?"

Skye considered.

"I liked the playground," she decided. She loved running around and the playground had been so fun. "It had monkey bars but I couldn't reach. How long do you think it'll take for me to be able to reach them?" Skye cocked her head and looked questioningly at her sister.

"I don't know," Natasha shook her head and smiled. "But you're already a monkey, you don't need monkey bars."

Skye grinned at that and snuggled into Natasha's lap. Nat wrapped her arms around her, pulling her close. That always made Skye feel safe.

"What was your favorite thing about school?" This time Skye asked Nat.

Natasha was about to respond when the door in the other room slammed and both girls jumped. Skye watched as Natasha's face became tight, her green eyes hardening and her mouth setting into a firm line.

Skye couldn't help it, her thumb was in her mouth before she even realized she was moving it.


See you all next Monday at the next update!

In the meantime, let me know what you think! Or just leave me a random fun fact about life :)

~silverlining