"Lucky! Stop it!" The child laughed as the dirt covered dog refused to stop affectionately licking his owner in the abandoned building they called their home for the past month. "Your breath is horrid," Clint coughed as the course tongue licked uncomfortably close to his mouth.

The dog didn't let up until he decided to lay across his new owner's lap instead. Somehow this dog always knew when Clint needed cheering up. After leaving the circus two months ago, he found it hard living on his own, moving from town to town with only the money he earned in his pocket and bow on his back. It didn't help that ever since his run in with the 'tracksuit mafia,' he was forced to temporarily settle down until his new addition recovered.

Clint rubbed the dog he renamed Lucky, carefully scratching behind his ears trying to not disturb the healing injuries. However, the distraction wasn't enough for the one eyed dog to ignore the day old pizza box next to them as he playfully poked it with his nose.

Giving a sad smile as he opened the box, Clint handed the hungry dog the last slice. "I know you're a pizza dog, but I wish I could give you better food. All of our money is going towards your meds," He said as his own stomach growled.

He needed another job and fast. He didn't like being an assassin for hire, but it was the only thing he knew how to do after Swordsman's manipulation. It was the only job that would pay for the dog's medical bills and their own food. He may not have been proud of it, but he owed this dog a debt and was glad to have him at his side. Lucky was a good boy.

Once the dog finished the slice, he pounced on Clint once again, happily licking the boy in gratitude for giving up his meal.

Clint may not have been that child in the warehouse anymore, but he certainly felt like it as he ruffled the new golden furball in front of him. He couldn't help but feel like a kid again as a random dog came running out of the farm's fields for the sole purpose of causing Clint to tumble to the ground, the exact same smile on his face as that night he gave up his dinner.

This dog may not have been Lucky, but it acted exactly like the old friend he remembered.

"That's a good boy," Clint said while picking himself up. Kneeling in the grass, this new dog seemed to melt under the belly rubs Clint gave just as Lucky had. "Who's a good boy? You are."

As the puppy gave a bark of approval from the newfound affection, Clint was so wrapped up in petting this dog that he almost didn't hear Cooper running up to him. "Hey dad! Where did the dog come from?"

Putting a pause on giving the animal attention, much to its displeasure, Clint sat back against his heels. "I don't know," He replied honestly and looked out at the empty fields. He had no idea where this dog came from, there wasn't another house for miles and it was a long travel for a dog alone.

Finally, Clint got a good look of his new friend. The large dog didn't seem to be a stray, he may have been muddy but the grime wasn't staining his fur as if he'd been out long. He must have only been out for a few days at most. "He probably got lost and belongs to someone in town," Clint theorized.

Suddenly, the dog rolled onto his feet and ran towards Cooper. Clint instantly tensed. He didn't actually know if this dog would lash out or bite his son. Fearing the worst, he didn't let his guard down until he saw the animal harmlessly jump up until he got some more pats. Thankfully, the beast only wanted attention.

Cooper giggled. "Are we going to find his owner?" The teen asked as the dog's nose tickled his hand and sniffed him.

"We could ask around town later," Clint nodded in agreement at the idea. "But first we should get him cleaned up."

"In the bathtub?"

Clint laughed, "We better not. You know how mom gets when we track mud into the house, who knows what she'll do if a dog does. Let's use the garden hose."

Standing up, the father and son started walking towards the side of the house. The dog was hesitant to follow, a bit confused on where they were going and why they were leaving, but he happily trotted along once Clint turned back and said, "Come on, Lucky."

"Is that the dog's name?" Cooper asked as he reached out to grab the hose. "Lucky?"

Clint smiled as he remembered the name he unconsciously used. "Probably not. He just looks a lot like a dog named Lucky that I had as a kid."

As Clint turned on the water, Cooper handed his father the hose to check the collar himself. With a smirk, he read out, "It says the dog's name is Archer... How convenient."

"Hmm, that name could use some work. I'm sticking with Lucky," Clint said as he started spraying the water upwards so it would fall on the dog like a rain storm instead of attacking him from the harsh water pressure. "Besides he seems to like it. Right, Lucky?"

The dog, now appropriately named according to the archer, waged its tail and gave a little bark. He ran in circles under the water, slowly washing clean from the mud as he shook out his fur coat every minute or two. Since this dog actually seemed to like taking a shower, Clint sprayed the water around in the air and Lucky followed the fake rain wherever it went, tongue sticking out of his mouth as if trying to drink it too.

"Is that a dog I hear barking?" Laura said as she opened the kitchen window to see the two children playing with a strange dog. She couldn't help but notice how familiar the dog looked, reminding her of a pet Clint had during the first few years of their relationship.

"Yes it is," Clint said proudly as if he was showing the animal off. "Do you mind if we bring him in once he's cleaned up? We should probably give him some food and water. We don't know how long he's been without it."

Laura was unprepared to host a dog which could potentially destroy the house, but after much consideration she realized it must not be as bad as housing a whole team of Avengers. "Only when he's clean can he step foot inside, but you're not going to get that dog's feet washed by using that method. You're just making more mud."

Noticing the dog's paws, Clint realized she was right. While his coat had been freed from the mud, his feet were still just as dirty as before. "Hey Coop, do you mind getting a towel for this rascal?"

Immediately, Cooper ran off without a word. He was simply excited that his mom was letting them keep the dog inside under the condition he was clean.

It only took minutes for the dog to be sitting on the tile floor of their kitchen, clean and anticipating a meal. When Clint placed a bowl of water next to the animal and rummaged the fridge for leftover meat, Lila finally came downstairs from all the commotion. "Why is there a dog in here?"

"We found him outside. He seems to be lost." Clint said as he found some bacon and started preparing it for their new friend.

Once Lucky noticed the new arrival, its ears perked up and started bolting towards her without warning. Startled, Lila yelped and ran into another room to escape the savage looking beast.

"Lucky!" Clint scolded the dog for scaring his daughter and Lucky instantly stopped in their tracks to look back at him. "Sit," Clint commanded and thankfully, the dog knew how to obey.

"It's okay Lila," Clint said from the stove, "He's just very excited by new people."

When he didn't hear a response from her, Laura instantly took over Clint's cooking while silently telling him to go check on her. He found Lila in the guest room on the bed, eyes glued to the floor. She kept watch hoping the dog wouldn't be able to reach her up there.

Normally Lila loved animals, but Clint understood why she was a bit freaked out. This dog was almost half her height and when a large animal sprints at a small girl, it was understandable why she was scared.

"You okay, Lila?" Clint asked as he sat on the bed next to his daughter.

"Yeah it's just..." She fumbled through her words while she bit her lip, "He was running at me so fast..."

"It's okay to be scared," Clint justified her reaction as he gently rubbed her back. He could tell she felt embarrassed after being scared by a dog, so he tried to think of a way too help her feel less silly. "You know, Natasha and I used to be scared of dogs too. It wasn't until we met an amazing dog that we became comfortable with them. Sometimes it just takes time."

Lila gave her father a slight smile when she noticed his attempt to comfort her. Even though she saw through his plan, she appreciated hearing that she wasn't the only one who got scared by a simple dog.

However, she still worried about the strange dog in their house. She had never seen it before and didn't know the answer to a simple question, "Do they bite?"

"I don't think so," Clint quickly reassured even if he couldn't say for certain. "He hasn't shown any hostility towards us so I doubt he'll bite. He's very well trained."

When she didn't respond, Clint knew she wasn't completely happy with the slight uncertainty in the air. In response, he hoped to help ease her into facing her fear and prove to her the dog had been nice so far. "If you would like to meet them, I could keep hold of his collar just to be on the safe side."

Lila thought about the proposal, eventually deciding to nervously slide off of the bed. "Okay..." She said, her fear still present but she tried not to let it get the best of her. Clint always admired that about her.

As Lila stayed in the room, Clint walked out to find Lucky in the kitchen anxiously awaiting the food Laura was finishing up. Clint patted his knees, requesting the dog come to him in which Lucky gladly complied if it meant he got more attention.

Petting the dog as he grabbed hold of the collar, he said, "Okay Lila," and waited for the girl to reluctantly poke her head out of the guest bedroom. When she started cautiously walking towards the dog, he excitedly jumped up to meet the new human. Clint yielded him before he could break from his hold and when Clint gave a command to sit, the dog surprisingly obeyed through a wagging tail. Kneeling down to the dog's level, Clint gave a friendly stroke along the dog's back as reward for staying still.

Lila continued to walk closer to the animal, still pausing in her steps as she thought the dog might attack at any moment. When she was close enough to touch him, she stopped.

Clint noticed she didn't want to reach out so he tried to think of a way to convince her. He gave a little smile as he remembered one of her favorite movies. "Hey, do you remember How To Train Your Dragon?" When she gave a nod, she knew where he was going with bringing it up. "Just reach out your hand and let Lucky sniff it. He'll be more comfortable in your presence and won't jump at you again."

She didn't want to be afraid of the happy dog in front of her, so she gave the idea a try. Just like the movie, Lila took in a deep breath and slowly extended her hand in front of her. Unlike the movie, she kept a close eye on the dog and as he leaned in close enough to sniff her. She inched her hand back out of nerves but still tried to keep her hand out.

Lucky noticed her flinch and took the hint that she was afraid, so he paused until she held her shaking hand still. He waited until she was ready before sniffing her hand and eventually placing his nose on the back it in a friendly gesture. After a minute of making sure the smiling dog was calm, she knew that he didn't intentionally want to hurt or scare her before.

So she smiled back, reaching out to officially pat his head. Lucky certainly didn't complain since he was getting more affection from this strange family that took him in.

"See? He's a good boy," Clint said and let go of the collar now that Lila didn't need the extra assurance. "He's just like my old dog."

"I didn't know you had a dog," Lila spoke as she keeled down to the dog's level and started petting more than just its head. Lucky in turn got comfortable laying on the floor as if he was getting a massage.

"It was a long time ago," He replied while remembering the days. "When I was a couple years older than you, I was still getting myself into trouble. My dog was named Lucky and he saved my life, but at the cost of getting hit by a car," He explained while trying to be a vague as possible. The kids didn't know about his life after the circus but before Shield, the part of his life he was the least proud of because of all the pointless murders he had committed. When they were old enough, he would come clean but for now, they didn't need to know. "I took him to the vet and they managed to save his life. He was my best friend back then."

Clint could't stop the contagious grin from spreading as he thought about his early days with his dog. Lucky had been at the beginning of it all. The beginning of his new life after the circus, the beginning of Shield, the beginning of his friendship with Natasha, Lucky had been there to help him through the worst and best years of his life. The years when he had lost most of his faith in people after his falling out with Barney and Swordsman.

Clint particularly remembered one day at Shield, within the first few weeks of Clint bringing in Natasha. At that time, Natasha was still healing from the nasty injury caused from her and Clint crossing paths. She wasn't even allowed to leave the secure recovery room until Fury dug up more information on her. Clint kept her company since she was his responsibility, and when he noticed her sleep had been restless after being cooped up, he decided to bring in Lucky to keep her mind off of the enclosed space.

As the three of them sat on her hospital bed, Lucky instantly felt comfortable laying across her lap. Clint had only ever saw Lucky do with two people, himself and Phil. Natasha surprisingly matched the dog's gentle spirit and lightly pet him in rhythmic strokes, getting lost in the movements.

Up to that point Clint wasn't sure if he could really trust this spy, but after seeing Lucky so easily let down his guard he knew he could. He trusted Lucky more than anyone.

"You have a way with animals, Natasha," He praised as she continued to pet the dog without making eye contact.

She was silent for a while, not knowing how to respond to that statement. "They're much better than people," She finally said just for the sake of ending the awkward silence. "I prefer them any day."

Joining Natasha in petting his furry friend, Clint responded, "Look at that, we have another thing in common."

She rolled her eyes as she looked at the dog in front of her. One of Lucky's eyes hadn't opened in the whole time he'd been here, like it was sewn shut from an injury. "What happened to his eye?" She finally let her curiosity show.

After a moment, Clint replied with one word, "People."

They hadn't talked much outside from formalities in these past weeks, so they eventually resumed a comfortable quiet between them. They all had a mutual understanding of each other that day. It was a main turning point for Clint as he was finally able to begin trusting this spy, and he was glad Lucky had been there to help show him that.

A doorbell ringing was enough to hit Clint out of his memory. The dog's ears perked up in interest, but since he didn't want Lila to stop stroking him he stayed put as he watched Clint answer the door.

As soon as he opened it Clint was face to face with his neighbor, Abraham. The kid who was good friends with Cooper and even met the family of deer last summer. Since then he'd met with his family a few times, even having dinner together to catch up, but that had been before Clint's nasty injuries this past winter.

"Hey Abraham," Clint was surprised as he looked around, not seeing his parents in sight. It wasn't a major red flag, he usually biked the few miles to the Barton's house to hang out with Cooper, but usually Cooper would let them know if company was coming. "Are you here to see Coop?"

"Actually... I came to see you, Mr. Barton," He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I wanted to ask if you could help me."

Curious, Clint asked, "With what?"

Abraham was hesitant, as if embarrassed to share why but eventually spilled the can of beans. "Well, you know the forest better than anyone. I'm wondering if you could maybe help me find a dog in it..."

Clint smirked, now knowing who this missing dog belonged to but decided to play along before telling him. "Your family doesn't have a dog. What would a dog be doing in the forest?"

Abraham paused, now nervously scratching his short, curly hair. "Well, we were dog sitting my aunt's dog while she is out of town and I let him outside to go to the bathroom. We don't have fences like the city and I think he ran out into the forest to explore but got lost. If you aren't busy, I was hoping you could help me search..."

Stepping aside and allowing Abraham to come in, Clint interrupted his worried rant, "I think I can help you, but there's no need to go into the woods."

Confused, Abraham raised an eyebrow and was about to ask why until he saw the dog basically falling asleep on the floor from Lila and Cooper's collective pats.

Abraham signed in relief. "Oh thank goodness," He ran over to join them. Clint couldn't help but share a bright smile with Laura at the sight of all the kids. They reminded him so much of himself when he had Lucky. All their worries melting away at the feeling of combing the dog's fur.

And similar to this dog, Clint's Lucky was glad to help in any way possible.

"Archer," Abraham scolded with the dog's actual name despite his relief of holding Archer's face in his hands, "Never run away like that again. Okay?"

The dog seemed to smirk as he rested his head in the embrace. Abraham started scratching under his chin and behind his ears, clearly two of his favorite spots as he started tapping his back foot in joy. "How did you find him?" Abraham turned back to Clint.

"He came running at me from our fields," He explained how he met the dog. "He was friendly enough so we were going to watch him until we found his owner."

"Thank you so much for taking care of him, Mr. Barton," Abraham said with extreme gratitude. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't found him."

"It was my pleasure, really. He's a sweet dog," Clint smiled at the animal on the floor. "Just keep him on a leash next time so he doesn't go running into the forest again."

"Oh yeah," He let out a sigh, not wanting to go through this disaster of worry again. "You can bet I'll be extra careful next time."

Glad he could return this dog to his rightful home, Clint was equally as glad to have had him for a day. Life was so crazy now, sometimes he forgot his roots and the best friend that was buried under the oak tree out back. While some of his past was better off forgotten, there were always a few things he needed to be reminded of. Lucky was one of them.

After all, he had been amazingly lucky to have him.


Special thanks to my good friend Yesi who gave me this idea of Clint meeting a dog reminding him of Lucky! It was super cute to write:D