#mike and dustin were Critter Kids™️. they told me so themselves

[lighthouseas]

dustin moves to hawkins in 4th grade and him and mike bond at recess like, immediately. ofc he's close with the whole core four - not just mike - but here's the thing. mike wheeler is the type of kid to get his hands dirty and look for worms and bugs and toads at recess. will Does Not Like That because he doesn't like touching "slimy little creatures". lucas is okay with it. DUSTIN, however.

dustin is different.

when mike finds a hop toad in the field at recess the first day dustin is at school, dustin scurries over and explains - in detail - the species of toad, its mating habits, where it lives, and the "proper" way to catch more. and mike is absolutely GOBSMACKED. BAMBOOZLED. and, before he knows it, every recess him and dustin are digging for little creatures and naming them and going to the library to read books on them while will and lucas watch like. What Are These Children Doing. mike and dustin have an absolute BLAST but are soon forbidden from "creature catching" at recess after they find a toad, bring it into the classroom, and accidentally let it loose where it nearly climbs up their teacher's dress and causes her to scream so loud that the entire hallway thinks there's been a murder (both mike and dustin get a very stern call home after that. will and lucas are like. we told you so.) even so, they still like hunting for little creatures after that, and as a result now have an encyclopedia's worth of knowledge on obscure species of salamanders, newts, toads, etc.