Alexei had been pre-warned by both Hopper and Joyce that meeting the kids in town that had gone through the whole ordeal at the Starcourt Mall wouldn’t be easy, especially considering their run in with the Russians. This hadn’t deterred him though, and he’d still asked to get to meet them, even if the possibility of a relationship forming couldn’t be salvaged, it was worth it just to try.
Right away, from the body language of the young boy, he could see how much Dustin was closed-off and suspicious. Well, he had every right to be after what had happened, even if Alexei knew he meant no harm, that he wanted to help, wanted to make amends. It took a moment for him to translate the English words that the young boy had spoken, the language still incredibly tough to grasp.
“Trust it… it be – um… it be earned, yes?” he responded with a small nod. Rubbing the back of his neck, he remembered something Joyce had told him. “You… like science? Вы строите вещи, да? Umm… you…”(Russian: You build things, yes?) What was the right English word, what was it… Waving his hand in the air like it was a hammer, his cheeks began to turn a little pink from embarrassment, “… you make… science, yes?”
eyebrows furrowing together when he spoke back to him, listening closely just so he could attempt to understand what the man was trying to say to him. “Yeah, I like science..” slowly moving to sit down onto the couch while staring at the man before him, trying to understand what he was trying to ask him. watching his hand for a moment blinking, man he really should’ve learned more russian so he wouldn’t be lost right now. “..make science? build?” he questioned raising his eyebrows. “..you’re not trying to kill me right?” he said in a more blurted out sentence.