The younger redhead automatically turned his head towards the sound of snow being crushed by footsteps and he jerked his body forward, off the bench, so that he could stand up and turn to face the arrival. His heartbeat had sped up at the noise, and it wasn't quick slow down again, not even when Mitchell's eyes fell onto the now-familiar face of Balam.
No, because even so, his heart had been convinced for a moment that Sal was there. It had been a little more than a month since that encounter, and Mitch had logically convinced himself that going outside Asgard would be all right, as long as he took precautions.
And now, to realize that he had been spooked so easily pissed off the teenager. So instead of running away from the Niflheimer, the Asgardian stood his ground and forced himself to relax. He exhaled the breath he'd been holding and greeted Balam with, "Hey."