Handshakes were weird, like, stiff and oldfashioned, but Kaden guessed that made sense because Merlin was old. Not stiff, though. And he if was offering his hand, Kaden wasn't going to back away from it.
The last hand he'd shaken had been Tragos', and it hadn't been like this. It had been in the bus, the night they'd decided to make a break for it – it being both their lives – and it had been a firm grasping of hands as Tragos hauled him to his feet. A we're in this together promise.
(One that Kaden had broken— he shouldn't have left, he shouldn't have left—)
Merlin's hand was softer than Tragos', and it wasn't like this handshake was making any promises, it was just a kind of greeting. Still Kaden couldn't help thinking of that moment with Tragos, though. Just that moment. He refused to think about anything that'd come after.