hi! i’ll have to double check if it’s been elaborated on in the past or if I just imagined that in my brain, but the hand squeezes are a holdover from something Goro used to do with his mother. it’s a quick one-two squeeze that’s basically a silent reassurance:

I’m here.

a reassurance that the other won’t leave despite everything, that anything that comes their way will be weathered together. Goro didn’t do it much pre-Akira, since 1. he had no one he trusted enough to hold hands with and 2. it was very much something he did with his mother.

now things have changed, though, and both the boys know what it means and its significance. you’ll probably be seeing it a lot more in the future!