Please get me out of this BL novel...I'm straight!
Chapter 72: ’Help Me, Please’

Chapter 72: ’Help Me, Please’

Levi shut the door behind them, the muffled thud barely cutting through the hushed, tense argument still brewing between Charles and Arthur in the other room. The dim candlelight flickered, sending jagged shadows crawling across the damp stone walls.

The space was small—too small—thick with the scent of mildew, damp wood, and something metallic. Florian swallowed hard agains554t the nausea curling in his stomach.

His heartbeat hammered against his ribs.

’This is it. This is my only chance.’

The sight of the grimy room made his skin crawl, but the filth wasn’t what unsettled him most—it was the thought of being trapped here, of losing whatever slim window of opportunity he had.

Without thinking, his fingers latched onto Levi’s sleeve, gripping the fabric as if it were the only thing keeping him grounded. His voice came out barely above a whisper, urgent, pleading.

"Tell me how to get out. Please."

Levi stiffened beneath his touch, his lips parting—ready to argue, to push him away—but Florian didn’t let him.

His grip tightened, his nails pressing into the rough fabric of Levi’s shirt, his desperation sharpening into something almost frantic.

"You don’t want this," Florian pushed, his voice low but unwavering. "You didn’t sign up for whatever they plan to do to me. You still have a choice." His breath hitched. "Just tell me how I can escape, and I swear—I will help you, too. We can both get out of this."

’Please help me.’

Levi exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down his face. His brows furrowed, frustration knitting into the tension lining his jaw.

"Damn it," he muttered, voice rough, almost angry. "I didn’t think it would go this far. I thought it was just a simple kidnapping—nothing like... this."

Florian searched his face, catching the flickers of conflict there—the hesitation, the guilt, the wariness.

That was enough.

It had to be.

"Then help me," Florian whispered. His throat felt tight, his voice barely steady. "Please."

Silence settled between them, heavy and suffocating, stretching so taut it felt like it might snap at any second.

Then—Levi let out a slow, resigned sigh.

"There’s an emergency exit," he said, voice dropping. "If we ever get found out, it’s our way to escape. No one else is thinking about it right now. If you go now, while they’re distracted, you could make it."

Relief slammed into Florian so hard he nearly lost his balance. A way out.

But it wasn’t enough.

Because Florian wasn’t leaving alone.

"Come with me." The words were out before he even thought about them, firm, certain, unyielding.

Levi blinked, caught off guard. "What?"

"Go to the exit and wait for me there. We’ll leave together. You can’t stay here."

Levi shook his head, confusion flickering across his features. "Why do you care what happens to me? I’m the one who helped take you."

Florian didn’t flinch. Didn’t back down.

"Because you’re not like them," he said, voice steady. "You don’t belong here. I can tell."

Levi inhaled sharply, but Florian kept going, pushing past the lump in his throat.

"And if you stay, you’ll be stuck. Whatever you thought you signed up for—this isn’t it. You don’t have to be part of it anymore."

Levi swallowed. Hard.

His usual guarded expression cracked—just for a second—something raw flickering in his gaze before he looked away. His fists clenched at his sides, his body rigid, locked in place like he was trying to force himself not to react.

"You don’t even know me," Levi muttered, quieter this time.

Florian huffed a small, breathless laugh. "Maybe not." He met Levi’s eyes, exhaustion bleeding into his voice. "But I know enough."

Levi’s fingers twitched at his sides, like he wanted to reach for something—his knife, reassurance, something solid to hold onto. His weight shifted from foot to foot, uncertain, like the very concept of escape was foreign to him.

His walls were cracking. Florian could see it.

But then—

Levi exhaled slowly, his gaze flickering back to Florian—wary, guarded. "...How can you be so sure I’ll be there?" His voice was rough, edged with something Florian couldn’t quite place.

"Why do you trust me?" Levi’s jaw tensed. "How do you know I’m not gonna send you the wrong way?"

Florian didn’t hesitate.

His answer came without doubt, without fear.

’Because you don’t want to be here any more than I do.’

"Because I just am," he murmured. His lips curled into the faintest hint of a smile, tired but certain. "And I don’t think you want me to be wrong."

Levi studied him for a long moment, his sharp eyes searching—digging—for any trace of deceit, any hesitation. The weight of his scrutiny pressed against Florian’s skin, cold and unrelenting.

Florian forced himself to stay still, to keep his breathing even, to not let his nerves show.

’Come on... believe me.’

Another beat of silence.

Then—finally—Levi exhaled, heavier this time. His shoulders sagged ever so slightly, the tension in his stance easing by the smallest fraction.

"Fine..." he muttered, reluctant but resigned.

The word had barely left his lips before Florian moved without thinking. Relief surged through him like a crashing wave, and before his mind could catch up with his body, he lunged forward, throwing his arms around Levi in sheer, overwhelming gratitude.

For a split second, everything froze.

Florian felt the way Levi’s entire body tensed against his—stiff, caught completely off guard. His muscles locked, breath hitching slightly, as if no one had ever dared to hold him like this before.

A heartbeat passed.

Then another.

Then Florian’s brain caught up with reality.

’Oh. Shit.’

Heat rushed to his face so fast it made him dizzy. Mortification slammed into him like a punch to the gut, making his stomach twist.

What the hell was he doing?

He jerked back as if burned, arms snapping to his sides, eyes wide with embarrassment.

"I—S-Sorry!" The words tumbled out, flustered, frantic. "I—um—sorry, I got too—too excited, I just—" He tripped over his own words, hands hovering awkwardly between them, fingers twitching as if unsure where to put them. "I didn’t mean to, uh—grab you like that, I just—"

He could not stop talking.

’Shut up. Jesus Christ!’

Levi blinked at him, still looking slightly dazed, like his brain was struggling to process what had just happened. His arms were still slightly raised—like he had started to react but then forgot how.

Florian wanted the ground to swallow him whole.

And then—he saw it.

Just for a fleeting second, barely visible in the dim candlelight.

The faintest hint of red dusting Levi’s cheeks.

Florian froze, eyes widening slightly.

’Wait. No way. Was he—?’

Levi cleared his throat abruptly, the sound sharp in the silence. He shook his head, a little too quick, as if trying to physically rid himself of whatever momentary lapse that had been.

"You’re..." He exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through his hair. "You’re really sure about this?"

The shift in his tone was subtle, but Florian caught it.

It wasn’t just a question.

There was something beneath it.

Something careful. Hesitant.

"You could just run now," Levi added, voice lower, unreadable.

Florian inhaled slowly, forcing his racing heart to steady. Despite the lingering heat on his face, he met Levi’s gaze—held it, unwavering.

"I have a plan," he said, quieter this time, but firm. Certain.

Levi didn’t look away.

For a second, it felt like he might argue. Like there was something on the tip of his tongue—something Florian wasn’t sure he was ready to hear.

Then—

"Trust me," Florian murmured.

Levi’s fingers twitched at his sides, as if warring with the urge to reach for something—a weapon or maybe just reassurance. His jaw clenched, his throat bobbing with a slow swallow.

Florian saw it.

That sliver of hesitation.

That flicker of uncertainty—of hope—buried deep beneath layers of doubt, of fear. It was small, fragile, but it was there.

A sudden noise outside made them both tense, their heads snapping toward the door. The hushed voices beyond shifted, footsteps creaking against the old wooden floors.

Time was slipping away.

If they waited any longer, they might not get another chance.

Levi exhaled sharply, gaze flickering back to Florian.

"...Alright."

The single word felt heavy, like a thread stretched taut, threatening to snap at any second.

Levi turned without another word, slipping out of the room with the kind of silent precision Florian could never hope to master. His figure disappeared into the dimly lit corridor beyond, his footsteps barely audible.

And just like that, Florian was alone.

Alone with the weight of what came next.

His fingers curled into fists at his sides.

This had to work.

It had to.