Bittersweet Candy Bowl

125. First-Degree Burn, page posted 5/30/25

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Veronica: Augustus coming to Mike like a divorced parent all “your Lucy visiting hours are over"

Comments from Patreon

Comment ID #28862

AUGUSTUS IS SO GOOD TO HER 😭😭😭😭 i love him so much

Elisa

Comment ID #28863

Phew .. I am so happy Auggy is gently asking like this and is being mindful of both sides. I’m sure Mike feels horrible though despite probably not knowing that he was in Lucy’s line of sight during recess. He doesn’t want to hurt Lucy so I have a feeling he will agree. I just hope James and David respect Mikes wish of not wanting to practice track during recess anymore!

esinololly

Comment ID #28864

Dude… Why not ask him to diffuse a bomb? He has his own life and has followed through with what has been asked of him (usually)

But, this is something that is has been affecting him and will affect him more if he keeps thinking or doing things for someone he now been told too somehow FURTHER avoid.

I know Mike may fold and try to find a way to manage this, but dude come on.

Runeru

Comment ID #28865

I get it I really do, and Mike has a lot to account for. But I hate to say that Mike and his track team should be allowed to go where they need to go as well. It is not practical to ask them to just never be in the same place as Lucy, because how can you plan that? Idk

Audrey Wilson

Comment ID #28866

No matter how much Mike tries to adjust his life to please others, I guess it’s never truly enough…

The Great Clockwork Gatsby

Comment ID #28867

Augustus how does this help with anything

SomeColourMage

Comment ID #28868

I was under the impression that Paulo was the only one who knew they ate lunch there.

Mike probably didn’t know, and I doubt he’d keep doing it if he did know.

Aside from the arcade incident, Mike hasn’t done anything recently to Lucy.

I know the arcade incident was unfortunate and what are they even supposed to do about it?

Like it or not, Mike’s actions have consequences.

He did a very shitty thing to her and when she came back feeling better, he knocked her down again, putting his own feelings first and clinging to her without letting her leave.

Of course Lucy is distraught. Mike has been yo-yoing her feelings and messing with her head.

They are capable of practicing in the gym during lunch. Nothing changes but the location.

And if the gym is in use during lunch, then they can just practice during their actual practice time.

I know Lucy and Augustus could move also.

But they picked that spot because it’s safe and alone.

It sucks all around, but Mike has to own up and figure something out.

TinaRiva

Comment ID #28869

Excuse me if im misrememebring but aren’t they eating lunch on bleachers? Like right next to a track field? Imagine telling a sports team not to use the resources provided for them in one of two locations becuase two kids don’t like one member that sound unreasonable

Uhuru

Comment ID #28870

Bro Mike has other obligations. He’s not outside to bother anyone.

AShinyBluMew

Comment ID #28871

Oh, no…

As others have said before, I think Mike is going to end up hurting himself, and this gives him another reason, at least in his mind, to do so:

The idea his mere presence is hurting others…

Mordaunt-the-Wizard

Comment ID #28872

If Mike does go down that route… It will mirror “December” hopefully Lucy catches wind of this and lets Mike or someone know that Mike is allowed places that she is at (similar to what happened at the arcade)

Tylily

Comment ID #28873

What a unbelievable selfish thing to ask

Hey can you and the entire track team go somewhere else cause Lucy can’t deal with the concequences of her own actions?

Maybe she would have been in a better way if didn’t chase all her friends away and she actually took responsibility for all the horrible stuff she did instead of playing the victim and gaslighting everybody thinking it was their fault.

I know Mike is going to cave in and it hurts to see how badly he has been manipulated into thinking that standing up to physical abuse is somehow his fault

I know this is harsh but Lucy is still being a parasite, she is still sucking the life out of Mike cause she so desperatly needs to blame someone else for her mistakes

Kiall Vun Myeret

Comment ID #28874

People seem to forget that Lucy was terrible towards Mike and her friends way before she harmed herself and after. I think of the anime movie “A silent Voice.” where the bully leaned into self harm but learned ultimately how to forgive themselves and be a better person. That isn’t Lucy. She has only learned to be worse IMO. She isn’t going to find peace until she also takes accountably for her own behaviors and patterns.

Kaleigh Hohenthaner

Comment ID #28875

Page 21 and onward of “After You” wants a word with you all. I also don’t personally see how Lucy is still blaming, bullying, or otherwise being a parasite to Mike any longer (Augustus’ misguided request here aside). I feel like the script is flipped now that she’s returned. She’s kept away from Mike, including politely seeing herself out when she ran into Mike in Eternal Flame until he physically stopped her from leaving. His current strife is all of his own doing, Lucy’s got nothing to do with his new ambivalence toward Sandy after the Francis thing, she’s got nothing to do with James passing Mike over for David.

AlisterTX

Comment ID #28876

yeah, Lucy hasn’t actually done anything this time. neither has Mike, for that matter. they’ve both been respecting each other’s boundaries and staying away from each other when possible since Eternal Flame but Augustus seems to think that Lucy just seeing Mike causes her to have issues, which doesn’t really appear to be backed up by anything that’s happened.

SomeColourMage

Comment ID #28877

In Seeing Stars, Augustus caught on to the fact Lucy’s been having nightmares and tried to ask what else is bothering her, only to be shooed away. Understandably, Lucy hates when others try to pry into her business, hence why she keeps her worries to herself so she doesn’t worry her mom, who also tried reaching out to her, but was also turned down. Mike is keeping his word of leaving her be, but I dread Lucy keeping secrets will lead others to believe he did far worse than break her heart, eventually leading others to ostracize him as some criminal. Covering up that encounter with Alejandro near the end of Confrontation really didn’t help.

Seabreeze630

Comment ID #28878

I know his priority is to help Lucy, and because she’s been getting tangibly worse he’s trying anything he can to help her, but this isn’t a fair thing to ask. Maybe instead just have lunch with her somewhere else, man…

Michelle M.

Comment ID #28879

Idk i think maybe people are misinterpreting this, it comes off more to me as “ik you guys are out there but that doesn’t mean we have to interact”

Some Rogue

Comment ID #28880

but they already don’t interact. Lucy overheard a single conversation between Mike, James and David, was shocked for like a second before returning to her usual self and Augustus has escalated it into this. pretty sure Mike didn’t even know they were there.

SomeColourMage

Comment ID #28881

He’s probably referring to the arcade stuff where there was a lot of accidental/coincidental interaction at least that’s how it comes off to me cuz that’s definitely something Lucy would talk about but maybe I’m misremembering

Some Rogue

Comment ID #28882

he’s pretty explicitly talking about when the track team used the track during recess in Seeing Stars (and other times since then, presumably, as he says they keep doing it)

SomeColourMage

Comment ID #28883

Like I said i could be misremembering I’ll just have to go back and reread <3

Some Rogue

Comment ID #28884

I kinda get it but, this is far from a reasonable ask

The Chosen Revolutionary

Comment ID #28885

Dang, I really thought he was going to ask Mike about Lucy’s nightmares and how to help with them. My assumption was that Augustus assumes Mike has something to do with them, so that’s why he’s asking Mike to stay away. It’s entirely unreasonable to ask, but I get why he’s doing it.I hope Mike stands up for himself here, and for his team (who shouldn’t have to walk on eggshells around Lucy because of Mike).

Sugarfreefox

Comment ID #28886

Mike’s don’t gotta do nothing he says

arjay

Comment ID #28887

Augustus: She gone cra cra!

Mike: Huh?

SCD

Comment ID #28888

I don’t care what you all say, Augustus is an amazing friend, he and Lucy are very close and it makes sense that as a TEEN he will ask for something like that for his close friend. Mike is not his friend, he thinks of whats good for Lucy. Best boy Augy 🖤

WitchDoll

Comment ID #28889

Oh no, an acknowledgment of Lucy having feelings and someone daring to care about them even though it inconveniences Mike, I just know I’m about to see someone calling her a gaslighting parasite in the comments and maybe even in canon. She’s not even here and I can already feel the slander coming.

I think Augustus means well but he truly doesn’t know exactly how dangerous it is in this world socially for a girl to ask absolutely anything of a popular guy who hurt her. Especially space.

mobsterseeker