Ahhhhh, this was so nice to read! Your take on how/why cartman did what he did in Smug Alert is just so good. What I like about this fic is that you simultaneously made it very sweet and touching while also not being excessively generous to cartman with your portrayal of his his morals/character. I just think it's impressive when people write this pairing in a way that's both believable and heartwarming, given what cartman is like on the show.

[What good was winning, was having, without bleeding for it? ... Kyle was the only one who made him feel any of it. Loss. Gain. Defeat. Victory. Trial. Triumph.] - this right here is at the heart of their relationship, and cartman being able to recognize and come to terms with that is huge. I really loved that entire paragraph.

Also, thank you for writing an explaination for HOW cartman did it. That was satisfying just because the episode always made me wonder how the hell this 4th grader managed to drag four people all the way to that bus, lmao.

This was good and I enjoyed this. Your characterization of Cartman's personality and dialogue were spot on.

Omg, fwend, I am sat here fucking /SHOOKIES/. Like, honestly, this was just so beautiful, and intense, and breathtaking! It does feel a little different to your other stories, but definitely /not/ in a bad way! Like you said, it's good to mix things up, and if experimenting produces stories as downright exquisite as this, then I highly encourage it, fwend! Seriously, this is one of my new faves from you, and if this is a 'poor imitation' of that style that influenced you, then I think that story might melt my eyes with how good it is, pfft! Because how can it get better than this? Just, God, where to begin, fwend? Okay, so the premise first, I absolutely loved how you went into so much detail about how Eric rescued Kyle's family! Like, you said, it is very vague and we have no clues except Eric obviously found Kyle in his room, and that the Broflovski's got back to South Park on a bus, but that's it? I love the thought of Eric swaddling Kyle and Ike up and carrying them on his back, having an argument with Kyle's wasted parents, and then leading them out of the house hand-in-hand like toddlers, pfft! I just fucking loved how plausible it seemed, and even though I've seen this episode a million times, and I /know/ everybody turns out okay, reading about Eric trying to navigate his way through the storm, terrified, and in an unfamilar place, with so much danger, and trying to lead this family to safety who are completely out-of-it, it was so fucking tense, fwend, I was on the edge of my seat! And then the characterisations, fwend! I adored Eric in this, fwend! He felt so grown-up here, and that's a great thing! It showed his capability to think selflessly and logically in times of danger, and I loved how instead of breaking down and crying like any child understandably would in a situation so dangerous, Eric thought fast, and was brave, and wouldn't give up! And it was all because of Kyle! God, fwend, everytime you reminded us of how much Eric needs Kyle, how much he loves him, and cares for him, and would do anything for him it made me cry, fwend! I've got a couple of fave lines I want to quote, but let me just say I could practically quote this entire fic if I was able to! Like, this is the most, beautiful poignant fic I've read in a long time! I also loved how even though Eric so clearly loved Kyle, it wasn't so clear-cut that he would admit it out loud, and he's still convinced this as much about his wants and needs. That's so Eric! I fucking loved his angry, manipulative side too, it's always so entertaining to read, especially when Butters is involved, pfft, and Butters! He was amazing in this, fwend! I was absolutely creased when he referred to the Bus Driver as 'Mr Bus Driver' because of course he fucking would, fwend, I could hear Butters' voice in my head, haha! Okay, so those lines I mentioned. Like I said, I could've quoted practically everything, because, damn, did you push the envelope with this, I mean, it was absolutely fantastic, fwend! /This/ is why I get so happy when you post fics, fwend, because they're always phenomenal, and this was no exception! So my fave lines were: "Insatiable storm swirling overhead" (I mean, the whole setup of the storm was brilliant, fwend, like, not to sound cheesy but I really felt like I was there, pfft!), Kyle's voice being described as a "baby-goat bleat" (fucking /genius/ fwend, omg!), "hell (breaking) loose again" instead of the heavens simply opening, that was so clever! "Pressing his cheek soundly to his shoulder as though there were no better pillow," fwend, you know I fucking love soft Kyman moments! Especially when they involve Eric's soft shoulder! This image was too fucking adorable for me! I also loved how you showed us Eric's reasoning for saving Kyle's family, and it was so realistic that Eric thought initially to leave them behind because he only wanted Kyle, before stopping to consider what Kyle /needed/ and what was going to make him happy. Like you said so beautifully, "If he was going to have Kyle, then he was going to have all of him." Yes! Exactly, fwend! I just love how Eric recognises how important Kyle's family is to him, tbh, pfft! Because it shows how much he knows Kyle! It gives me hope that in the future, he would definitely know how to make Kyle happy in a relationship! And I fucking loved this line, fwend, "Kyle had to be with him. Always. /Forever/" that was one of the ones that got me in ME CHEST, fwend, because it was so intense! But then you had to hit me with the Soft Kyman all over again with Eric fixing Kyle's hat, and stroking his face, and leaning in close to him, aaahh! You're killing me, fwend, but I don't want it to stop! Death by Soft Kyman is the best death I could ask for, pfft! And then, fwend... /fwend/... this fucking line right here "He was so vulnerable, he realised. So irreplaceable, he knew now. So precious, he would never forget." Like, I'm gone, fwend, bye, it's too beautiful! Like, I love how in that gentle, quiet moment where he can finally admire Kyle, and be content with the fact that he's safe, he just realised the frailty of people's lives, and how people come and go from our lives, and Kyle is no exception no matter how much Eric needs him. It's almost like Eric is vowing to be by Kyle's side forever, while also being humbled by the fact that Kyle could slip away from him so easily, so he'll never take him for granted! Plus, just Kyle and Eric describing each other as 'precious' or 'irreplaceable' just does things to my fucking heart, man, pfft! So what I'm trying to say in this sprawling, rambling, essay of a review is that this story has made my kyman week, fwend, and I'm so happy you wrote it! It's definitely a new fave of mine, fwend, your fics just seem to get better and better!