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Like all rabbit slaves, Cream had a large earing piercing through the tips of both her ears to prevent her from flying. It would hurt if she tried. Nevertheless, she was grateful for her current position because she had it a lot better than most. Her masters, the Prowers, were not too harsh with her, only expecting her to do her chores in exchange for decent food and lodging. And Tails, or Master Miles as she was expected to call him, already took a liking to her.
He watched her doing the dishes, wishing that he could help. But just risking it would be dangerous. The last time he helped her with a chore and his parents found out about it, his father picked up the young rabbit by her ears and gave her a good shake.
"You should be doing the chores by yourself. That's what we bought you for. I don't want to see you manipulating my son ever again!"
Tails shook the memory from his head; it hurt him just to imagine her punishment.
"Cream? Do you think... the Eggman Empire is on the right side in this war?"
"Of course, Master Miles," she said without thinking, wiping a plate clean.
"My parents are outside looking after the chickens. I just checked."
She stopped her motion and looked out the window towards the bright sunny sky. This time she reflected a bit deeper on her answer. "I don't want to say anyone is evil or wrong," she said at last. "But sometimes I wonder what might happen if Knothole wins. Could I be free? Could I see my friend Amy again?"
Tails sunk his head, deep in thought. The Empire seemed to echo his parents' beliefs on a national level. If he was on the wrong side of this war, that meant that his parents were bad people. And he didn't want to face that possibility. But he couldn't say that they were good people either, even with their accomplishments and personal recognition from Eggman himself.
A final clink grabbed his attention as Cream placed the last fork down on the drainage board. "All done, Master Miles," she smiled cheerfully. "Now are you ready for me to clean your room?"
'Cleaning his room' really meant him teaching her how to read in the privacy of his large bedroom. Together they eagerly ran up the stairs only to be stopped by Aunt Vanilla.
"Cream, I hope you finished all your chores this time," she said sternly.
"Of course, mom. Just one left. Master Miles told me to clean his room."
He didn't like the formal address and much preferred to be called 'Tails', his middle name. But neither of the rabbits wanted to upset the older Prowers and so Master Miles it was.
"And what exactly in Master Miles' room needs to be cleaned up?"
"If you would, Aunt Vanilla," Tails interjected, "I've many volumes on my shelves that are unorganized and need to be sorted."
"By an illiterate?" she asked with suspicion.
He was placed in an awkward spot. He owned her and could have ordered her to stand on her head if he wanted to. But he knew she was just trying to protect them. If anyone else found out that he was teaching Cream how to read she could have been killed or, maybe even worse, sold to a different family.
They stared at each other in the eyes before Vanilla conceded. "Please keep my daughter safe, Master Miles."
"Yes, Aunt Vanilla."
With that he and Cream rushed into his room and he wasted no time in clearing off all the manuscripts and designs on his desk. Lately he had been exploring plans on building his own plane for the sake of leaving the Eggman Empire forever and flying to a land where it was legal for rabbits to marry foxes. But for the moment that could wait.
He pulled out a notepad and a small book for elementary students.
Like all books approved of by the Eggman Empire, this fictional book taught the importance of obeying your superiors. It was about a Tenrec named Surge and a Fennec named Kitsuname who were test subjects designed to stop the evil villain Sonic the Hedgehog. Surge and Kitsuname were granted the powers of lightning and water, respectively, by the benevolent scientist Dr. Starline. Unfortunately they constantly rebelled against him and one day escaped from his laboratory. They thought they were free at last and would go unpunished until they hugged each other and died instantly due to the deadly combination of their elements. The text on the last page simply read, so is the fate of all who defy the Eggman Empire.
Tails didn't really like the subject matter but he didn't have anything better to give her. He sat down with her when he noticed that she had scribbled out her own message on the notepad.
"Once upon a time there was a charmeng frendly kind boy called Tails. He lived in a large manshion pallace house with two loving parents but he didn't have any friends. One day he met a girl called Cream but she was a rabbit. They could never be together."
"Cream, this is amazing," he said with wide eyes. Because it was illegal to write stories without a license from the empire Tails had never thought to use his creativity in that fashion.
"I'm still working on it," she replied, blushing heavily. "Thank you for your compliment, Tails."
"How far have you gotten?" he asked, briefly flipping through the pages.
"Only to the point where I ask you to be my boyfriend. It's an autobiography."
"Wait, so that means- oh my gosh."
"So, um, yeah."
Neither of them were supposed to be friends much less romantic partners. How would it work out? If they got married it would have to be without the state's approval. And then what if they had kids? It was clear they hadn't planned out anything but that didn't stop Tails from taking her hand.
"Cream," he said with nervousness and excitement, "I don't know how this will work but I- I love you. And of course I accept."
He thought of having to boss her around and treat her cruelly to avoid suspicion. It was sad, but it was less of a crime to kill slaves rather than date them. Showing them love or affection was thought to be bizarre and frowned upon.
"I know you'll keep me safe, Tails."
They were about to kiss before they heard a loud knock at the door. In a flash Cream grabbed a feather duster and ran to the window while Tails pretended to be looking at the book about Surge and Kitsuname.
It was just Vanilla. "They're back inside," she whispered, opening the door ajar.
"Thanks, Aunt Vanilla," Tails said, a whirlwind of emotions clouding his mind. "Cream, go to the basement. I'm sure you didn't dust everything properly there."
"Yes, Master Miles," she said, running out of the room. Of course, the real reason why he told her to go there was because he wanted a secluded spot where they could talk about their new romance without being heard or seen.
They had no plans and no clear future. But today they were boyfriend and girlfriend. And for now, it had to be enough.