Nikita had a hard time parsing out what The Captain was feeling from the bond, he was sending a steady stream of calm reassurance which was nice but didn't really tell her anything of his own emotions. Nikita was apprehensive and a little intimidated by the Captain. No one had ever dropped her into subspace, it filled her with both hope and fear. She was hopeful that she could find a place to belong with the Captain and the Avengers, but fearful as well. She was well aware that even without being in subspace, there was no way she could physically stop the Captain from doing anything he wanted to her. Subspace left a submissive in a trance-like state, leaving them emotionally, psychologically, and physically vulnerable. Within subspace, the Captain could do anything he wanted and she wouldn't even try to stop him.
After Fury left, silence once again fell in the room until a nurse came to bring a tray of food and check Nikita's vitals. Steve sent the tray of food back with the nurse as she left. Nikita was confused but before she had too much time to wonder about it, The Soldier appeared with a lot of take out from a local diner. Steve had asked him to bring real food for them since Steve knew how awful the food in Medical could be and he didn't want it to be the first meal he provided for his bonded sub. Steve really wanted to hand feed his sub but he was certain that she wasn't ready for that. Her reaction to his helping her drink earlier made him wonder if anyone had ever done that with her. Instead, he placed a roast beef sandwich, fries, a small salad, a large glass of juice, and a slice of pie on the tray by her bed telling her to dig in. Nikita watched him methodically eat his way through the rest of the food. Steve noticed her surreptitious glances as he ate, explaining that he had a high metabolism which required a lot of calories to maintain.
After they finished eating, Steve noticed that Nikita hadn't said more than a few words since they had met the day before. He knew that they needed to talk, sensing that defining the parameters of their relationship would help Nikita to adjust. He knew that submissives required structure and stability to have a foundation, to keep them balanced. In order for any submissive to give their best, they must feel secure and confident. Much as Steve wanted to wait until he could get Nikita home and hopefully relaxed before having that conversation, there was one thing that needed to be addressed immediately.
"We need to discuss how this bond is going to work," began Steve. He could tell that this got Nikita's immediate attention. "Most importantly, we need to talk about subspace. I need to know if there is anything you need me to do or not do while your in subspace. What do you normally do?"
"I've never been in subspace before yesterday, no one has ever been able to put me down before," she replied. "So I have no idea what I need when I'm under."
The knowledge that no one had ever put Nikita down before both saddened and thrilled Steve. "We can figure that out together then," he said. "What about what you don't want while you're under?"
Nikita stopped to think about that question, hesitating to verbalize her fears. If the Captain wanted to he could use them against her, but because of the bond she felt almost compelled to answer. "I would like to avoid dropping in public, and…," she trailed off uncertainly.
Steve could tell that what she was having trouble saying was clearly important. "I'll try to avoid dropping you in public, but if it ever happens I promise to take care of you and keep anyone else away from you if I can," Steve assured her. "What else?" He asked.
"No sex," Nikita said in a small voice, carefully not looking at Steve. "I don't want sex, and while I'm under I have no control."
"Look at me," commanded Steve in a voice she was unable to ignore. He held her gaze, "If you're not ready for sex, that's okay. I can agree to no sex in subspace for now. When I feel that we are ready for that, I promise to discuss it with you before hand." He could tell through the bond that Nikita was only a little reassured by that. He knew that sex was something he would have to be very careful with, she had clearly been abused at some point in the past and one wrong move could do permanent damage to their relationship.
"What about kneeling?" asked Steve.
Nikita had never had a good experience kneeling, but she found that she desperately wanted to please her Dom. "I haven't knelt to anyone in over 12 years," Nikita began. "I think maybe we could try it but not in public."
Steve was surprised. "Volkov collared you for 12 years, and you never knelt for him?" He asked.
"Demyan Volkov never asked me to kneel, or have sex with him," she answered. "He protected me and taught me how to fight, in exchange I did what I could to be of service to him."
"You killed for him," said Steve.
Nikita could feel his condemnation through the bond and it made her angry. "He gave me a place of value, he is the only one who never lied to me, never betrayed me, and never hurt me," she responded fiercely.
Steve was silent for a moment before responding, "I'm sorry. I know he meant a lot to you and I promise not to judge your relationship. Just know that this relationship will be different."
"Okay," agreed Nikita, only slightly mollified.
"We will discuss everything else at home later," assured Steve.