A/N: Clearing out snippets of things that never made it into stories. Hope everyone is staying healthy and safe!

"So let me ask you a question: if you could have $1 now or $2 next week, which would you take?"

"That's easy- I'd take the $1 now," Steve responded immediately. "$2 isn't worth waiting for."

"You're missing the point," Danny huffed, waving a hand as Steve pulled off the highway and into downtown. "Let's say next week would be $5. Now would you wait?"

"No. I'd still take the $1."

"Why?"

Steve heaved an exasperated sigh. "Can't you find something else to talk about? Rant or something?"

"Believe it or not, I have nothing to complain about today, babe. It's a gorgeous morning, Charlie ate all of his breakfast without me begging and pleading with him, the weather is actually pleasant for once-" according to the news, it was 'cold', which had caused Danny no small amount of laughter over his morning coffee, "-and I actually had time to read the paper today. So far, it's a good day."

"Why are you asking me about $1 and $5, then? Do you need money?"

"Pfft!" Danny waved a hand. "If I ever ask you for money, it'll be more than $5, babe."

Steve threw a grimace in his direction.

Danny continued, "There was an article in the community news section. Some professor at the university did this experiment on delayed gratification. I'm testing it out on you."

"Lucky me," Steve muttered.

"So," Danny said, deliberately ignoring him, "Why would you take the $1 and not wait?"

"Would you wait?" Steve turned the question around.

"Well sure," Danny shrugged, "it's more money."

They pulled into the lot and Steve threw the car into park. "But how do you know the person will actually show up next week to pay you?"

Danny stared at him. The experiment hadn't said anything about not being paid. It was an experiment about impulse control and he had assumed that the money in the experiment was guaranteed. "So you think the person wouldn't pay you?" he asked slowly.

"Why should they? If they could convince me to go a week without payment, why bother to pay me later? And why pay me more than the first week? It doesn't make sense. It's a scam."

"It's not a scam- it's a psychology experiment."

"It's a dumb experiment," Steve said, slamming the car door a little harder than necessary.

Danny hurried to follow him as Steve strode faster than normal across the lot and through the doors of the Palace. It had never occurred to him to doubt the payments.

"Hold up!" he huffed, catching up as Steve entered the lobby. "What's with the attitude?"

"No attitude," Steve grunted, taking the stairs two at a time. "Just a dumb experiment. Waste of time."

Danny followed him down the hall, confused until it suddenly hit him: for Steve, the experiment wasn't about impulse control.

It was about trust.

And Steve had already been disappointed enough by life. He'd been lied to by people in authority, from his mother to his CO to his coworkers. Of course he wouldn't trust the money to be there next week.

Danny caught the door as Steve threw it open and walked beside him into the office. "So… if I were the one offering the money..? Danny tried cautiously. "Would you wait an extra week then?"

Steve's mouth twitched and he seemed to relax a bit. "Why would you pay me more money?"

"I don't know. Interest?"

"Four hundred percent interest?"

"Would you wait an extra week or not, Steven?"

"Sure."

"Because you would trust me to pay."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because it's the answer that will get you to shut up."