Have you ever played with Bronstein Timing?

I think it's easier to explain "when you move you gain X number of seconds"

Let us assume you are playing a game with 5 minutes and 5 seconds per move Bronstein delay. In Bronstein mode your clock starts immediately when your oppenent stops his/her clock. If your main time left is 3 seconds (less than the 5 second delay) you need to make your move in 3 seconds. If you make it in 2 seconds, your clock will go down to 1 second and then delay will be added to your clock and increase time left to 3 seconds. If you do not make your move in 3 seconds you will lose on time. You have to make all of your remaining moves within 3 seconds.

This is much different in simple/US delay. First of all you have 5 seconds before your clock starts. In the Bronstein example you would lose the game if you did not make your move in 3 seconds, whereas here you have 8 (5 seconds delay + 3 seconds on the main time) seconds.

You will have to play your each move within 3 seconds in the Bronstein delay and within 8 seconds in the simple delay for the above example. The main advantage of Bronstein is that you see exactly how much time you have on the clock. Other than this extreme example, both systems are equal.

Bronstein mode and simple/US delay are exactly, in all point totally the same and similar. They both act EXACTLY the same way.
What you describe is simply an impossible scenario. When you are in Bronstein 5+5 delay game, it is simply impossible that there are less than 5s in the clocks when you play. That is why such counter-example does not represent reality.

The only difference is the way to describe the same mecanism, but they are both 100% equivalent. Bronstein mode = simple/US delay.

I have to try and explain in layman's terms

Delay

The clock waits a set amount of time before decreasing at the start of each move.

Effect: If you move faster than the delay, your time will never decrease. Any time used up after the delay is lost forever. You can never add more time. A game could theoretically go on forever. Endgames have "low" time pressure because you always have the delay time before your clock decreases.

Imagine pushing against a wall that's pushing you toward a cliff. You push first. You can keep it from gaining ground, but you can't gain ground either. Eventually it will over power you.

Fischer/Bonus Time

The clock starts decreasing immediately and then a set amount of time is added after each move.

Effect: You can accumulate time if you play faster than the increment. The game could go on indefinitely. Endgames have "minimal" time pressure because losing on time is less likely.

The wall pushes first, but you can push back pretty hard. You might go over before you can push back, but it's also possible to gain ground.

Bronstein Delay

The clock starts decreasing immediately. After your turn, it gives you back the time you used, up to the full amount of the prescribed increment.

Example: A game has a 10 second "bronstein delay". If you use 5 seconds, you will regain 5 seconds. If you use 8 seconds, you will regain 8 seconds and so on. BUT If you use 12 you will gain back only 10 (the max).

Effect: If you play faster than the full increment you will always have the same amount of time you started with on each turn and can potentially play indefinitely. You will gradually run out of time if you use more than the maximum increment. You can't gain more time. Endgames have "moderate" time pressure.

The wall pushes you first. You always push it back to the same point unless it gained ground. You can't gain ground. You may go over the edge before you can push back. Eventually it will over power you.

I prefer Fischer Timing because it is like an analogy of our real life. For example, jobs earns us money which we can use to buy us time for our family, have a vacation, and relax.

In war, mobilizing a unit buys time for the main force to attack or defend. It is like having a front lines to buy time for the platoons to deploy or prepare for battle.

It is also good to prepare for air strikes or launching missiles to your enemy

not at all