Work Text:
It seemed that every person in the world was on their phone—taking a call, sending a text, snapping a picture—to Jason it is ridiculous. The idea that someone would rather spend their merger live looking through a crystal screen to be ‘connected’ to the world is foreign. Jason knows that it is because he spent so much of his own separated from a world that never truly wanted him. Now he is back, living and fairly sane, his phone is a merely tool for him.
It is his alarm clock in the morning only because he broke his previous one. He uses it to keep track of case notes, to save paper and have something easier to carry than those loosely bound files. The photos it contained are often from gruesome crime scenes that would make any normal person sick. Although he did have a handful of mugshots, because a phone is something he can pull out quickly and navigate easily.
Unfortunately, it also served as a way for his family to bother him. From Dick’s daily call to Damian’s weekly threat. The box of wires and motherboards caused an endless cycle of avoiding calls and texts.
Jason realizes he could just block them, be done with it. If they absolutely needed him he has a communicator or if it was dire they know where he lives. Still for some reason, every morning when Dick’s call lights up his phone he relaxes. Maybe because knowing his elder brother is safe is comforting or maybe it’s nice to know someone wants to check up on him. And when Tim shoots him a text asking for him to edit his book report he finds himself smile. Tim doesn’t ask more than once, and Jason never says yes but still Tim always just asks. Cass, whose innocent soul has been corrupted by Dick introducing her to memes, sends him at least six every evening precisely at nine. Jason wonders how she manages to find new ones every time and why he finds himself laughing rather loudly at particularly bad one. Even when Damian threatens bodily harm for not coming to dinner he missed he feels at ease.
Jason does not know exactly why but when his phone lights up he feels the need to look at it nor does he understand why it feels like something lightens within his chest.
And at the end of an exhausting night his phone buzzes with Cass’s meme, he scrolls through them with only half interest wanting only to get rid of the bothersome notifications on his home screen when his phone buzzes once more. He’s not surprised as he would have been a few months ago, as Bruce’s message slides off the top of the screen.
‘Dinner’s at 7 tomorrow, I would like everyone to be there’
Jason knows it’s tough to put words to a lot of emotions, although, he also knows it a wonderful thing to have people that care. To have a family that want to bother you with calls, texts, and memes. Jason is not addicted to his phone, but it just so happens to be what connects him to his messed-up family. He muses this for a few more moments, his clock ticking with a stead rhythm and for the first time, he answers.