We're Already Dead

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Claudia Keep, ‘Morning Swim’, 2022 Oil on masonite panel, 12 x 10” in.

picture late june. benson in ripped and frayed denim shorts and what's left of a metal tee he tore up to be comfy. armpits out. fresh cut on the hair. legs all scraped to hell bc he waded through some brambles this morning after a stray dog. randy at his shoulder, all bitten lips and blue tongue from a sucker he's been working over for half an hour. baseball cap. dirty white t-shirt because he had to mow the lawn before he could go play. smells like grass and diesel and sunscreen, freckles all over his cheeks and arms. still pale as fuck though, especially compared to benson. they haunt the drink aisle in the grocery store for fifteen minutes because randy's indecisive and benson's not picking for him this time and they're not leaving until he makes a choice. benson bounces his raspberry arizona in his hands and patiently watches randy peruse every single option. he's got all the time in the world for this pretty boy who outshines the sun. they've got nowhere to be, nothing to do. nothing but time. randy finally picks a pint of chocolate milk and benson nods once, walks him all the way to the car with his hand on the small of his back. they drive to the river with the windows down, sit on the bridge and throw rocks in the water til it gets dark. benson drives him home and they stop for a bite on the way. randy gets to make this decision too--anything but burgers. benson parks across the street, cuts the lights. puts the armrest up. when randy finally has to go or face the wrath of his mother, benson gets out of the car, pushes him up against the passenger's side and kisses him goodnight. takes fifteen minutes. randy sneaks up to bed with sun on his cheeks and cigarette smoke in his hair. benson leans against the car and watches until the light goes off upstairs.

best review of perverts is when hayden was playing housofpsychoticwomn on a loop on IG live and her sister came in and said something along the lines of “can you play something else, this is starting to make me hallucinate”

Checked my trail cams today—this one was taken on Easter <3