seeing little ghosts everywhere (rach)

Adam tried to hide his smile, not able to resist her whiny voice. "Sure. Come on." He took her hand and lead the two through the crowd, weaving between people and mumbling quiet "excuse me"s along the way. After a minute of struggling, they emerged right into the front, their stomachs literally touching the stage. "Excited?" He moved closer to the girl and put his arm around her protectively, glancing around at the growing crowd. "I think the opener is playing in like, five minutes."

"No way, me too!" He laughed. "The show was so lame, too. There was a bunch of teenage girls holding up hearts and screaming, and I was in the very back and so unexcited." Chuckling, Adam watched the stage as the first band came on. They were an unknown local band, so nobody was too extremely excited. His grip on the girl became tighter as people around them began shifting, growing restless as the openers continued to speak.

Adam shifted himself, pulling himself from her arms and standing behind her. He wrapped his arms around her, and interlaced his fingers in hers from behind so that he could protect her from all sides. "Are you okay?" he asked, sensing her mild uncomfort. He knew the feel, having used to be claustrophobic himself. After a bit, he knew that it would go away, but until then he wanted to make her comfortable.

"Good." He smiled, and watched the band in front of them perform. They ultimately left him unimpressed, but he had to admit they were okay for a local band. The rest of their set (only three songs) finished quickly and uneventfully. When they left the stage, Adam released the girl and the crowd dispersed.

He stepped out of the car as well, sliding his keys into his pocket. "It is," he said, walking around the hood of the car and standing beside her. Adam held her gaze for a moment, before blushing and looking away. "It's strange," he started, sitting down on the hood. "You never realize how much normal, awesome stuff you miss when you get caught up in being a demigod until you see it." Looking up at her, the son of Hades patted the spot next to him. "Sit." He smiled, and leaned back, staring up at the night sky, which was speckled with stars.

Adam sat his hands awkwardly on his lap, unsure of what to do with them. "Well good." He smiled, despite the fact that he knew she couldn't see it. "Today was awesome." After shifting himself so that she could rest more easily on his shoulder, he cleared his throat. He let his eyes float from star to star, counting from one to ten over and over again. It was a nervous, empty habit of his to count things around him.

He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, of course," he answered in reply to her most recent question. Shifting himself, he cleared his throat. "So...tonight was cool." He grinned, and awkwardly moved his hand up and down behind her back, trying to decide whether or not to put his arm around her. "Um." He decided to let it rest in her shoulder, and bit his lip anxiously. 

"Yeah," he said, his eyes pointed upwards. "Space is weird," Adam observed, and chuckled a bit. "Like, it's foreboding. And destructive. But really beautiful at the same time. It gives us life but can take it away at any time..." He blushed, and stopped talking. "Sorry, I know I must be nerding out over here. I'm super into space though. I guess. Haha, it's just always been something I've thought about. I dunno." He shrugged, embarrassed, and bit his lip. 

He furrowed his brows, a tiny and confused grin on his face. "What?" he said at first, her words not yet registering in his head. "I mean...thanks." He smiled, and laughed at himself. "Thanks. You're great too, Rachel. You know that? Today's been awesome, and I'm super glad I got to spend it with you." He blushed, and turned away to clear his throat. "Yeah. So, there's that." 

"No, no." He tried assuring her, smiling and squeezing her shoulder. "Really." Adam bit his lip, before coming up with an idea. "Come on, I have somewhere to show you now." The son of Hades grinned and pulled out his keys, jangling them in the air. "I think you'll like it."

"Yes, it's a surprise," he said, and grinned before getting inside the car. "Prepare," he began, "to be astounded."  

About twenty minutes later, they pulled into a parking lot, and circled back behind the building it was intended for. Here, they were in near darkness except for two streetlights placed on either side. A high fence rose on each side, blocking view to the parking lot. "Hope this doesn't unsettle you too much," he muttered, and got out after popping the trunk open. Walking around the car, he retrieved two or three bottles of something, and walked to one of the circles of light shone off by the lamp post.  

Adam smiled at her, and patted her head. "Calm down, Rach." He held one of the bottles to light, revealing that it was just hand sanitizer. "Watch this." He unscrewed the cap, and began pouring the liquid out. He spelled his name out on the asphalt with the Germ-x, and then sat the bottle down. Digging into his pockets, he removed a tiny packet of matches. Lighting one, he dropped it onto the hand sanitizer, and watched at his name went ablaze. It burned for a moment, before slowing fading out. "See?"

"Not so scared now, huh?" he joked, and playfully shoved her. Adam poured hand sanitizer out in the shape of a star, before lighting it. "I like to do this every once in a while, let's you get some steam out. There's nothing like setting stuff on fire." He grinned, his eyes sparkling in the reflection of the dying fire. "Having fun?" He asked, as he bent down to draw something else on the parking lot ground.