So I'm in the middle of bleeding my brakes, my girlfriend is pressing on the brakes and the rear lights turn on, without the key even in the ignition. My car has been down for 2 years and I just recently attached the battery cables to the terminals, so I havent noticed it before. Is this normal? If it isnt, what should I check and do first?

 

its normal.

 

Brake lights work even with the keys out of the car. I believe they are always live if you hit the brake pedal.

 

All cars are like that. The brake lights are a constant power source to the battery, regardless of having the key in or not.