Min första tanke är Väntar på den galaktiska bussen av Parke Godwin (1988). Den passar ditt avlägsna minne till en "T". Den har två bröder av en ras som har utomordentligt avancerade förmågor, men har fortfarande en viss "frat-boy" -inställning som lämnar dem strandsatta på den ursprungliga jorden. För att förlora tiden (årtusenden), "tinker" de med de inhemska primaterna ...
Det fanns två utomjordingar kvar på jorden.
The tale begins with two college-age brothers, Barion and Coyul, members of an advanced alien world. Their race is endowed with the power to manipulate physical matter with their minds, a power which is exploited incessantly by the young adults. An accident strands the brothers on Earth, which at the time has no human race. The brothers hope for rescue, but eventually grow despondent. In their free time, they cause a series of evolutionary changes in the indigenous primates of Earth, which eventually lead to the blossoming of human civilization.
De blir grunden för mänsklighetens idé om djävulen och guden.
The brothers grow fond of their project, which they ardently monitor, intervening when necessary.
[...]
Subsequently, the two brothers literally put the duo through hell to keep them apart, subjecting them to outrageous scenarios beyond their control.