"Please?"
"No." 
"Ple-eeease?"
"No! Leave me alone!" The man, three times the height and doubly as wide as a
normal man should have been, turned with his fists raised. Sparks danced in his
eyes, which themselves were glowing like hot embers. The figure he now faced
shrank back into the shadows, distancing itself from the agitated thunder god. 
  "When I say no, damnit, I mean no!" 
  There was a pause as the man stood heaving for breath, shifting back and forth
as if he needed some kind of movement to keep himself from exploding. He turned
on his heel and stomped away. Something, swift and spidery, followed him from
the dark. It was staying just far enough away that it would be able to dodge if
attacked, but it followed steadily. The giant of a man rubbed the back of his
head, running his blackened fingers through his matted red hair. Under a street
lamp he paused, taking in a deep breath and looking from side to side as he
tried in vain to ignore what was behind him.
  "You know you need me." There was a sly, sniggering chuckle. 
  "I do not." It wasn't much of an argument, nor a very good lie. There was a
condescending sniff from the dark. At last the thunder god turned with a sigh,
gazing back into the alley where a shape was watching him from several meters
back. "Come into the light."
  The shape seemed to vibrate, spreading and then shrinking and becoming solid
again. Very slowly, footsteps echoing on the pavement, the hidden one stepped
out into the light.    
  He was very small, even compared to a person of normal size. His arms were
crossed on his chest, slim hands holding his elbows as he stood with one hip
swayed out to the side. Almost, but not quite, he seemed to be human. In the
moonlight though there was no hiding the subtleties that marked him as one of
the very old things of the world. His skin was paper-white, his eyes as wide and
as green as the sea. Hair that was red like blood and bright like fire curled
wildly around his sharp face, hanging all the way down his to his ankles like a
cape.
  "Well?" He asked. "Can I come?"
  The thunder god sighed heavily.
  "Come on. Please?"
  "I don't know."
  Loki snorted delicately. 
   
The next day found two creatures who had witnessed and participated in the dawn
of time sitting in the back of the room, at the farthest table of a Starbucks
Cafe. People walking past the windows gawked and inside the store the
conversations had become rather distracted and hushed.
  "It's been a long time." Thor said again, shaking his head. "How'd you find
me?"
  "You stand out." Loki said, eyes downcast on his latte as he stirred in
another packet of sugar. Four already empty mugs were piled on the table next
him, as well as a grave mound of empty creams and sweeteners. Looking baffled,
Thor sat at the other side of the table and stared at the wall. In his very
large hand, pinched carefully between his thumb and forefinger, the thunder god
was holding onto an ice tea. "So?" Loki glanced up. "What have you been up to of
late?"
  "Nothing much." Thor shrugged. "My license got revoked again... This modern
system is hard to keep up with. You stir up one tiny, harmless little rain cloud
and it throws off all of their computers. These young gods just don't understand
the way it's supposed to work. Thunder isn't meant to be monitored." He spat the
last word bitterly, then sighed. "There isn't much room in this modern world for
us, Loki. Sometimes I can feel myself fading away... dying, you know. I suppose
it's just as well."
  Loki was nodding politely, but Thor got the distinct impression that much of
what he had said the little god had not been listening to. A bit irritated he
leaned over the table, bringing their faces close together so that Loki looked
up in surprise.
  "What about you, little brother?" He asked quietly. "How do you occupy
yourself with our world long gone?"
  "First, your world may be long gone but I've still got mine." Loki said,
tickling under Thor's chin with one slim finger and making the thunder god lean
away again. "Secondly, I don't want to tell you. As of today, I am going to
occupy myself by spending time with you."
  "I'm thrilled."
  "You ought to be." He sipped from the cup in his hands then licked at the foam
it left on his upper lip. Despite himself Thor smiled. "Besides, we share a
common goal."
  "I thought so." The thunder god rolled his eyes. "You little monster. You've
never got just one reason for doing something, do you?" 
  "Not if I can help it." 
  "We're all looking for him, you know. What makes you think you'd have any
more luck with me than you'd have by yourself?"    
 "Well, why not?" He pounded a small fist on the table. "It can be just like old
times. You and me. Thunder and lightning, remember?"
  At once the thunder god understood, and he laughed. "You're calling me in as a
bodyguard."
  "Yes!" Loki nodded, up and down and staring as though that had been obvious
all along. 
  Thor smiled broadly, holding a hand up in surrender. Maybe it wouldn't even be
so bad, traveling with a companion again. Despite everything that had happened,
despite all the decades and centuries that had gone by, Thor had never found any
friend as well suited to him as the demon Loki. Remembering things that could
not be forgotten, though, he wondered whether there was more to this renewed
acquaintance than he could yet perceive. 
  Across the table, Loki's green eyes were glittering from above the rim of his
coffee cup.