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English
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Published:
2025-12-07
Updated:
2025-12-22
Words:
1,063
Chapters:
2/?
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29
Kudos:
77
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Time Travel Guides

Summary:

A viewer recommended a time travel video game for Dan and Phil.

They decided to record them following an online time travel guide before playing the game, thinking nothing will happen and it will be good for the video.

Something did happen.

Or: Dan and Phil accidentally summoned Dan's 2009 self.

Notes:

My first chaptered fic! I'm planning on updating weekly. Sorry that this chapter was short! I just wanted to set the scene for the fic.

I tried to find an article for reference and ended up on a website with a time travel spell entitled "had sex a long time ago (hetero only!!!)"

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1: Matching Hats

Chapter Text

2009

 

Dan double checked his hair again before finally grabbing his bag to leave. He was sure that he had never been more anxious in his life. After muttering some quick reassurances to himself  and making sure he had all his belongings with him, he opened the door and stepped outside.

 

2025

 

“Okay, I got everything set up to film,” Dan calls from the gaming room.

 

“Coming!” Phil walks in wearing a baseball cap that says ‘Time Travel Agent’, earning an amused huff from Dan. “Don’t look at me like that! I got one for you too,” Phil says while grabbing a second hat that he was keeping behind his back.

 

“Because I was so disappointed that I didn't have one,” Dan says sarcastically. Phil laughs and walks over to Dan before placing the hat on Dan’s head and sitting in the chair beside him. Dan tries to look annoyed, but eventually just gives up and smiles.

 

“So, you ready to record?” Dan asks, double checking that the camera was focused.

 

“Sure,” Phil nods.

 

Dan turned the camera on and they began to film an intro for the video. They poked fun at their hats and made some quick comments about the game that their viewers had recommended before getting started.

 

“So, since the game is about time travel we want to try something before we play,” Dan said to the camera.

 

“You know, just the other day I heard that some scientist proved that the butterfly effect doesn't exist for time travel,” Phil added.

 

“Save your Tik-Tok ‘facts’ for the podcast Phil,” Dan said jokingly.

 

“Fine,” Phil laughed as he turned to the camera, “So we found an article that has instructions on how to time travel.”

 

“And we thought that it would be funny if we tried it,” Dan continued.

 

“So we got all the stuff they said we needed, which was not easy to find by the way, and we have the article pulled up,” Phil explained, “The article says you need a belief in magic for it to work, so I guess if it doesn't work we just didn’t believe enough."

 

Dan laughed at this before speaking, “Okay, so what do I do first?”

 

“So first you flip the timer over,” Phil read from the article while Dan followed the steps. “Then you light the candles,” Phil continued, “And finally you just have to say some stuff out loud, here,” Phil pointed to the words on the monitor.

 

Dan laughed slightly before repeating the words in the article, ''I wanna see the highest power, take me now in my past, right now at this hour, bring me back at last!''

 

They sat there for a bit waiting for something to happen. “Maybe you have to blow out the candles,” Phil supplies.

 

“Phil, the article is just bullshit,” Dan says, smiling.

 

Suddenly they both burst into laughter. “Why are we even laughing?” Phil says giggling as he speaks. Dan responds, “I don’t fucking know, it’s just funny!” They continue to laugh until they slowly calm down.

Suddenly a loud, “What the fuck?” Is heard.

 

Dan and Phil still for a moment before turning to the direction of the sound.

 

Standing there is Dan, mouth agape. Except this Dan is seemingly from 2009.

 

All three voices speak, “What the fuck?”

Chapter 2: It Was Your Idea

Summary:

“Phil!” Dan instantly interjects, “We can’t spoil the future that would be cursing the universe or something!”

“You don’t even believe in ghosts but you believe in cursing the universe?” Phil responds, a smile on his face.

Notes:

I am so sorry for updating this much later than intended!!! I've been applying to take courses at my local community college next semester and the process has been fairly time consuming!

Hope you like the chapter, I'll try to be more consistent with updates in the future but no promises lmao, that said I do have a plan for this fic, so I can assure you it will not be abandoned :)

I think that the younger Dan would feel more comfortable speaking around Dan and Phil because he can see how he grew to be more confident, which is why I kinda wrote him like that this chapter!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

2025

 

“Dan, it's you,” Phil says with his mouth agape.

 

“No shit,” Dan responds.

 

Everyone just stares at each other in silence. The only noise heard is Phil shuffling to turn off the camera. Dan and Phil quietly remove their hats. At any other time they might have laughed at the irony of the situation but instead they were simply unsettled.

 

Dan finally breaks the silence, “Why are you here?”

 

Dan’s 2009 self responds, “What the fuck do you mean why am I here? I just appeared here!”

 

Dan cringes at the response, “Fair enough, just sit down I guess.”

 

Dan awkwardly gestured to the chair the pheal was sat on. His younger self cautiously stepped towards the chair and gently set the pheal on the floor before taking a seat. There was another beat of silence as nobody knew what to say. That was until Phil blurted out, “It was Dan’s fault!”

 

“Hey! It was your idea!” Dan responded.

 

Phil argued back, “You did the spell thing!”

 

Dan sighed, feigning annoyance, although there was a slight smile on his face, “Fine Phil, it was my fault.”

 

“Phil?” Dan’s younger self spoke with surprise.

 

Dan and Phil looked at each other while Dan’s younger self stared at them in shock. They were seemingly having a conversation in complete silence, both somehow understanding the other. They both turned to face the younger Dan.

 

“So you know Phil,” Dan says.

 

“Yeah, I guess? We haven’t actually met yet, I mean, I was going to today but the second I left the house…” The younger Dan trails off awkwardly gesturing around him.

 

“Okay, Dan, or young Dan? Baby Dan? I could just call you Dan but then that would be confusing, I could just call him Daniel then?” Phil gestures to Dan as he speaks, “Basically what happens is you meet me and we have a great day and we fall in—”

 

“Phil!” Dan instantly interjects, “We can’t spoil the future that would be cursing the universe or something!”

 

“You don’t even believe in ghosts but you believe in cursing the universe?” Phil responds, a smile on his face.

 

“I don’t know! I didn’t even believe in time travel until about two minutes ago,” Dan says.

 

“Well I told you I saw that thing about how the butterfly effect doesn't exist, so it doesn't matter what we do,” Phil says.

 

“That’s not real Phil.”

 

“No, it is, let me find it on my phone,” Phil says as he begins searching on his phone, “Here, I found it, look.”

 

“Fine. Let’s say this is true. Why would you even want to say anything in the first place?” Dan asks, “Then we get him back to 2009 and he already knows the ending.”

 

Dan’s younger self quietly interrupts, “How did you know I’m from 2009? I don’t even know where—or when I guess—I am.”

 

“You said you were supposed to meet Phil today. And it’s 2025,” Dan answers, turning back to Phil before his younger self integers again, “Then how do I get back?”

Notes:

For anyone interested the article Phil is talking about is real! For anyone who wants to read it here's the link: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/math/a69651575/student-says-paradox-free-time-travel-is-possible-science/

Also! How should I differentiate between younger Dan and older Dan? I was thinking of using Dan and Daniel to refer to them, any thoughts?

Feedback is always appreciated, I'm a newer writer so I know I have some weaknesses! :)

Notes:

Hope you enjoyed! Any feedback is appreciated :)

This is my fist chaptered fic so I'm still getting used to pacing!