Best One-Shot Time Travel Fanfics
Time Travel one-shots under 10k words — the trope distilled to a single complete read. Curated from AO3, ranked by kudos.
Top 20 One-Shot Time Travel Fanfics
Ranked by AO3 kudos. Each fic is tagged with time travel and falls in the short stories under 10,000 words range.
Love was the Law
by ruinthatboy
“This is wrong,” Jayce rasped, his voice strained with torment, so unlike the Jayce that had left mere hours ago to dance and drink and make merry and maybe even make love to the beautiful Mel Medarda. “This is too far back, I shouldn’t be here—” This Jayce was like a wild animal, bearded and shag
look at us now
by dreamtowns
The next switch happens during English in the following days. One moment, sixteen-year-old Yaoyorozu is dutifully reciting a passage for the class, and then Momo is there, dressed in a stylish pantsuit and holding a stack of papers, reaching for a phone that isn’t there as her eyes scan the meeting
who knows how much further we'll go on (i'll take my chances)
by donutsandcoffee
When Zoro wakes up and finds himself in the same bed as Sanji, he expects a panicked cook, a whole lot of denial, and heartbreak.He definitely doesn’t expect Sanji to lean in, give him a morning kiss, and walk away like it was normal.
Dick and Wally's Bogus Journey
by pupeez4eva
"OH MY GOD, UNCLE BARRY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH BATMAN?!" - In which Flash!Wally and Batman!Dick travel to the past, misunderstandings ensue, and the team is thoroughly freaked out. BirdFlash.
Hazy
by esama
Insanity shouldn't be so appealing.
Master Kenobi
by Perspicacia
Unfortunately, there really isn’t a good explanation for how Qui-Gon managed to return to Coruscant with two versions of Obi-Wan Kenobi. One is the dutiful little spitfire of a Padawan he left with. The other is a sarcastic, time-traveling General who comes straight from the thickest, most violent p
By Any Other Name
by esama
There were many times John Watson came to Death's Door - only to be pulled back.
Tumble Through Time
by RitzWrites
“You have some nerve stealing my face, demon.” A younger Wukong stepped out from the bushes, golden fillet shining on his head, tiger pelt wrapped around his waist.His inkling was right, then. They were in the Tang Dynasty. Back when he was on The Journey to the West.Great.orWukong and MK get sent b
Abandon Thyself
by Sanjuno
A Geass... is like a wish... All Demon Emperor wished for was a kinder, gentler world for his loved ones to live in and be happy...All the Knight of Zero wished for was to die...(Neither of them got what they wished for, in the end.)The World of C has decided to grant the dearest wish that resonated
graduation day
by phollie
Two time-travelers meet at the in-between of two different worlds, but their purpose is forever the same - to make their precious person happy. [Kaworu and Homura form an unlikely friendship. Evangelion+Madoka crossover. Kawoshin, Madohomu. Mentions of self-harm.]
How to Embarrass Your Future Children
by AutumnalWoods
When the Konoha Twelve's parents decide time travel sounds like a nice idea, due to the drunken blabber of one Minato Namikaze, they travel to the future to meet their yet to be conceived children(well, minus Itachi and Hana who are already born) and do what parents do best: Embarrass their children
Sergeant, Soldier, Soulmate
by ChrissiHR
Darcy shares two sets of soulmarks with the same soulmate. It takes an accidental trip back in time in an unfortunate costume choice to hear her soulmate say her words, one from Sergeant and one from Soldier.
I Was Only Borrowing Time (I Was Going To Put It Back)
by copperbadge
They haven't exactly met in linear order, Neal and the Doctor, but sometimes that makes for the best kind of friendship.
Frankly, We'd Have Preferred To Leave This Whole Saving-The-Galaxy Thing In The Hands Of Responsible Adults, But At This Point We're Not Picky
by jessicas_pi
For reasons unknown, the Force decides to send a handful of people back in time to their past bodies, to prevent the fall of all that is good and Light in the galaxy.For reasons even more unknown, it only picks the kids.(Kanan and Cal bond over not following the Jedi Code, Trilla starts a support gr
The Sun Also Rises
by Sanjuno
The night is darkest just before dawn, but dawn will come regardless.Driven by his love for his sister, Lelouch Lamperouge vi Brittania became the Demon Emperor, feared and hated the world over. Very few people knew that the assassination of the ninety-ninth Emperor was actually an honour suicide, a
Turn Back the Clock
by KingVeralidaineBookdragon
“Well, Ichi-kunnn, think of it this way. You were holding it at some point in time. And time, is fluid. Fix this, Ichigo. Not just this. Something went wrong. Events were not supposed to progress this way. And you’re the keystone. You bring change. Fix this. I know you can.”“You want me to…” the tee
Fragments of Time
by Lomonaaeren
This is a series of short pieces exploring various ideas about Harry traveling back in time to Tom Riddle’s schooldays. Some are gen, some slash, and some have more warnings than others. I’ll be posting one a day between the summer solstice and the first of August.
the time i'll spend with you
by ixcarus
“You—” Izumi chokes out, so surprised that his voice comes out two octaves higher than he wants, “You’re married.”Leo blinks, and then looks down at his hands. Against the porcelain of the cup, sure enough, is a thin, silver ring with blue topaz embedded at the center. Taking note of Izumi’s stunned
one step forward
by iheartsenpai
Sometimes the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Other times, you kick hell's butt, unwittingly start a revolution, and adopt two kids in the process and not necessarily in that order.
Days of Chaos
by CXA3
Aizen’s lips curved into a faint smirk. “Urahara Kisuke, do send my regards to Shiba Isshin.” He tightened his grip on Ichigo’s arm. “I will be borrowing his son for the time being.” The air split open at his command, reality tearing itself apart to form a dark passage. “Shiba-?!” Ichigo barely got
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About Time Travel
Characters travel through time, either to change events, escape danger, or by accident. Romance may span different time periods or involve changing the past.
The excitement of different time periods, the complexity of temporal paradoxes, and the possibility of fixing past mistakes or finding love across time.
Common scenarios: Going back to fix mistakes, accidentally traveling to the past/future, meeting historical figures, changing timeline for love.
About This List
This list of 20one-shot Time Travel fanfics spans 107,204 total words. Kudos range from 298 on the newest entries to 45,011 on the most established. 50% are marked complete — check the status flag before committing to a longfic. The most common rating is Teen And Up Audiences (8 of 20 fics).
Recurring tags across this list: Time Travel · Alternate Universe - Time Travel · Time Travel Fix-It · Fix-It · Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence.
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