Roschel

Roschel is the het ship between Ross and Rachel from the Friends fandom.

Canon
TEEN YEARS

Ross and Rachel meet in high school, where Ross develops an overpowering crush on Rachel, who is well aware. Ross is 3 years older than Rachel, who becomes friends with Ross' younger sister, Monica, making him a senior in high school when the girls were freshmen. Ross was a 'geek', while Rachel was a popular cheerleader and the differences in social strata prevented Ross from ever acting on his feelings, fearing rejection and/or humiliation. Another reason could be that Ross actually considered Rachel superficial (which she was) and would rather keep his infatuation alive than be let down by their possible inherent incompatibility. Conversely, Rachel grew up in an environment where women were defined by their appearance and attractiveness to men, which led her, in high school, to think that it was all she could be.

Despite their personal issues, there seems to have been genuine affection between them, as they get along well as adults and develop a close relationship. When Ross was in college, he intended to take a devastated Rachel to her Senior Prom when her date seemingly failed to show up. Rachel didn't know this, but her date appeared at the last second before an all dressed up Ross could ever save the night. Coming this close to any real possible development between them was heartbreaking for Ross.

6 YEARS LATER

At 27, Ross is getting divorced after his wife comes out and has been cheating on him, while Rachel flees her wedding to a guy she doesn't love and the conventional life she was brought up to inhabit, and shows up in New York to find refuge at Monica's.

Fanon
Ross and Rachel was, and still is, one of the most popular TV romances ever. While some aspects of the show are dated and have led some fans to disavow the relationship — mostly the character of Ross — it still has a significant fanbase.

Fandom
AO3

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WIKIS
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