TITLE — FAVOURITE CRIME

status: taken by coolwhenurbatman
faceclaim: matt bomer
oc: nicholas 'nick' cooper
love interest: sherlock holmes
first appearance: sherlock season 1
last appearance: sherlock season 4*

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NICHOLAS COOPER WASN'T PROUD OF his past. Everyone makes mistakes, that much is certain, but it was the amount that Nicholas had made that he was ashamed of. He truly had screwed the pooch.

In another life, in another world, Nicholas was a completely different man. His charming, enchanting smile stole from the excessively large pockets of the rich and famous to line his own; the knowledge deliberately collected for the approval of his targets helped him into the inner circles of High Society and his smart seemingly expensive suit was a mask, a façade, hiding who he truly was. Or in other words, he was a Con-man and darn good one at that. But not only could he work his way into people's lives, and most certainly their bank accounts, he could paint masterpieces.... well, other people's masterpieces that is. Nicholas Cooper was a Con-man and a forger, a lethal combination which meant anything was within his grasp.

Then he realised something.

The life he had been living, the one with all the lies, the deception and the crimes, he didn't want it. All the dishonesty and the pain he had left in his wake was finally catching up to him, he finally understood the hurt he had caused. So, he fled, started again and never turned back.

Fast forward a year and Nick was living in a city he loved and had a job he was proud of. His life couldn't get any better. But when a friend and colleague vanishes into thin air, Nick sets out to find them, not expecting to bump into the world's only Consulting Detective and his Doctor friend along the way. Together, they must solve the case of the Blind Banker and find Soo Lin Yao before it's too late.

What Nick doesn't realise, not at first, is that the curly haired man, the one in the long black coat and blue scarf, he makes his heart start to race. But in his former line of work, developing feelings for someone was wrong, it was a crime.

And out of his many many crimes,
loving Sherlock Holmes had to be, by far, his favourite.

If you don't particularly like this summary, feel free to edit it to your liking.

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epigraph:

"I dare you to take off the mask of perfection and show up as you are. Feel the freedom, the relief, the lightness. Because when we are real, that's when we actually heal. And those around us just might heal, too."

- ashley hetherington

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quotes:

"Sherlock, I'm not stupid, so don't treat me as such."

"I'm sorry if I made you feel that way because you happen to be one of the smartest people I know and I don't say that very often."

nicholas cooper and sherlock holmes

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about:

fullname: Nicholas Tobias Cooper
age: 28 in season 1
aliases: Daniel Burton
Xander Jones
Quinton Thomas
Henry Vaux
Aaron Craig
Other unnamed aliases
family: Isaac Cooper (Father)
Mary Cooper (Mother) †
Yasmine Cooper (Sister)
Other unnamed family †

life as a criminal

Con-man: Nick is an incredible con-man. He uses his charming smile and enticing eyes to draw people in before robbing them of their money. Lies come easy to him and putting on a mask and a show is second nature. The Police have their suspicions about Nick but they don't know his real name nor can they prove that he's guilty because his aliases are so good. Mycroft obviously knows about Nick's illegal and interesting past, but understands that he's trying to turn his life around, so he eventually deletes the case file they have on him, clearing his criminal record.

Master forger: Nick is passionate about art but can't seem to create anything of his own so ends up copying other artists which is when he learnt about his gift of forgery. He's sold quite a few art forgeries so he knows how to spot one, but even he's stumped by the Vermeer painting. Eventually, his romantic love for Sherlock and the platonic love he has for John and his friends inspire him to paint something of his own.

If you want to know any other details about Nick, please private message me and I'll be more than happy to answer any questions.

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notes:

• Nick Cooper is based off Matt Bomer's character Neal Caffrey from the show White Collar.

• Nick is American and when he started again, he moved to London and got a job at the National Antiques Museum, putting his artistic talents to good use. This is where he befriends Soo Lin Yao and they're both really good friends.

• Nick's not very close with his father, he's a cold person, but he's still in contact with his sister. Even though she's in America, they still phone and text and during the years when Sherlock's dead, she comes to look after him, she's his support. Faceclaim is up to you. The Dad doesn't really need one though, he doesn't make an appearance.

• Sherlock instantly deduces that Nick has a criminal past so he's cautious around him and when he has time, he digs up information about him. His background is the main reason as to why Sherlock doesn't like him at first, but soon warms up to him.

• Nick is a bisexual icon and can be so supportive and sweet when he wants to. He likes to befriend John's girlfriends and makes sure to talk his friend up to them because he knows John can be a bit of an idiot when it comes to love.

• Sherlock and Nick's relationship starts off platonic, but a deep trust forms and then Sherlock starts to notice how incredible Nick is. I'm gonna be evil and say that Sherlock admits his love for Nick right before he jumps, because *inserts evil laugh* Nick was too happy.

• When Sherlock returns, Nick doesn't know whether to kiss him or kill him. He's incredibly pissed off with Sherlock but by the end of the episode, they're on good terms and start developing their relationship.

ACT ONE
sherlock season 1

• The Blind Banker — When Soo Lin doesn't turn up for work, Nick starts do worry and goes to her place to see if she's okay, this is where he meets Sherlock and John. He tags along, not that he gives them much of a choice because he wants do find his friend and is devastated when she dies. He's very smart and figured out the code the same time Sherlock does, but he's still with Sarah and John so he also gets taken.
The Great Game — Nick is starting to grow close with Sherlock and worries about him after he hears about the explosion. He befriends Lestrade almost immediately. During the episode, he proves his usefulness and intelligence. Nick sticks with Sherlock most of the time and is captivated by the Vermeer because he knows it's a fake, but can't figure out how. When Sherlock leaves, he follows and gets kidnapped on the way before being strapped with a bomb like John.

ACT TWO
sherlock season 2

• The Scandal in Belgravia — Nick, like Sherlock, is intrigued by Irene Adler. As a former Con-man he respects her power and influence she has over others. Both Nick and Sherlock pretend to be attacked and are both together when Irene comes in. Irene shows interest in Sherlock so Nick is a bit jealous. Nick and Sherlock start to grow closer so when Sherlock says that "love is a chemical defect found in the losing side" it hurts him.
The Hounds of Baskerville — Nick goes with John and Sherlock to investigate the Hound. He doesn't see the Hound so when Sherlock loses it, he tries to comfort him, but in return, Sherlock snaps at him. This is when he realises how amazing Nick truly is and that he's the one who's starting to make him 'human'.
The Reichenbach Fall — Nick mainly sticks with John during this episode and is beyond furious with Mycroft when he finds out he gave Jim information about Sherlock. Nick also gets arrested and flees with them. He doesn't stop believing in Sherlock and before Sherlock jumps they admit their feelings to each other. He's broken when Sherlock jumps so his sister comes over from America to comfort him. Mycroft feels guilty for causing Nick pain so he deletes his criminal record.

ACT THREE
sherlock season 3

• The Empty Hearse — Nick is not happy when Sherlock comes back, he's incredibly pissed, especially because Sherlock told John first. Let's just say Sherlock didn't know how to tell Nick, so he hoped John could help. He doesn't know about Sherlock until he's saved from the fire along with John. At first, he thinks he's hallucinating or dead, but he soon realises he isn't. By the end of far episode, they're on good terms.
The Sign of Three — Sherlock and Nick have made amends and are starting their relationship. Nick and Mary are obviously BROTP. This episode has a lot of flashbacks. When Janine flirts with Sherlock, Nick gets incredibly jealous. Nick enjoys the party but when he discovers Sherlock has left, he follows after him.
His Last Vow — It hurts Nick but he knows that Sherlock has to pretend to love Janine for the case. John is angry with Sherlock because he thinks he dumped Nick for no reason. Nick hates Magnussen and is genuinely scared of him because he's a vile human being. He's so frightened when he discovers Sherlock shot, he's afraid to lose him again. With the Mary thing, he's not mad at her, he's mad she didn't tell him. When Sherlock leaves, he's not stupid and knows that he won't see him again if he goes, so he's incredibly upset.
The Abominable Bride — Considering that it's the 1890s and loving someone of the opposite sex was a crime, Nick always keeps his boyfriends secret. Him and this woman pretend to be together, he does this to protect her because she's a lesbian and he doesn't want her caught. He's a feminist and supports women who are fighting for their votes, so him and Mary get on great. He helps Sherlock and John with their cases as well as being an artist. Nick and Sherlock share looks and are flirty because they obviously have feelings for each other.

ACT FOUR
sherlock season 4

• The Six Thatchers — Nick is so glad Sherlock's back but is annoyed by how much time he spends on his phone so he confiscates it every now and then, especially during Rosie's christening. Nick is also Rosie's godfather and he loves her so much. He is also intrigued by the broken Thatchers and is shocked when they discover the memory stick. When Mary is killed, he's in shock and is broken once again.
The Lying Detective — Nick and Mrs Hudson are both worried for Sherlock. Even though he's been self-destructive, Nick still tries to look after him, to support him. He believes Sherlock with his Culbertson Smith mess. Both of them are shocked to find the MISS ME? note.
The Final Problem — Nick really enjoys scaring Mycroft. He's angry about the fact that the oldest Holmes sibling had locked up his and Sherlock's sister without even telling Sherlock. You can decide if Eurus creates a separate challenge especially for Nick. Nick wakes up with Sherlock in the box room and together, they solve the problems to find Eurus. At the end, they find the CD Mary left.

If and when Sherlock season 5 comes out, it needs to added to this timeline.

IMPORTANT — anything not mentioned in this timeline is up to you to develop, giving you space for your own ideas. Also, if you have any questions, please private message me, I'm more than happy to answer them.

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password — who's your favourite sherlock character? And why?