Steel and Iron
A/N: This is written in a vague essay format, not a stitch of dialogue in it. However, it might grow into a series of one shots or a whole story depending on the reaction. Read and review, my friends. Enjoy.
oh! by the way, I own nothing except for the metaphor.
Pure iron is easy to shape, easy to work with and easy to cut through, however, Iron is still a metal. It's strong, reliable and conductive, all it needs is some work to become steel. Steel, on the other hand, is rigid, constrictive and unforgiving. These two metals share the same base, the same core: Iron. Once upon a time, Steel and Iron were the very same thing. Steel, however gets molded and shaped by blazing heat and freezing cold to conform to the restrictions of its mold. These two people share the same core of iron, one has yet to be molded and the other was molded a little bit too much, to the point of being brittle on some parts.
For Harvey, the molding began even before he started on his way to become a lawyer. The effect his mother's affair had on him was everlasting, at 16 he still believed that she could change her ways and repent. From her actions, he learned to be unforgiving to those who wronged him, he learned the value and the conditions of loyalty. An idealist at heart, once he graduated law school he went on to work for the D.A. under Cameron, this was the first freeze. He was disillusioned quickly once he realized that the person he was learning from, his mentor, was no better than his mother. Cheating and covering it up, only to serve himself.
Mike, instead, had a lack of defining moments; that is not to say he had no bad experiences that defined his character, yet, none of them caused him to put himself first. His parent's death crippled his development, it deprived him of the care a parent provides. His grandmother took care of him, but her age stopped her from being a bigger influence in him. He was young but he knew he needed to care for her, because she was his family, thus Mike in his own way learned the value of loyalty but not the conditions. Trevor plays a role in bringing those conditions to the fore front. Trevor's betrayal was Mike's first cold bath, he realized he was loyal to the wrong person. Similar to a young Harvey, he gave him a chance to repent and make things right, but once again, human nature prevailed and he was disappointed. Mike always believed the best of Trevor, because he was loyal to him and they were like brothers, and then he met Harvey.
Harvey saw in Mike the same thing he saw in the mirror a long time ago, an idealist who had the knowledge and the guts to go the distance. Knowing Mike's background upped the stakes, because he would be risking his career and his firm in order to this, but it wasn't much of a choice. He saw a man who was like him and could do the job better than anyone else he had interviewed. He found another Harvey.
Harvey's last encounter with Cameron prior to leaving the D.A.'s office set the stage for his trial by fire at Pearson Hardman. His mentor, the man he thought cared about right and wrong was a cold unforgiving manipulator, the woman who had helped him for so many years almost like a parent would had performed a coup in the middle of the night to get control of the firm. No one was a saint, especially not their clients. In a shark eats shark kind of world, he quickly learned to hide his emotions lest they be used against him in a court of law. As he goes up in the ranks at the firm, his armor gets thicker and thicker until it's almost impenetrable.
Mike's first year at Pearson and Hardman was a proper baptism by fire, he knew the law but not the practicalities of it or the day to day basics. He was flying by the seat of his pants and he knew it. Needing a guide he goes to Harvey, and little by little begins to see there is something underneath the armor that is similar to himself. An iron core surrounded by steel. Harvey however, refuses to be seen as weak and takes every opportunity to show the kid just how rigid and demanding he can be. Harvey's expectations, behavior and counsel begin to mold Mike, into what he always knew he could be, a great lawyer. An iron core with a steel coat.
In time, Mike loses his naivete when dealing with clients, coworkers, and opponents; thus shifting his iron to steel ratio a little to the left. Yet, his final ice bath is believing he had betrayed Harvey. Unforgivingly Harvey hung him out to dry, and he saw the reality of his loyalty. It was absolute, as binding as the steel that protected them both. Trying to show his repentance was a lost cause, but he kept trying because he also recognized the similarities between them. Once Harvey forgives him their bond is a solid bar of steel, ready to weather anything.
When you look at them individually it's difficult to see the connection, the similarities in their characters. One is a competitive cynic who always puts himself first, the other is an idealist whose first instinct is to put others above himself. What they both have in common is their determination, their loyalty and their stubbornness. Steel can be melted, shaped or damaged to the point of brittleness but at its core, steel will always be iron.