Gemotions

He’d spent weeks, *weeks*, hunched over that damn code. Elias, he'd known the system inside and out, from the ground up. He’d meticulously crafted the algorithm, wrung it dry of bugs, tested it relentlessly. Then, to have his project, his brainchild, presented by the new guy, looking perfectly polished. A wave of heat flushed through him, starting in his neck.

He felt the muscles in his back tense. He walked around the office, fists clenched, trying to contain the fury. Every single line of code, every nuance of design. He felt like he was being robbed. The office felt suddenly too small, suffocating. He needed to get out. He needed air.

"Where did you even…?" he began, finally cornering the other programmer, his voice a low growl. The other man looked up, startled. He could hear the tremor in his own voice. He swallowed hard, trying to regain control. “That’s… that’s mine.”