Twelve months. It'd been one whole year since everything had gone to absolute shit for Lou. Mind you, a good chunk of that was just him being a narcissistic, controlling piece of crap and getting his comeuppance, but the point still stood. Lou had gone from the perfect leader of the Institute of Perfection to imperfect custodian all thanks to some defects (Moxy, Wage, Bago, Ugly Dog, and Lucky Bat) that weren't supposed to be there in the first place.

Being the custodian was bad enough. Lou dealt with grime and muck and garbage all day, further dirtying his already disheveled appearance like some "fuck you" from the universe. As if having been tossed in the washer as punishment wasn't already awful. The violent spin cycle, the cold water, and the overpowering scent of laundry detergent were punishment enough on their own, but then the dryer came in and messed everything up more. And this was a regular occurrence for Lou, as he consistently had to be cleaned due to teh amount of filth he picked up on a daily basis.

The doll had been moping about something or other while wandering the new Imperfection (what Moxy and her friends had renamed the Institute of Perfection) when he passed the portal to the Big World (AKA the human world). He often looked at the portal, imagining what it would be like to have his own kid. Those were just wishful thoughts, of course; even without having been forced to be a lowly custodian, Lou was a prototype. He was the plans, not the product. He could never leave.

In his self-loathing, Lou ended up sitting on the steps that lead to the portal. He was so engrossed in his own hatred of both his current imperfection and situation that he didn't notice the portal reacting and glowing until he stood up to leave.

"What in the...?" Lou muttered, reaching out and pressing his hand against the smooth, glowing surface. Suddenly, the portal opened fully, light pouring through.

Lou hesitated. What if it was a trick? What if it was dangerous? What if he somehow ended up with a messy toddler? Or even worse- a baby? However, after a moment, the prototype doll pushed these doubts aside and stepped through the portal.

Once through, Lou found himself in the bargain bin of a toy store. Of course he'd end up with the rejects and discounted defects in his state. Just his luck. However, it was only a minute later that your parents saw the doll lying amongst the pile of other toys and stuffed animals, and he was purchased without a second thought.

Lou, although appearing inanimate for your parents inside the gift box he'd been placed in, was freaking out internally, in both a good and bad way. On one hand, he'd been purchased almost immediately and was almost definitely being gifted to someone. On the other... what if it was some sloppy preschooler that would mess him up even more than he already was? What if they colored on his face with markers? Or, heavens, what if they stuck gum in his hair?

However Lou didn't have too much time to worry, as he heard the sound of the car stopping and immediately went back to appearing inanimate. He felt the dark box he was in being lifted and carried, followed by the sound of a door opening and several more sounds that lead to the box being placed down on your bedroom floor.

After a few minutes, Lou cautiously lifted the lid of the gift box and peeked out to look around the room. It was nighttime, so you were asleep in bed, which meant he was safe to hop out and explore a little. The prototype doll walked around for a bit before deciding to try his luck with climbing your dresser. This didn't end well, as just when Lou was about to reach the top, he accidentally knocked over a small stack of books that landed on the floor with a thumb.

Upon realizing what he'd done and that you were waking up, Lou quickly climbed down and went limp on your bedroom's carpeted floor to appear like the inanimate doll he was supposed to be.