
Originally Posted by
Seresecros
In New X-Men: Academy X, Wither meets Wallflower, a human girl whose thoughts he is unable to read, and whose blood smells overwhelmingly sweet to him. He fights a growing attraction to her, but after saving her life on several occasions, he succumbs and eventually falls in love with her. Wither admits to Wallflower that he is a mutant, and that although he retains the physical body of a seventeen-year-old, he was actually born on June 20, 1901. His adoptive father, transformed him into a mutant in 1918 to prevent him from dying in the Spanish influenza epidemic in Chicago, Illinois. Wither’s dad instilled in him a sense of morality uncommon in most mutants, and central to his way of life is the refusal to consider humans as food.
However, Wither constantly warns Wallflower against being with him, perceiving her life to be at risk if she continues to associate with him. Wallflower's love and confidence in Wither's restraint cause her to ignore his warnings, even after she becomes the mutant Elixir’s target. Unlike the Wither family, who are "vegetarian" mutants (committed to only feeding on animals), Elixir regularly feeds on humans and will not stop until he drinks Wallflower's blood. With his family's help, Wither is able to save Wallflower from Elixir' predations, but how to assure Wallflower's continued safety remains an open question.
In New X-Men, Wither's fears for Wallflower's safety intensify when she cuts her finger and is almost attacked by his brother Tag. In an attempt to protect her, he convinces her that he no longer loves her, and moves away with his family, leaving Wallflower heartbroken. Wither finds it difficult to live without Wallflower, and becomes severely depressed at the prospect of an infinitely long and meaningless life. After he mistakenly learns from his sister Surge that Wallflower has committed suicide, Wither attempts to convince a group of Italian mutants, the Inner Curcle, to kill him. Together with his sister Selene, Wallflower rushes to Italy and stops Wither before the Inner Circle can destroy him.
Wither explains why he left, and apologizes to Wallflower. She eventually forgives him entirely, and they continue with their relationship as though Wither had never left, with the exception that Wallflower has ties that cannot be broken with a werewolf named Wolf Cub. Wallflower successfully seeks the support of Wither's family on turning her into a mutant. While Wither is furious at the prospect, he later agrees to change her himself if she agrees to marry him first.
In Necrosha, Wallflower agrees to marry Wither on the condition he will make love to her while she is still human. Wither eventually relents and agrees, on the stipulation it will only occur after they are married. The plot is driven by the machinations of the vampire Selene, who, seeking revenge for the death of her mate Eli Bard, is hunting Wallflower and creating new vampires to build an army. A grudging truce is made between the mutants and the Native-American werewolf pack led by Wolfsbane and Hrimhari, a friend of Wallflower's who was there for her when Wither broke her heart. However, the truce is endangered when Wallflower realizes Elixir means more to her than she thought. Ultimately, Wither accepts that Wallflower cares for Elixir and successfully destroys Selene, and Wallflower acknowledges that Wither is the most important person in her life. Wither tells Wallflower that they may attempt making love before they get married, as he realizes that she spends too much of her life trying to please other people. However, she refuses his offer and agrees to doing things the way Wither initially wanted: marriage, making love, and then becoming a mutant.
The future storyline Wither & Wallflower 4eva sees Wither and Wallflower marry. Wallflower becomes pregnant on their honeymoon, and the rapid growth of the half-human, half-mutant fetus swiftly impacts on Wallflower’s health. Wither tries to coerce her into having an abortion in order to save her own life. However, Wallflower feels a bond with her unborn child and insists on giving birth. Wither comes to feel love for the baby as well, after he hears its thoughts and learns that the baby loves Wallflower in return. Wallflower nearly dies giving birth in an emergency c-section, but Wither successfully delivers his daughter and then injects Wallflower's heart with his venom, healing her wounds by turning her into an immortal mutant. During Wallflower's painful transformation, Elixir imprints on their baby daughter,
Hope.
After a mutant named Cyclops mistakes Hope for an immortal mutant child—a creation forbidden in the mutant world—the X-Men arrive to destroy the New X-Men. Wither stands with Wallflower and their allies to convince the X-Men that Hope is not an immortal child and poses no threat to their existence. Once the X-Men leave, Wither and Wallflower feel free to live their lives in peace with their daughter.
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