Icarus - Marvel: 1963

Joshua 'Jay' Guthrie was born in Cumberland, Kentucky to a growing mining and farming family. Third eldest, second son, Jay was a quiet but affable child, and by the time their family was done growing, there were 7 younger brothers and sisters to help entertain and watch after. Their father worked from dawn til way past dusk every day in the mines, but with their numbers constantly growing, the family barely scraped by. Though times were tough, their family grew close, happy and healthy, learning how to cooperate and make things work on the day to day. Everyone did a little bit of everything just to keep the ball rolling in the household, giving Jay a strong sense of community and appreciation for his kin and community. While Jay was helpful, it quickly became obvious that he was a bit of a summer child; he smiled easily, laughed quietly and frequently, had a case of wanderlust, and loved music. For all of these reasons and more, he and his musician friends started jam sessions and eventually a band which gained enough renown to be invited to small county events.

It wasn't all sweet-tea and honeysuckle, though. When Jay was 13, his father was diagnosed with black lung from his years of work in the mines. He succumbed to the disease after a very brief but violent struggle. This change in his family dynamic drove his elder brother, Sam, into the role of 'the man of the house' and forced him to drop out of school to support the family. Jay favored escapism during this time, focusing on his music and telling himself that if they made it big enough, he would be able to help support his family, have his cake and eat it too. Even when his brother Sam was trapped in a cave-in and his mutation manifested, turning most of the town against them, Jay continued to play and tour as best he could when he wasn't picking up odd jobs to help the family.

17 was an important age for Jay. One day he woke up and he had protrusions growing out of his back. Painful months passed and the weird little lumps grew pin-like protrusions which flaked off and turned into feathers. Wings. He was growing wings. Terrified of the backlash that he'd meet since the people of their town had decided that mutants weren't a welcome breed (his family having some markedly interesting and terrifying powers), he hid them as best he could. Like all good secrets, this didn't stay one for long. During one of his band's performances, Jay became caught up in the music and his wings erupted from beneath his shirt, spreading in full display. It was one hell of a performance gimmick. The boy with the angel's voice and the wings that matched. His bandmates suggested that they use the wings as just that, a gimmick for performances, and he continued to hide them in public.

That was also the year that he met the love of his young life, Ms. Julia Cabot. Like a bad southern rendition of Romeo and Juliet, Jay and Julia had met when they were younger and lived a blissful summer together before Julia was sent away to boarding school. Back now after school, Julia and 'Josh' found each other again flirted and chatted all night in blissful ignorance before her brothers tore them apart with the rude realization that they belonged to separate feuding families for a transgression neither side remembered. Julia withdrew, but Jay pursued her with every ounce of stupid puppy love in his musician's heart, eventually winning Julia's heart and her trust. They told no one and continued their assignations for as long as possible. However, like all good secrets… Julia's father found them down by the river during one of their trysts and murdered Jay in cold blood. Grief-stricken, Julia waited for her father to leave (on his way to the Guthrie home and finish the job), and dragged Jay's body to the river. She used her dead lover to weigh her down, drowning herself.

Jay's secondary mutation manifested at that moment, healing his injuries and bringing him back to consciousness with his dead girlfriend beneath him. Naturally he brought her to shore but for all his attempts, Jay could not bring her back. In his grief, he took the next best option and stabbed himself in the chest with a sharpened piece of wood. Only to have it heal. Again. And again. And again. That's how he was found; trying to kill himself, clutching Julia's body.

It was Sam who convinced him that he needed to leave home. The town knew now about his mutation, and though his was prettier than some, the good faithful people of Cumberland were split on whether he was an angel or a demon, making for some uncomfortable tension. Between that and Jay's apparent … emotional issues, it wasn't a good idea to keep him at home with young children.

He took a new name, Jay, and took to New York with Sam.

May 1, 1964: Jay arrives in the city after the traumatic events of his own death, the death of his girlfriend and attempted murder of his family lead him into a suicidal spiral. His elder brother brings him to the city with the intention of taking him to the Institute. However, extenuating circumstances leave Jay alone in the big city and living on the streets or the floor of the community center in Mutant Town.
Jay wanders the city alone to see if he can make heads or tails of it. In awe of Mutant Town and how many mutants there are there, he also meets Kai and Lambert, who blow his mind.
Jay begins working at a grocery store in Mutant Town. He splits most of his money, sending more than half of it either home to his family in Kentucky or donating it to the Community Center.
After staying at the community center for a couple weeks, Jay naturally takes to community service and volunteers at the center, helping with stocking, building, and begins teaching basic music lessons for guitar, drums and keyboard.
Jay meets [Josh] during his own existential crisis. The two seem to get along /very/ well at times, while others Josh makes him feel worse about everything, drawing him into more frequent suicide and self-harm attempts, fruitlessly. None the less, the two seem close.
The first Open Mic Night at Eight Ball Jay attends. He meets the beautiful and talented Sophie. They plan to sing together more often.
Nearly three weeks after arrival, Jay sneaks into a music concert, which is attacked by a shining, interstellar crab. He helps get humans to safety and is sprayed with glitter before the crab vanishes. More importantly, he is found by Scott Summers and ordered to the Institute as initially intended. Jay has a place to live, though he still seems to spend much of his time in the city, does not attend classes aside from training, and crashes frequently on the couches of friends, Kai and Lambert.
Jay meets Maximus and is thusly a little terrified of the guy. Even if he is wearing a fancy gown and lipstick.
Jay is jumped by several men in an alley. Deep in his depression, he is subsequently saved by Rosemary. The librarian delights the curious man. Birds of a feather.
Jay meets Ninette while she's singing at Lux. He offers to walk her home. The two begin casually dating.
During a conversation with Kai, the two decide to put on an art exhibit featuring mutants and other super-humans, showing the beautiful spirit of their community. Surely NOTHING bad will come from this. Jay himself, still hiding his wings everywhere) agrees to sit for Kai to paint some time.

Kai is kidnapped in a mysterious bit of Asgardian fuckery. Jay is placed in charge of his dog, Kevin, by Kai's lover Loki.
The reveal that Kai and Loki are lovers sends Jay into a confused avenue of doubt and thoughtfulness about the matter of homosexuality. He attempts to talk to his loose collection of friends in order to reconcile his feelings, thoughts and religious upbringing with the concept. It becomes a centerpiece of discovery and debate for his summer, though he seems to largely come into conflict with his friends while he tries to come to peace with it, discovering that /most of his companions/ are at the very least bisexual. Bisexuality as a concept confuses him. Mostly because he terrifyingly finds himself understanding it more than he wishes he did.
Kai returns from Asgard, dead, and mourning the loss of his lover. With his own heartache so fresh, Jay recognizes Kai's agony and right there that it /is/ possible to truly love another man. He spends a couple weeks caring for Kai and his dog, becoming a fixture on his couch. Jay goes to work, comes home, cooks food, makes sure Kai eats, bathes and generally doesn't die…erm…again?
Jay meets Daire at the community center. He's convinced that he's found an angel and immediately develops a very strong, terrifying attraction to the man. Josh recognizes how he's acting and mentions that Daire has expressed interest in dating him, but he will step aside if Jay is interested. Frightened of that feeling still, Jay tells him no, of course not. He immediately regrets the decision and will for some time later.
Jay goes back to Kai's home to find the elf gone and his apartment torn apart. Confused and alarmed, Jay asks Daire over to help him clean up the mess and talk about the confusing situation he's found himself in with the Asgardians. After a long, deep conversation and seeing Daire transform for the first time, Jay tries to kiss him and is rebuffed. He's told that Daire does have strong feelings for him in return, but he and Josh agreed to try to date, just the night before. Jay's a day late.
Sneaking into Lambert's courtyard (as he is wont to do when he wants to be alone and be outside), Jay discovers Lambert and Bucky Barnes in the courtyard, beaten up pretty bad and exhausted. The sounds of some very vigorous, um, reconciling from Kai and Loki in the apartment above. He stays the night there in the courtyard with Lambert, hearing what happened and waiting to see Kai. The lovers vanish before morning and Jay needs to track Kai down in order to return his key later.

Walking down the street in Greenwich Village, Jay encounters a confusing possession encounter, where he's almost shot, almost hit by a car, but ends up saving Lamont from a psychic attacker by flying him out of the situation. There, he meets the Miller twins Kellan and Kaleb, and Billy. Not understanding how this mystical stuff works, or how the vigilante stuff works, Jay is convinced he needs to go talk to the police after the scene, to help them figure out what just happened in this destruction. He's trapped in the Mirror Dimension by Billy and lectured by the time traveling mystic as to how things work. Jay doesn't seem entirely convinced that separating humans and mutants is helpful to the goal of harmony, but he relents, feeling low and out of place. He's told about Billy's team, The Contingency Plan and that the Millers are in it.
Jay continues his culture shock spiral, but at least makes the effort to go out and greet people during the day, trying his best to find where things make sense and he doesn't feel so separated. He meets the Millers again, as well as Vic and Lorna at the park. He explains quickly that situation with his friend getting kidnapped and dying and the apartment tossed. Kaleb uses his mutant ability of suggestion to force Jay to stay with them. Jay is none the wiser. He now has a couch to crash on again.
Kaleb and Jay couldn't be more different people, but the two develop a close support structure rather quickly. Jay continues to have no idea that the sonic uses his Suggestion on him, and probably for the best. They bond over an uncanny observant nature, a general passion for the well-being of mutant kind and music. He also seems to get along with Vic and Kellan, who he learns are in a relationship, and the oddity surrounding Vic's creation. The relationship seems to bother him, though it's purely envy based as it only brings to the forefront how much he wishes he had that with Daire, who he remains closest friends with, bandmates, and continuously visits him at the Eight Ball, the Center, and go on outings together.
Warren Worthington crash lands into the Institute's lake after escaping capture, though he has been /modified/. Jay knows who Warren is by reputation (having a similar mutation and all), but the man he helps pull from the water and bring to the infirmary is /not/ what he was expecting. Kaleb seems to know far too much about the situation, and soon, Jay discovers the reason Kaleb was so protective of him and kept telling (forcing) him to stay at their apartment. A group of high-society people are kidnapping high profile mutants and experimenting on them. Kaleb, a closeted mutant, had to watch them tear Warren apart while he was on an outing with his father over the summer. He had helped Warren escape from the facility through some quick thinking work. Jay is infuriated by this news, not just for Warren's sake, but also at Kaleb for not telling him before. Though, Kaleb's fear and hatred of rich high-society people and fear for mutants now makes sense. Once they get home, Jay punches him in the face and hugs him fiercely. Jay says he's sorry Kaleb had to go through that alone, and in secret, then yells at him again for going through it alone and in secret.
From here on out, Jay is seen never hiding his wings in public except in extreme circumstances. After what happened to Warren, Jay makes an oath of rebellion to the world and swears to never hide what he is from the world. Come hell or high water, he will be who is meant to be, and anyone who has a problem with that can pick a bone with him. It is his homage to Warren and Kaleb and Kellan, who are not able to be who they are because of their station in the world and what would happen if they did. Because of Jay's lower status, he does what they cannot out of respect for those men, and for all the mutants who hide.
The Contingency Plan hears about the werewolf problem in town. They decide that it's out of their league and will leave it to the other teams in town. They also decide that they need a place to train together.
Jay continues to stay with the Millers (and Vic) at their 5th avenue apartment, sleeping on a daybed in their living room. Every time he seems antsy and like he may leave, Kaleb Suggests he stay. Jay figures it's okay because without paying rent, he can split most of his money to send back home to his mother and to the Mutant Town Community Center, where he still gives music lessons and volunteers.
Kaleb and Lorna go missing. The 5th avenue crew fear the worst and soon get confirmation thanks to some quick detective work from Kellan. The people who took Warren have them.

Five months have passed since Sam vanished without a trace, leaving Jay alone in the city. Jay is shocked when Sam finds him at the Community Center. Shocked and a little wounded, but excited to see his brother. He discovers that Sam didn't leave him by choice, and has actually been in prison for the last five months, having been arrested and too embarrassed to call anyone to help bail him out. Jay forgives him but doesn't push for the details, just glad to have his brother back.
Jay goes on his first mission with the X-men, though it is mostly to watch Kaleb's and Kellan's backs while they arrange the exchange of the dangerous mutant, Live, to SHIELD. Of course things go wrong, but they manage to get out of it without any loss of life.
Kaleb goes missing, again, with a short phone call to Kellan to tell him that he's in Attilan? With Max? Something feels weird and he is gone for a couple of weeks. Jay becomes uneasy with this length of time, but there is nothing they can do but wait. He begins to foster feelings of betrayal along with his worry, after being told that their apartment is a team and a family, but Kaleb left them all in the dark, Jay begins to doubt his sincerity and feels the itch to leave, again.
Following up his first mission with another a couple weeks later, Jay goes to Iceland, this year with an elder group of X-men which (uncomfortably) include Daire and Josh. They move to take out Wire, who has amassed an army of reanimated corpses.
Jay finally broaches the subject of his discontent with Daire and how much about their relationship and feelings Josh knows about. They have an argument and separate, both heartbroken and upset about the unfair circumstances. Jay spends the next while rather fragile and struggles to keep up appearances. Without his best friend to talk to, or the person he loves, he struggles.
Kaleb returns from Attilan and Jay and Kellan swarm him. Through talks and questions, they discover he left because of some unrest in Attilan with Max's family and Kaleb was mortally wounded. Jay points out Kaleb's hypocrisy and they begin to finally move to the new apartment with Jay's room. Kaleb is watched over carefully after that, though he and Jay are both nursing wounds. Things seem cautiously optimistic, if uncomfortable.
Mutant Town is attacked by religious fanatics. Death and destruction of property in the attack's wake, Jay goes afterward to help clean up and finds the city with a heightened awareness and intolerance of Mutants. Despite that, he continues to walk the streets with his wings free.
On an afternoon excursion to the city's pawn shops (several of which he's thrown out of), Jay is let in to W. Jefferson Pawn Shop where he meets Reno and his cousin Robbie. The Devil of Hell's Kitchen shows up to speak to Robbie and Jay watches as the Defenders get a new member. Due to proximity, he is offered a spot on the team as well, to his surprise. Birds of a feather?

Flight: Jay possesses functional feathered wings on his back, granting him the power of flight. He is able to easily reach the height of 10,000 ft and hold at that height in flight for 12 hours before fatigue sets in. Straining, he may be able to reach the highest recorded flight of a normal bird, but cannot hold it for more than a few minutes. His top speed is clocked at the superhuman speed of around 700 MPH.
Vocal Manipulation: Jay's vocal cords have mutated to allow him to hit multiple notes at once, mimic just about any sound, and create multiple sounds or voices at once. There are further theories on what his vocal range could achieve, but he hasn't explored them besides expanding his musical aptitude.
Aerial Adaptation: Along with his wings, Jay's body has mutated to withstand the rigors of flight. His bones are hollow to lighten his frame; muscles are more dense to keep his body together and his skin is able to handle increased air friction; eyes are able to withstand high-speed winds; his respiratory system is fitted with a membrane to allow him to still breathe in high altitudes and velocities; his metabolism is rigged to build as much muscle mass as possible on his frame. It sounds impressive, but it's really just the physics of flight and makes him a bit more durable to falling, wind speeds and helps him breathe. It's an okay side perk.
Regenerative Healing: Jay's secondary mutation has recently manifested, allowing him to regenerate with some of the best of them. He is able to heal at a superhuman rate hundreds of times faster than normal, allowing him to completely heal from immediately fatal wounds and conditions like drowning. Additionally, his body rejected ink from a tattoo, suggesting he is able to heal old scar tissue. The source of his healing power is currently unknown, and limited only to himself.
Peak Human Strength: Another side perk from his main mutation of birdlike muscular structure. He is stronger than he looks, and with some training, can reach peak human strength of around a 500lb dead lift.
Superhuman Stamina: Between his birdlike mutation and his healing ability, the toxins in Jay's muscles are minimized to allow him to continue operating at peak conditions for longer than normal before he becomes fatigued. Such as the possibility of 12 hour flights.
Superhuman Durability: Jay's body is resistant to blunt force trauma thanks his aerial adaptation that allows him to survive the friction and stress of flight. He'll still go down in a fight, but it'll take a couple extra hits.