When Commander Spock thought he truly understood James Tiberius Kirk, the captain would manage to do something to change this theoretical framework entirely.
Like, his warped sense of humour, where he'd poke fun at the most trivial or inappropriate things (which Spock learned was a method of coping in intense scenarios). Or, he would say something entirely without sense, slotting words into strange places in his speech (and occasionally mission reports, which are haphazardly amended prior to the document finding itself on the admiral's desk).
Most recently, he acquainted Spock of the appropriate contextual use of the human colloquialism 'superhero'. Apparently, it was a far more broad definition than Spock initially believed, and simply not comical beings with unbelievable abilities that humans often looked up to, despite being obviously fictional.
"Y'know," Kirk explained during one of their treks, on an analysis mission after Spock quizzed him, "superheroes. Heroes that are extra ordinary. Heroes on steroids."
"And why am I, a science officer who clearly is ordinary nor on steroids, a... superhero?"
"You did something super. Don't remember what. Think it was getting some samples together, I thought it was great, so I called you a superhero."
"You mean it as a compliment to my efficiency," Spock translated, but still posed it as a question all the same. Kirk seemed grateful for the talk; it drowned out the noises of the planet around them.
"Yeah," Kirk replied. "Your efficiency was on steroids."
"I am glad you found it adequate."
The mission concluded, of course, with them running from the local population before reaching their goal site, where large collections of minerals were gathered. It had been raised in their planetary scan, but Scotty could not beam them close, due to interference from said mineral.
It also disguised the precise of the thousands of lifeforms currently occupying the ground the subject of their interests was occupying.
"Beam me up now, Scotty!" Kirk ducked to avoid a flying spear, nearly loosing his footing in the twist of plants on the forest floor.
Spock regarded him with a quick glance, and little else.
"God damn it! Now! Scotty!"
"I can't, sir, you're still in range of the interference!"
"How much further, Mister Scott?" queried Spock placidly, earning him an exasperated glance from Kirk.
"Aye, a few hundred metres, perhaps. It's hard to tell."
Another spear flew a little too close to Kirk's head for his liking, as it sent him swearing.
"Now?" Kirk shouted into his communicator, after regaining his composure. He was red-faced from their run. Spock was not.
"Negative, sir. Keep going."
"Is this Bones' way of telling me to do more cardio work? Because I will, totally will, I just prefer the one that doesn't involve me possibly getting killed! Please!"
There was an amused huff on the other end of the line. "Almost got you, sir." It was only a few moments later Scotty shouted back at him, "There ya both are!"
Kirk and Spock exchanged a look, nodded at one another, and then ducked behind separate trees. The locals gained on them rapidly, like a tidal wave of lifeforms appearing out from the stillness of the trees.
"Any time, Scotty!"
The ground was shaking when Kirk allowed himself to blink, then he was standing on the Enterprise, with Scotty beaming at him like it was Christmas.
"You're welcome," quipped the engineer, giving Kirk a slap on the back as he stepped down off the platform.
"You're a damn superhero, Scotty." Kirk slapped him in return, smiling.
Spock spent many hours of meditation that night pondering over their mission, and his and Kirk's brief discussion. He took James Kirk into perspective, again revaluating his perceptions of the man, and found the word 'superhero' fit in quite nicely, by Kirk's definition.
After all, not any man could become captain of an elite starship, fresh out of the Academy. Not any man could command it so well; inspire the loyalty he does in his crew and in (most of) the planets they visit on their five year mission.
Not any man would brave the depths of space, literally, wandering into the depths of the unknown. There is no man Spock would rather have leading them into the dark.
So it was only logical: James Tiberius Kirk, a literal superhero.
"When you've been fighting for it all your life
You've been working every day and night
That's how a superhero learns to fly
(Every day, every hour
Turn the pain into power)
All the hurt, all the lies
All the tears that they cry
When the moment is just right
You see fire in their eyes
'Cause he's stronger than you know
A heart of steel starts to grow"
SUPERHEROES, the Script