Jim would never admit it but he loves Mozart. The charming little melodies remind him of the girlfriends he had in high school and the heavier notes bring to mind images of Iowa and her broad, sweeping fields. He hated Iowa but the state brings to mind an image of power. Power, strength, qualities he secretly wants for himself but resents in his step-father.
Mozart's operas are a bit too much for him but he has rented the dvds. If they get too dull or he needs a break there is always the pause button. Not to mention the dvds explain tidbits about the composer, the characters and the music. That has the added bonus of helping him pick up girls.
"Music Appreciation 101?" The girl who works in the Starfleet Academy bookstore gives him a look. "You sure you want to take that? Gen ed liberal arts can be hard enough." She thought he was a dumb hick too, although she was polite about it.
He smiles at her. "The class is supposed to look at the development of Singspiel, or a mixture of singing and talking in opera. Mozart used it in his last opera: The Magic Flute." He goes on to tell her the plot of the opera, stopping at the part where Papageno musically stutters out for his Papagena.
He stops there because by that point Pamina and Tamino (Bookstore Girl and Jim) are on their way to her apartment and he doesn't need to go any further.
Jim might be brash, overconfident, and hot-headed, but he's smart and does his homework. Bookstore Girl goes to a public university on the other side of the city and she majors in music. She's seen enough cadets drop out of Music Appreciation 101 to fill a spaceship. In order to impress her he'd have to be a little different from the rest. Smarter.
He's smarter than a lot of people realize. A dumb hick from Iowa? He'll let you think that for a while.
But only for a while.
Fin.
Author's notes: Not sure why, but I always see Kirk as having a secret love of Mozart. Why not?