Crying Lovers / Men having nightmares

**Posted by PhoebeOnThePhone** June 10, 2016 7:54 pm

I can't believe I hadn't thought of this one before, but I am big into men having nightmares, especially if they wake up in a cold sweat. Preferably both shirtless. *cough* Say what you will of the prequels, but Anakin's shirtless tossing and turning nightmares were a highlight.
Something like ten years ago as an ornery kid refusing to acknowledge I had sexual feelings, I was watching Ian Somerhalder's episode arc on Smallville (season 2 or 3, I think) and there was a scene where he was kinda writhing shirtless in bed. Made a big impression on me.

**Posted by NeedHerSobs** June 11, 2016 3:56 am

What appeals about it? The vulnerability? The show of fear?

**Posted by PhoebeOnThePhone** June 11, 2016 6:31 am

Yes, I like the vulnerability, but also they often aren't wearing shirts, and I am into that.

**Posted by Ella** June 11, 2016 4:48 pm

I really enjoy the prequels...and am now questioning how much of my enjoyment was my pure love of star wars versus Anakins shirtlessness and crying. Haha

**Posted by NeedHerSobs** June 12, 2016 2:02 am

I can only recall one occasion where a nightmare actually caused me to jolt out of sleep like that, back when I was a teenager. Oddly enough, though, I find that I sort of enjoy them. They play out like a surrealist horror movie in which I get to be the protagonist.

**Posted by punkchick** June 12, 2016 7:10 am

This is definitely a thing for me, but I consider it a part of my crying fetish, because it's the emotional response to the nightmare that interests me most. Nightmares are just a great tool for getting my boyfriend to cry in my fantasies, because they take you to a very emotional (even illogically so) place, even if there's nothing that bad going on in your life for real. They're also a great way to bring things to the surface that you can usually hide from in the light of day. Honestly, I eagerly await the day that my boyfriend wakes up crying from a nightmare in real life. I thought I heard him cry out, "No!" in his sleep once, but whatever I'd heard had woke me up and he seemed perfectly calm when I looked over at him, so either I dreamed it and actually heard something else or it wasn't having quite the effect on him one might have thought. To this day, I still regret not reaching out to him that night, even though he seemed fine, just in case he was trying to hide it, but that was earlier in our relationship, and I was much less brave about such things then.

**Posted by White Tulip** June 14, 2016 2:03 am

I certainly can relate and in fact have written a couple of fanfics containing male nightmare scenes. In both of them, the guy woke up crying and was comforted by another, older guy (a sort of "father" figure).

**Posted by BananaTree** August 10, 2016 11:07 pm

Yes, a nightmare that causes tears is best...then they wake up crying...

**Posted by letmeholdyou** March 6, 2017 5:17 pm

I have a fantasy about being in bed with a man who I have to wake from a nightmare. I put my hand on his arm and say, "honey, wake up. You're dreaming. Wake up, now." He wakes up with a jump, scrambles into a sitting position and bursts into helpless tears. I hold out my arms and say, "Come here, darling," and he throws himself into my arms, clinging to me and sobbing. Then I hold him and stroke his hair and tell him over and over that he's safe and I'm there and I won't leave him. I love the thought of having to calm him down enough that he can tell me what's scared him. And also the thought that he's vulnerable enough, having just woken, to need to have his eyes wiped and his nose blown for him while I'm calming him down.