The germ thing evolved as I wrote, but it stems from myself honestly. I’m not a full blown germaphobe but I’ve got OCD and an intense fear of touching a lot of things in public places. I cried once because I saw a guy sneeze into his hand  and then touch a bag of cheese in the supermarket, decide he didn’t want it and then left it there with the other cheeses as if he hadn’t just...you know, done that. I was fully prepared to just leave my groceries there in the cold section and go home to never leave the house again lol. Just so happens my mother was shopping with me that day. It’s really easy having a fear of germs or even a habit of cleanliness and keeping it hidden. I’ve had people that have known me for years, even family members who’ve known me since birth, be surprised that I carry my own sanitising wipes and that I physically can not touch a shopping trolley without needing to hold back tears. I admit that characteristic would fit Brian better, but I didn’t give it to him because we’ve seen him make faces and gross things in the show and we sort of know that he’s like that just by default, I guess? I sort of assumed it would be a given that if Justin’s got a germ thing then Brian is the best person for him to be with, because he hires a cleaning lady and always makes sure his life (to an extent) is in perfect working order. Also this part of the fic was meant to be about them going through a change, Brian with his drinking and Justin with his meds, and a great way to know if someone who has phobias is having problems with their meds is if said phobias come back ten times worse than they were before :)