Gladio has such a bigger than life personality (chest, swords, Cup Noodle) that it could be easy to miss out on all the ways he's soft. And not just with Nell (though that underscores it so perfectly), but with his love of books, his sharp intelligence, his constant encouraging of other people to do their best and, most recently, getting to watch him reunite with his sister. He so could easily become a stereotype, but you don't let him, you're too damn good a writer for that.