Richie was glad to make her laugh. He always liked making people laugh, and maybe that had been born out of seeking any kind of positive attention and maybe it wasn't always healthy, but it did make him feel good.
When the mom voice came out, he tipped his head up so he could look at her. He could see how serious she was, feel how much she worried. "Yeah. I promise," he told her, honestly. He probably wasn't the one she'd have to fight hardest, he had a tendency to be the one to turn away from the things that scared him first (out of his friends at least) but maybe if he made the promise he'd be able to stand up for it better. Maybe he could help other ways. Learn to be a responder, or a protector, instead of a fighter.