He was gawking. Bruce Wayne was gawking. Bruce Wayne dressed as Batman (sans cowl) was gawking. Effectively, Batman was gawking. He didn't care.
The being before him, presumably the batman after him, was willing to throw his life away to make whatever was happening here in his past go away. "You can't be serious."
"I can and I am," he replied. "I can't tell you who I am," the Batman let go, "I'm messing with things badly enough already," he pulled off his gloves "but I can at least prove that I'm real," then he pulled off Bruce's, "not just a disposable robot of something." Bruce realized that somewhere in the back of his mind he knew it was a possibility, but that possibility dissolved as he felt warm hands slide into his own.
"I found something in the attic a little while back and it got me thinking." Bruce was now listening raptly to the young man before him. "I looked back into everything I could find and then I found Harleen Dennis. Formerly Harleen Quinzel, your Harley Quinn. I found her and scared her into telling me the Joker's real weakness. Turns out it was you. That once upon a time she had captured you, but he wouldn't let her kill you. He just wouldn't. I think that's already happened here. Do you remember it?" Bruce licked his lips and nodded. He remembered that night, and just how very close to death he had been.
"You see, the Joker, he doesn't just hate you. He wants to win. He needs to make you laugh. If he can't do that his life has no meaning. It's weird but just go with it. I've worked this through with a lot of really smart people. Nobody who would tell the old man, but still, really smart people. Like Gear and Wally..." Bruce wasn't very aware of himself at the moment, but he knew he must have reacted. Young Batman gave a little laugh. "He's way smarter than you think, and really good with people. And Diana. Not to mention a whole host of other people, but ones you won't know yet.
"And they all agree. That if, for once in your life, you go with your heart instead of your head, things will be better than if you go all world's greatest detective."
"But I have to do something!" Bruce's eyes were wide. The Batman's way was the only way he knew. He could feel the tears gathering.
"You need to do nothing." A warm hand moved over his cheek and ear and Bruce felt himself lean into the touch. "If the Joker doesn't get what he wants-"
"He'll kill Tim!" Suddenly, a young hand was wiping away his tears. A small part of Bruce was horrifed; Batman was crying.
"He'll give Tim back," the owner of the hands corrected. Bruce leaned heavier into the one holding his head.
"How can you know?"
"With a little prompting, he'll do exactly what I want. But." Bruce looked back into the shielded eyes. "But, you have to leave it to me." He sobbed. Closed his eyes, sobbed, and nodded.