With the Gems all out of commission, Steven took it upon himself to make sure they were comfortable. He cleaned up the vomit and moved Pearl over to the couch, rolling her onto her side and placing a bucket beside her head in case she threw up again (he'd learned that from Under The Knife). He also made the Gems some tea, using a recipe he found online. By the time the Gems were stirring, the house smelled of mints.
"Ugh," Pearl was the first to rise, clutching her head. "Steven?"
"Try and relax, Pearl," Steven said, placing a cup of tea next to her. "And there's a bucket if you get sick again."
"Sick ag-?" Pearl's frayed and wrinkled cheeks blushed. "Oh dear, Steven, did I really-?"
"Yeah," he admitted, "but it's okay. I cleaned it up and everything."
"Oh, my head," Amethyst rose from her spot, followed by Ruby and Sapphire. "What's that smell?"
"Tea, Amethyst," Sapphire said. She froze, however, when she saw Ruby, who did the same herself. "Did we-?"
"The Gem!" Ruby gasped. "We dropped it! Where-?!"
"It's okay," Steven reassured them. "I got it and sent it off into the Temple." He handed them both a cup of tea.
Sapphire sighed. "Ruby and I thought we could use our powers to stop the tornado."
"Guess unfusing in 300 mile-per-hour winds wasn't the smartest idea," Ruby agreed.
"I got hit by a cow," Amethyst moaned, "and it wasn't even funny."
"It wasn't one of our best missions," Pearl admitted, "but at least we all made it back in one piece and the Gem is safe in the Temple. Steven, thank you for...for-?" Her cheeks started to puff up again and she lunged for the bucket.
With a groan, she got up. "Well, I'd say that's enough work for one day. I'm gonna go find a nice junk pile and take a nap. Wake me in about a week." She started to stumble for the Temple door, only for Steven to grab her.
"Wait!" He said, pulling her back over to the couch. "I need you all to hear this."
"Hear what, Steven?" Pearl asked, sitting back down.
With all four of his guardians looking at him, the boy sighed and said. "I think you guys need to take a break."
"From what, missions?" Ruby asked.
"Yes," the boy said. "You guys have been working non-stop all week. It's starting to take a toll on you."
"Oh, Steven, we can't just not do our duty," Pearl gave a weak chuckle, "Besides, we're fi-fi-"
"Here come the chunks," Amethyst laughed, rubbing her temples with her thumbs.
"See?" Steven said, "When's the last time Pearl threw up like this? Amethyst, you can barely walk. Ruby, Sapphire, you guys look terrible."
"Hey!" Ruby scowled, though he was right. In addition to both having dirty, messed-up clothes and disheveled hair, Sapphire's single eye was red, swollen, and sore-looking. She touched it, winching a bit. "Well, I guess I have been using my future vision a bit much."
"Aw, you guys are all babies!" Ruby smirked. She flexed her arm muscles. "See, I feel like a million-ow!" She grabbed her arm, biting her lip in pain.
"Guys, this is serious!" Steven cried. Taking a deep breath, he calmed down and went on. "You guys do a great job of taking care of the Earth, but you need to take care of yourselves too. You're working yourselves down to the Gem and it's got me really worried. I get why you guys leave me out of missions; you want me to have a life outside of Gem work. Well, I want you guys to have the same. You're all so much more than just warriors to me." At those words, Pearl and Ruby began getting tears in their eyes. Reaching out, Steven took all their hands in his own. "Will you please try it?" He put on his best "please" face, "For me?"
There was a flash of light and Garnet was back. Getting up, she and the other Gems went over and hugged Steven.
"Okay, Steven," Garnet said. "We will."