diff --git a/lib/api/readable.js b/lib/api/readable.js
index 71d90d457b3..c52b6b2c290 100644
--- a/lib/api/readable.js
+++ b/lib/api/readable.js
@@ -487,13 +487,18 @@ function consumeStart (consume) {
   }
 
   if (state.endEmitted) {
-    consumeEnd(this[kConsume], this._readableState.encoding)
-  } else {
-    consume.stream.on('end', function () {
-      consumeEnd(this[kConsume], this._readableState.encoding)
-    })
+    // No `this` to read the consume off here: consumeStart is a free function, called from
+    // the queueMicrotask above. The callback below does have one, because the emitter passes
+    // the stream as its receiver. Returning matters too - consumeEnd() clears consume.stream,
+    // which the resume() below would then dereference.
+    consumeEnd(consume, state.encoding)
+    return
   }
 
+  consume.stream.on('end', function () {
+    consumeEnd(this[kConsume], this._readableState.encoding)
+  })
+
   consume.stream.resume()
 
   while (consume.stream.read() != null) {
diff --git a/test/readable.js b/test/readable.js
index 412af4790b6..ce691d142c0 100644
--- a/test/readable.js
+++ b/test/readable.js
@@ -5,6 +5,26 @@ const { test, describe } = require('node:test')
 const { Readable } = require('../lib/api/readable')
 
 describe('Readable', () => {
+  test('consume a body whose end has already been emitted', async function (t) {
+    t = tspl(t, { plan: 1 })
+
+    function resume () {
+    }
+    function abort () {
+    }
+    const r = new Readable({ resume, abort })
+
+    // An empty body, as a 204 gives, drained before anyone asks for it. No data is
+    // emitted, so the body is not disturbed and the consume is allowed to proceed -
+    // it just starts after 'end'. What must not happen is a throw out of the
+    // microtask consumeStart runs on, which no caller can catch.
+    r.push(null)
+    r.resume()
+    await new Promise(resolve => r.on('end', resolve))
+
+    t.strictEqual(await r.text(), '')
+  })
+
   test('avoid body reordering', async function (t) {
     t = tspl(t, { plan: 1 })