diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index 1c0f865f..58a43bc8 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -887,16 +887,16 @@ module.exports = class Hypercore extends EventEmitter {
   }
 
   async _get (index, opts) {
-    let block
-
     if (this.core.isFlushing) await this.core.flushed()
 
-    if (this.state.bitfield.get(index)) {
-      const reader = this.state.storage.createReadBatch()
-      block = this.core.blocks.get(reader, index)
+    const reader = this.state.storage.createReadBatch()
+    const promise = reader.getBlock(index)
+    reader.tryFlush()
+
+    let block = await promise
 
-      if (this.cache) this.cache.set(index, block)
-      await reader.flush()
+    if (block !== null) {
+      if (this.cache) this.cache.set(index, Promise.resolve(block))
     } else {
       if (!this._shouldWait(opts, this.wait)) return null
 
diff --git a/lib/core.js b/lib/core.js
index 7c37ecf4..d025e789 100644
--- a/lib/core.js
+++ b/lib/core.js
@@ -103,6 +103,7 @@ class Update {
     }
 
     this.bitfield.setRange(batch.ancestors, batch.treeLength, false)
+    this.batch.deleteBlockRange(bitfield.start, bitfield.start + bitfield.length)
 
     const status = (batch.length > batch.ancestors) ? 0b0011 : 0b0010
 
@@ -269,7 +270,7 @@ class SessionState {
 
       update.bitfield.setRange(start, end, false)
 
-      start = this.bitfield.firstSet(start + 1)
+      end = this.bitfield.firstSet(end)
 
       // TODO: verify this:
       // start = state.bitfield.lastSet(start) + 1
@@ -279,7 +280,6 @@ class SessionState {
       if (start === -1 || start >= this.tree.length) return
 
       this.blocks.clear(update.batch, start, end - start)
-
       update.coreUpdate({ status: 0, bitfield, value: null, from: null })
 
       if (start < this.treeLength) this.treeLength = start
diff --git a/test/cache.js b/test/cache.js
index ab9cec2b..da12a575 100644
--- a/test/cache.js
+++ b/test/cache.js
@@ -8,10 +8,10 @@ test('cache', async function (t) {
   const a = await create(t, { cache: true })
   await a.append(['a', 'b', 'c'])
 
-  const p = a.get(0)
-  const q = a.get(0)
+  const p = await a.get(0)
+  const q = await a.get(0)
 
-  t.is(await p, await q, 'blocks are identical')
+  t.is(p, q, 'blocks are identical')
 })
 
 test('session cache inheritance', async function (t) {
@@ -20,10 +20,10 @@ test('session cache inheritance', async function (t) {
 
   const s = a.session()
 
-  const p = a.get(0)
-  const q = s.get(0)
+  const p = await a.get(0)
+  const q = await s.get(0)
 
-  t.is(await p, await q, 'blocks are identical')
+  t.is(p, q, 'blocks are identical')
 
   await s.close()
 })
@@ -34,10 +34,10 @@ test('session cache opt-out', async function (t) {
 
   const s = a.session({ cache: false })
 
-  const p = a.get(0)
-  const q = s.get(0)
+  const p = await a.get(0)
+  const q = await s.get(0)
 
-  t.not(await p, await q, 'blocks are not identical')
+  t.not(p, q, 'blocks are not identical')
 
   await s.close()
 })
@@ -48,12 +48,12 @@ test('session cache override', async function (t) {
 
   const s = a.session({ cache: new Xache({ maxSize: 64, maxAge: 0 }) })
 
-  const p = a.get(0)
-  const q = s.get(0)
-  const r = s.get(0)
+  const p = await a.get(0)
+  const q = await s.get(0)
+  const r = await s.get(0)
 
-  t.not(await p, await q, 'blocks are not identical')
-  t.is(await q, await r, 'blocks are identical')
+  t.not(p, q, 'blocks are not identical')
+  t.is(q, r, 'blocks are identical')
 
   await s.close()
 })
diff --git a/test/replicate.js b/test/replicate.js
index 7c6036ad..cedaa013 100644
--- a/test/replicate.js
+++ b/test/replicate.js
@@ -650,6 +650,9 @@ test('request cancellation regression', async function (t) {
   b.get(1).catch(onerror)
   b.get(2).catch(onerror)
 
+  // have to wait for the storage lookup here, TODO: add a flush sort of api for testing this
+  await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 500))
+
   // No explict api to trigger this (maybe we add a cancel signal / abort controller?) but cancel get(1)
   b.activeRequests[1].context.detach(b.activeRequests[1])