diff --git a/asynch/proto/streams/buffered.py b/asynch/proto/streams/buffered.py
index f7d3dd0..f146140 100644
--- a/asynch/proto/streams/buffered.py
+++ b/asynch/proto/streams/buffered.py
@@ -111,6 +111,24 @@ def __init__(self, reader: StreamReader, buffer_max_size: int = constants.BUFFER
         self.current_buffer_size = 0
         self.position = 0
 
+    async def _refill_buffer(self):
+        if self.position == self.current_buffer_size:
+            self._reset_buffer()
+            await self._read_into_buffer()
+
+    def _is_buffer_empty(self):
+        return not (self.buffer or self.position)
+
+    async def _is_buffer_readable(self) -> bool:
+        await self._refill_buffer()
+        if self._is_buffer_empty():
+            return False
+        return True
+
+    def _reset_buffer(self):
+        self.position = 0
+        self.buffer = bytearray()
+
     async def _read_into_buffer(self):
         packet = await self.reader.read(self.buffer_max_size)
         self.buffer.extend(packet)
@@ -124,95 +142,66 @@ def _read_one(self):
     async def read_varint(self):
         packets = bytearray()
         while True:
-            if self.position == self.current_buffer_size:
-                self._reset_buffer()
-                await self._read_into_buffer()
+            if not (await self._is_buffer_readable()):
+                break
             packet = self._read_one()
             packets.append(packet)
             if packet < 0x80:
                 break
         return leb128.u.decode(packets)
 
-    def _reset_buffer(self):
-        self.position = 0
-        self.buffer = bytearray()
-
-    async def read_str(self, as_bytes: bool = False):
-        length = await self.read_varint()
-        packet = await self.read_bytes(length)
-        if as_bytes:
-            return packet
-        return packet.decode()
-
-    async def read_fixed_str(self, length: int, as_bytes: bool = False):
-        packet = await self.read_bytes(length)
-        if as_bytes:
-            return packet
-        return packet.decode()
-
     async def read_bytes(self, length: int):
         packets = bytearray()
         while length > 0:
-            if self.position == self.current_buffer_size:
-                self._reset_buffer()
-                await self._read_into_buffer()
-
+            if not (await self._is_buffer_readable()):
+                break
             read_position = self.position + length
             packet = self.buffer[self.position : read_position]  # noqa: E203
             length -= len(packet)
             self.position += len(packet)
             packets.extend(packet)
-
         return packets
 
+    async def read_fixed_str(self, length: int, as_bytes: bool = False):
+        packet = await self.read_bytes(length)
+        if as_bytes:
+            return packet
+        return packet.decode()
+
+    async def read_str(self, as_bytes: bool = False):
+        length = await self.read_varint()
+        return await self.read_fixed_str(length=length, as_bytes=as_bytes)
+
     async def read_int(self, fmt: str):
         s = struct.Struct("<" + fmt)
         packet = await self.read_bytes(s.size)
         return s.unpack(packet)[0]
 
-    async def read_int8(
-        self,
-    ):
+    async def read_int8(self):
         return await self.read_int("b")
 
-    async def read_int16(
-        self,
-    ):
+    async def read_int16(self):
         return await self.read_int("h")
 
-    async def read_int32(
-        self,
-    ):
+    async def read_int32(self):
         return await self.read_int("i")
 
-    async def read_int64(
-        self,
-    ):
+    async def read_int64(self):
         return await self.read_int("q")
 
-    async def read_uint8(
-        self,
-    ):
+    async def read_uint8(self):
         return await self.read_int("B")
 
-    async def read_uint16(
-        self,
-    ):
+    async def read_uint16(self):
         return await self.read_int("H")
 
-    async def read_uint32(
-        self,
-    ):
+    async def read_uint32(self):
         return await self.read_int("I")
 
-    async def read_uint64(
-        self,
-    ):
+    async def read_uint64(self):
         return await self.read_int("Q")
 
-    async def read_uint128(
-        self,
-    ):
+    async def read_uint128(self):
         hi = await self.read_int("Q")
         lo = await self.read_int("Q")
         return (hi << 64) + lo
diff --git a/tests/test_proto/streams/buffered/test_buffered_readers.py b/tests/test_proto/streams/buffered/test_buffered_readers.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dc11a97
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_proto/streams/buffered/test_buffered_readers.py
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+from asyncio import StreamReader
+
+import pytest
+
+from asynch.proto.streams.buffered import BufferedReader
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ("stream_data", "answer"),
+    [
+        (b"9", 57),
+        (b"32", 51),
+    ],
+)
+async def test_read_varint(stream_data: bytes, answer: bytes):
+    """When `(b"", 0)`, the reading gets stuck."""
+
+    stream_reader = StreamReader()
+    stream_reader.feed_data(stream_data)
+    reader = BufferedReader(stream_reader)
+
+    result = await reader.read_varint()
+
+    assert answer == result
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ("stream_data", "bytes_to_read", "answer"),
+    [
+        (b"", 0, b""),
+        (b"02", 1, b"0"),
+        (b"3456", 4, b"3456"),
+    ],
+)
+async def test_read_bytes(stream_data: bytes, bytes_to_read: int, answer: bytes):
+    """If `bytes_to_read > len(stream_data)`, the reading gets stuck."""
+
+    stream_reader = StreamReader()
+    stream_reader.feed_data(stream_data)
+    reader = BufferedReader(stream_reader, 1)
+
+    result = await reader.read_bytes(bytes_to_read)
+
+    assert answer == result
diff --git a/tests/test_proto/test_io.py b/tests/test_proto/streams/buffered/test_buffered_writers.py
similarity index 64%
rename from tests/test_proto/test_io.py
rename to tests/test_proto/streams/buffered/test_buffered_writers.py
index e93c105..8c5b2a4 100644
--- a/tests/test_proto/test_io.py
+++ b/tests/test_proto/streams/buffered/test_buffered_writers.py
@@ -1,22 +1,8 @@
-from asyncio import StreamReader
 from unittest.mock import AsyncMock
 
 import pytest
 
-from asynch.proto.streams.buffered import BufferedReader, BufferedWriter
-
-
-@pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_BufferedReader_overflow():
-    stream_data = b"1234"
-
-    stream_reader = StreamReader()
-    stream_reader.feed_data(stream_data)
-    reader = BufferedReader(stream_reader, 1)
-
-    result = await reader.read_bytes(4)
-
-    assert result == stream_data
+from asynch.proto.streams.buffered import BufferedWriter
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio