diff --git a/mesonbuild/mtest.py b/mesonbuild/mtest.py
index 300eb11cf..dd7f926b7 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/mtest.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/mtest.py
@@ -976,6 +976,27 @@ def decode(stream: T.Union[None, bytes]) -> str:
     except UnicodeDecodeError:
         return stream.decode('iso-8859-1', errors='ignore')
 
+async def read_decode(reader: asyncio.StreamReader) -> str:
+    return decode(await reader.read(-1))
+
+# Extract lines out of the StreamReader.  Print them
+# along the way if requested, and at the end collect
+# them all into a future.
+async def read_decode_lines(reader: asyncio.StreamReader, f: 'asyncio.Future[str]',
+                            console_mode: ConsoleUser) -> T.AsyncIterator[str]:
+    stdo_lines = []
+    try:
+        while not reader.at_eof():
+            line = decode(await reader.readline())
+            stdo_lines.append(line)
+            if console_mode is ConsoleUser.STDOUT:
+                print(line, end='', flush=True)
+            yield line
+    except Exception as e:
+        f.set_exception(e)
+    finally:
+        f.set_result(''.join(stdo_lines))
+
 def run_with_mono(fname: str) -> bool:
     return fname.endswith('.exe') and not (is_windows() or is_cygwin())
 
@@ -1033,17 +1054,27 @@ async def complete_all(futures: T.Iterable[asyncio.Future]) -> None:
                 f.result()
 
 class TestSubprocess:
-    def __init__(self, p: asyncio.subprocess.Process, postwait_fn: T.Callable[[], None] = None):
+    def __init__(self, p: asyncio.subprocess.Process,
+                 stdout: T.Optional[int], stderr: T.Optional[int],
+                 postwait_fn: T.Callable[[], None] = None):
         self._process = p
+        self.stdout = stdout
+        self.stderr = stderr
+        self.stdo_task = None            # type: T.Optional[T.Awaitable[str]]
+        self.stde_task = None            # type: T.Optional[T.Awaitable[str]]
         self.postwait_fn = postwait_fn   # type: T.Callable[[], None]
 
-    @property
-    def stdout(self) -> T.Optional[asyncio.StreamReader]:
-        return self._process.stdout
+    def stdout_lines(self, console_mode: ConsoleUser) -> T.AsyncIterator[str]:
+        self.stdo_task = asyncio.get_event_loop().create_future()
+        return read_decode_lines(self._process.stdout, self.stdo_task, console_mode)
 
-    @property
-    def stderr(self) -> T.Optional[asyncio.StreamReader]:
-        return self._process.stderr
+    def communicate(self) -> T.Tuple[T.Optional[T.Awaitable[str]],
+                                     T.Optional[T.Awaitable[str]]]:
+        if self.stdo_task is None and self.stdout is not None:
+            self.stdo_task = read_decode(self._process.stdout)
+        if self.stderr is not None and self.stderr != asyncio.subprocess.STDOUT:
+            self.stde_task = read_decode(self._process.stderr)
+        return self.stdo_task, self.stde_task
 
     async def _kill(self) -> T.Optional[str]:
         # Python does not provide multiplatform support for
@@ -1199,7 +1230,8 @@ class SingleTestRunner:
                                                  env=env,
                                                  cwd=cwd,
                                                  preexec_fn=preexec_fn if not is_windows() else None)
-        return TestSubprocess(p, postwait_fn=postwait_fn if not is_windows() else None)
+        return TestSubprocess(p, stdout=stdout, stderr=stderr,
+                              postwait_fn=postwait_fn if not is_windows() else None)
 
     async def _run_cmd(self, cmd: T.List[str]) -> None:
         if self.test.extra_paths:
@@ -1245,32 +1277,11 @@ class SingleTestRunner:
                                        env=self.env,
                                        cwd=self.test.workdir)
 
-        stdo = stde = ''
-        stdo_task = stde_task = parse_task = None
-
-        # Extract lines out of the StreamReader and print them
-        # along the way if requested
-        async def lines() -> T.AsyncIterator[str]:
-            stdo_lines = []
-            reader = p.stdout
-            while not reader.at_eof():
-                line = decode(await reader.readline())
-                stdo_lines.append(line)
-                if self.console_mode is ConsoleUser.STDOUT:
-                    print(line, end='')
-                yield line
-
-            nonlocal stdo
-            stdo = ''.join(stdo_lines)
-
         parse_task = None
         if self.runobj.needs_parsing:
-            parse_task = self.runobj.parse(lines())
-        elif stdout is not None:
-            stdo_task = p.stdout.read(-1)
-        if stderr is not None and stderr != asyncio.subprocess.STDOUT:
-            stde_task = p.stderr.read(-1)
+            parse_task = self.runobj.parse(p.stdout_lines(self.console_mode))
 
+        stdo_task, stde_task = p.communicate()
         returncode, result, additional_error = await p.wait(self.runobj.timeout)
 
         if parse_task is not None:
@@ -1279,11 +1290,8 @@ class SingleTestRunner:
                 additional_error = join_lines(additional_error, error)
             result = result or res
 
-        if stdo_task is not None:
-            stdo = decode(await stdo_task)
-        if stde_task is not None:
-            stde = decode(await stde_task)
-
+        stdo = await stdo_task if stdo_task else ''
+        stde = await stde_task if stde_task else ''
         stde = join_lines(stde, additional_error)
         self.runobj.complete(returncode, result, stdo, stde)