diff --git a/degesch.c b/degesch.c
index 4c27283..d0aca74 100644
--- a/degesch.c
+++ b/degesch.c
@@ -1367,12 +1367,8 @@ struct app_context
 	size_t nick_palette_len;            ///< Number of entries in nick_palette
 
 	bool awaiting_mirc_escape;          ///< Awaiting a mIRC attribute escape
-	// TODO: try to get rid of this in favor of "paste_buffer" -> "input_buffer"
-	char char_buf[MB_LEN_MAX + 1];      ///< Buffered multibyte char
-	size_t char_buf_len;                ///< How much of an MB char is buffered
-
 	bool in_bracketed_paste;            ///< User is pasting some content
-	struct str paste_buffer;            ///< Buffered pasted content
+	struct str input_buffer;            ///< Buffered pasted content
 
 	bool running_backlog_helper;        ///< Running a backlog helper
 }
@@ -1437,7 +1433,7 @@ app_context_init (struct app_context *self)
 	free (encoding);
 
 	input_init (&self->input);
-	str_init (&self->paste_buffer);
+	str_init (&self->input_buffer);
 
 	self->nick_palette =
 		filter_color_cube_for_acceptable_nick_colors (&self->nick_palette_len);
@@ -1471,7 +1467,7 @@ app_context_free (struct app_context *self)
 	iconv_close (self->term_to_utf8);
 
 	input_free (&self->input);
-	str_free (&self->paste_buffer);
+	str_free (&self->input_buffer);
 }
 
 static void refresh_prompt (struct app_context *ctx);
@@ -9060,7 +9056,6 @@ static void
 await_mirc_escape (struct app_context *ctx)
 {
 	ctx->awaiting_mirc_escape = true;
-	ctx->char_buf_len = 0;
 }
 
 static void
@@ -9887,13 +9882,16 @@ process_mirc_escape (const struct pollfd *fd, struct app_context *ctx)
 {
 	// There's no other way with libedit, as both el_getc() in a function
 	// handler and CC_ARGHACK would block execution
-	if (read (fd->fd, ctx->char_buf + ctx->char_buf_len, 1) != 1)
+	struct str *buf = &ctx->input_buffer;
+	str_ensure_space (buf, 1);
+	if (read (fd->fd, buf->str + buf->len, 1) != 1)
 		goto error;
+	buf->str[++buf->len] = '\0';
 
 	mbstate_t state;
 	memset (&state, 0, sizeof state);
 
-	size_t len = mbrlen (ctx->char_buf, ++ctx->char_buf_len, &state);
+	size_t len = mbrlen (buf->str, buf->len, &state);
 
 	// Illegal sequence
 	if (len == (size_t) -1)
@@ -9903,9 +9901,9 @@ process_mirc_escape (const struct pollfd *fd, struct app_context *ctx)
 	if (len == (size_t) -2)
 		return;
 
-	if (ctx->char_buf_len != 1)
+	if (buf->len != 1)
 		goto error;
-	switch (ctx->char_buf[0])
+	switch (buf->str[0])
 	{
 	case 'b': input_insert (&ctx->input, "\x02"); break;
 	case 'c': input_insert (&ctx->input, "\x03"); break;
@@ -9924,6 +9922,7 @@ process_mirc_escape (const struct pollfd *fd, struct app_context *ctx)
 error:
 	input_ding (&ctx->input);
 done:
+	str_reset (buf);
 	ctx->awaiting_mirc_escape = false;
 }
 
@@ -9932,7 +9931,7 @@ done:
 static void
 process_bracketed_paste (const struct pollfd *fd, struct app_context *ctx)
 {
-	struct str *buf = &ctx->paste_buffer;
+	struct str *buf = &ctx->input_buffer;
 	str_ensure_space (buf, 1);
 	if (read (fd->fd, buf->str + buf->len, 1) != 1)
 		goto error;