diff --git a/block/blk-core.c b/block/blk-core.c
index 2d53e2ff48ff..fbc39756f37d 100644
--- a/block/blk-core.c
+++ b/block/blk-core.c
@@ -121,7 +121,6 @@ void blk_rq_init(struct request_queue *q, struct request *rq)
 	rq->internal_tag = BLK_MQ_NO_TAG;
 	rq->start_time_ns = ktime_get_ns();
 	rq->part = NULL;
-	refcount_set(&rq->ref, 1);
 	blk_crypto_rq_set_defaults(rq);
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(blk_rq_init);
diff --git a/block/blk-flush.c b/block/blk-flush.c
index 7ee7e5e8905d..040d9adf8789 100644
--- a/block/blk-flush.c
+++ b/block/blk-flush.c
@@ -330,6 +330,14 @@ static void blk_kick_flush(struct request_queue *q, struct blk_flush_queue *fq,
 	flush_rq->rq_flags |= RQF_FLUSH_SEQ;
 	flush_rq->rq_disk = first_rq->rq_disk;
 	flush_rq->end_io = flush_end_io;
+	/*
+	 * Order WRITE ->end_io and WRITE rq->ref, and its pair is the one
+	 * implied in refcount_inc_not_zero() called from
+	 * blk_mq_find_and_get_req(), which orders WRITE/READ flush_rq->ref
+	 * and READ flush_rq->end_io
+	 */
+	smp_wmb();
+	refcount_set(&flush_rq->ref, 1);
 
 	blk_flush_queue_rq(flush_rq, false);
 }