diff --git a/builtin.c b/builtin.c
index eca9ca3c5edd..7ed8a61f217f 100644
--- a/builtin.c
+++ b/builtin.c
@@ -48,8 +48,9 @@ Perl_prepare_export_lexical(pTHX)
     /* We need to have PL_comppad / PL_curpad set correctly for lexical importing */
     ENTER;
     SAVESPTR(PL_comppad_name); PL_comppad_name = PadlistNAMES(CvPADLIST(PL_compcv));
-    SAVESPTR(PL_comppad);      PL_comppad      = PadlistARRAY(CvPADLIST(PL_compcv))[1];
-    SAVESPTR(PL_curpad);       PL_curpad       = PadARRAY(PL_comppad);
+    SAVECOMPPAD();
+    PL_comppad      = PadlistARRAY(CvPADLIST(PL_compcv))[1];
+    PL_curpad       = PadARRAY(PL_comppad);
 }
 
 #define export_lexical(name, sv)  S_export_lexical(aTHX_ name, sv)
diff --git a/lib/builtin.t b/lib/builtin.t
index a1fd4221ee3d..feaeb4c2c304 100644
--- a/lib/builtin.t
+++ b/lib/builtin.t
@@ -621,6 +621,15 @@ TODO: {
     }
 }
 
+# github #21981
+{
+    fresh_perl_is(<<'EOS', "", {}, "github 21981: panic in intro_my");
+use B;
+BEGIN { B::save_BEGINs; }
+use v5.39;
+EOS
+}
+
 # vim: tabstop=4 shiftwidth=4 expandtab autoindent softtabstop=4
 
 done_testing();