diff --git a/src/PERI/atom_vec_peri.cpp b/src/PERI/atom_vec_peri.cpp
index f0cbd6eb04..e393bc28b6 100644
--- a/src/PERI/atom_vec_peri.cpp
+++ b/src/PERI/atom_vec_peri.cpp
@@ -88,12 +88,13 @@ void AtomVecPeri::grow_pointers()
 
 void AtomVecPeri::create_atom_post(int ilocal)
 {
+  const auto xinit = atom->x;
   vfrac[ilocal] = 1.0;
   rmass[ilocal] = 1.0;
   s0[ilocal] = DBL_MAX;
-  x0[ilocal][0] = x[ilocal][0];
-  x0[ilocal][1] = x[ilocal][1];
-  x0[ilocal][2] = x[ilocal][2];
+  x0[ilocal][0] = xinit[ilocal][0];
+  x0[ilocal][1] = xinit[ilocal][1];
+  x0[ilocal][2] = xinit[ilocal][2];
 }
 
 /* ----------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -103,10 +104,11 @@ void AtomVecPeri::create_atom_post(int ilocal)
 
 void AtomVecPeri::data_atom_post(int ilocal)
 {
+  const auto xinit = atom->x;
   s0[ilocal] = DBL_MAX;
-  x0[ilocal][0] = x[ilocal][0];
-  x0[ilocal][1] = x[ilocal][1];
-  x0[ilocal][2] = x[ilocal][2];
+  x0[ilocal][0] = xinit[ilocal][0];
+  x0[ilocal][1] = xinit[ilocal][1];
+  x0[ilocal][2] = xinit[ilocal][2];
 
   if (rmass[ilocal] <= 0.0) error->one(FLERR, "Invalid mass in Atoms section of data file");
 }