Sigh. I really WANT to say Yes Glen. And it is possible, so long as you are willing to absorb an unhealthy amount of sacrifice & emotional pain.
I've been trying to make this work under completely different circumstances and no matter how much I want it to be easy, it's SO hard most of the time.... I'm speaking from the other side of this & again, there are a lot of differences but as it progresses it gets more complicated, not easier, no matter which part you play in the relationship dynamic.
The potential on my side to abuse this person - who is definitely sitting somewhere on the codie spectrum - is huge. It's like holding a loaded gun to his head & we both struggle with ever changing boundaries & growing, unspoken expectations. If I wasn't recovering myself, this whole thing would have played out far differently & it's still a mess by more traditional standards.