I think pair up and skills would require too much re-balancing, and I think a lot of people wouldn't like it (myself included) as it would fundamentally change how the game plays. However, maybe a rescue rework would do, but I'd like two different modes for changes and original, or maybe this only on easy difficulty.
When you pick someone up with rescue, you can drop them off the next turn and they can still move, attack, trade, etc. that ends the unit that picked up the other's turn and gives them the negatives of picking up a unit for 2 more turns.
I feel people could like something like this as it would open up more strategies, but would likely make it easier as you could have a throwaway unit and it might encourage turtling.