Really nice write up. One variation worth trying is the crossing layout: first card flat, second laid sideways across it like the center of a Celtic Cross. It forces you to read them as a pair and the top card shows what’s pressing on the situation or what you’re carrying with it.
On the number 2 itself, it’s all about polarity, tension, choices, and relating, which is why the High Priestess rules it. If your two-card pulls keep coming out flat, the question probably doesn’t have enough built-in tension and might work better as a single card or a bigger spread.
With the cross version, I usually read the crossing card upright even if it’s reversed. The sideways position already changes the energy enough.